The economy of the Alps

Agriculture

Before the mid-19th century the economic basis of the Alps was predominantly agricultural and pastoral. Though since then there has been widespread abandonment of farms, especially in the high valleys of France and Italy and in western Austria, agriculture still survives in favoured locations both in the main and lateral valleys. The hot and dry Rhône valley in Switzerland, between Sierre and Martigny, is an intensive area of irrigated fruit and vegetable cultivation, and both the valley floor and slopes of the mountains have extensive vineyards from which excellent wines are made. Above Visp are some of the highest vineyards in the world, reaching more than 4,250 feet. Other regions of viticulture include the Alto Adige region in northern Italy, Ticino, and the southern regions of the Alps. Villagers in such locations as Chandolin in the Swiss Anniviers Valley—which at 6,561 feet is the highest settlement inhabited year-round in the Alps—cut grass for feeding dairy cows, but most of the agriculture and pastoralism in the high valleys exists as hobby farming or second-income enterprises.

Mining and manufacturing

The mainstay of the modern Alpine economy is a combination of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, industries, and tourism. Mining has been carried out since Neolithic times and is still significant in the Erzberg of Austria, where iron has been extracted from the mountain since the Middle Ages. Near Cluse, in the pre-Alps of Haute-Savoie not far from Geneva, a region of watchmaking, screw cutting, component manufacturing, and related industries emerged in the first quarter of the 19th century and evolved into one of the most concentrated industrial locations of its type in the world. Large steel mills were located in Aosta and in the Mur and Mürz valleys because of local supplies of iron and coal. In addition, pulp and paper plants that utilized the Alpine forests were established in the Eastern Alps of Austria. With the development of hydroelectricity in the late 19th and 20th centuries, heavy metallurgical and chemical industries were attracted to the major transverse valleys of France, southern Switzerland, and western Austria. Later, factories producing such consumer products as textiles (in the Rhine valley of Austria) and sporting goods (the Annecy area in France) were established. One result of this industrialization was the depopulation of the small villages in the lateral valleys, an occurrence that was partially stemmed by the emergence of the tourism boom after 1960. Many of the early industrial enterprises are no longer viable because of obsolescence, foreign competition, the high cost of transporting raw materials from coastal ports to interior valley locations, or—as is the case with the steel plant in Aosta—because indigenous raw materials have been exhausted. The remaining plants have had to modernize, rationalize, restructure, and develop new products in order to remain competitive in world markets.

Tourism

The most significant economic change for the Alps has been the development of mass tourism since World War II. Tourism in the Alps is a risky business: capital investment can be considerable, whereas the season in which to recoup expenditure is short and can be disrupted by economic difficulties in neighbouring countries or by a lack of snow in winter and cool, rainy weather in summer. Furthermore, there is fierce competition to attract tourists, not only among the different Alpine countries but also among the resorts within each country. There are some 600 ski resorts in the Alps, with more than 270 in Austria alone. Nevertheless, winter and summer tourism have injected enormous sums of money into the economies of the Alpine nations, a development that has been especially beneficial to the remote villages of the high lateral valleys. Employment opportunities in the service sector have increased substantially, taking up the slack caused by a decline in agricultural and industrial employment.

Transportation

The rugged and steep terrain of the Alps long was a barrier to transportation. Beginning in Celtic times, however, and continuing into the present, mountain passes have served as communication links between otherwise isolated valleys; the passes have evolved from simple paths to paved, multilane highways. Such settlements as Chur in eastern Switzerland, a focal point for the numerous passes in the region, have been inhabited for more than 5,000 years. Andermatt, in south central Switzerland, grew in a similar manner.

The advent of rail and later road transportation and the accompanying improvements in road-building techniques have ended the isolation of most areas of the Alps. Tunnels—and road tunnels in particular—which allow huge numbers of people to pass under the great Alpine massifs at all times of the year, have had the greatest impact: by facilitating such a steady onslaught of motor vehicles and people, they not only made possible the tremendous growth in tourism in the 20th century but also became a major contributing factor in the degradation of the Alpine environment.