Rossinière, Village in Switzerland
Rossinière is a village in the Pays-d'Enhaut valley in Switzerland, surrounded by forested slopes and mountain peaks. Its streets are lined with old wooden chalets, many with carved facades and roofs covered in small wooden tiles called tavillons.
The village has roots going back to the 14th century, with its oldest building, a stone church, dating from the early 1300s. The Grand Chalet, one of the largest wooden houses in Switzerland, was built in the 18th century and served for a time as a hotel before becoming a private home.
The village is closely tied to the painter Balthus, who spent the final decades of his life here. In the summer of 2026, an outdoor art walk called the Kingdom of Cats will place cat-themed installations on house facades and through the lanes of the village, drawing on his love for felines.
The village sits in the heart of a regional nature park, so hiking trails are easy to reach and start right from the village center. Comfortable footwear is a good idea, as many routes pass through forests and open pastures.
The riverside path just north of the village was once a stagecoach route, in use since around 1840. Walking it today means following the same track that travelers and mail coaches used long before any road existed in this valley.
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