Raron

The Burgkirche at Raron stands on a crag over the Rhone valley, built into the remains of a castle in the early sixteenth century, and its interior holds a very large Last Judgement painted on the west wall around 1512 - crowded, vivid and unusually well preserved for a village church. Rainer Maria Rilke chose to be buried here: he had settled at Muzot nearby, saw the church on a walk, and left instructions; he died in 1926 and lies against the south wall under a plain stone carrying an epitaph he wrote himself about the rose. The grave draws a steady trickle of readers. Below the crag, a modern church serves the parish, and the older building is kept for the fresco and the setting.

Highlights

• A church on a castle crag - built into the fortification above the Rhone.
• A Last Judgement of about 1512 - covering the west wall inside.
• Rilke's grave - against the south wall, with his own epitaph.
• The Rhone valley below - the whole width from the terrace.

When to go

All year. Two hours.

Good to know

The crag is reached by a stiff pull up from the village. The old church may be locked outside opening hours - check locally. The village is small with limited facilities. The grave is plain and easy to miss.

Nearby

Visp and the Zermatt line are east; the Lotschental is north.