Swiss Embassy recognizes West Virginia town for preserving heritage

Attached video is from when 12 News when to Fasnacht in Helvetia, WV in 2023.

HELVETIA, W.Va. (WBOY) — The U.S.’s Embassy of Switzerland recently visited “Little Switzerland” in remote West Virginia and had a lot of good things to say.

Helvetia, West Virginia is a small community in Randolph County with fewer than 100 residents, but it’s “no ordinary Appalachian town.” The community was settled by German and Swiss immigrants in 1869, and although the residents no longer speak Swiss German, they have evolved their own Appalachian versions of traditions that they brought from Switzerland.

The most well-known is Fasnacht, a Swiss carnival that celebrates the end of winter. Attendees wear papier-mâché masks to chase away the demons of winter, and ceremoniously burn “Old Man Winter.”

Helvetia also celebrates Swiss National Day on August 1 and held a community fair just last week .

Gathering places like The “Hütte” restaurant, which served traditional Swiss recipes, and hobbies like yodeling and cheese-making still hold onto Swiss heritage 150 years after the settlers left Switzerland.

Tourism has also grown in the area in the past few years because of community initiatives and Helvetia’s inclusion in the Fallout 76 video game.

“Helvetia is worth a visit year-round for anyone seeking to enjoy the tranquility of the village, the unique nature surrounding it, and the friendliness of the locals. In no time, visitors will find themselves completely immersed in the village’s history, traditions, and unique surroundings, discovering a little Switzerland far away from Switzerland – much like the Swiss immigrants did in 1869,” the Swiss Embassy said in a feature story.

You can see photos from the visit on the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States of America Facebook page and website .

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