Erschmatt

Erschmatt is a former municipality in the district of Leuk in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.

[3] The former municipality is located in the Leuk district, at an elevation of 1,230 m (4,040 ft) on the Leuker Sonnenbergen mountain.

It consists of the village of Erschmatt and the, usually occupied year round, alpine herding settlement of Brentschen at an elevation of 1,540 m (5,050 ft).

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure between a Mullet of Six and a Trefoil Argent on a Bend of the same a Sword of Flames Gules hilted Sable in base Coupeaux Vert.

[3] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) spoke German (299 or 99.0%) as their first language, French and Romansh are the next most common (1 or 0.3% each).

[3] The historical population is given in the following chart:[2][9] The entire village of Erschmatt is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

[10] In 2013 Herbert Lötscher built the world's first residential Heliodom or sun house concept.

The house is designed so that during the winter the large windows allow the sun to heat the entire building, while in the summer they are shaded and cooled.

[15] In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election a total of 199 votes were cast, of which 6 or about 3.0% were invalid.

The number of jobs in the primary sector was 16, of which 5 were in agriculture and 10 were in forestry or lumber production.

In the tertiary sector; 3 or 21.4% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 1 was in the movement and storage of goods, 2 or 14.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was the insurance or financial industry, 2 or 14.3% were technical professionals or scientists, 2 or 14.3% were in education.

[3] From the 2000 census[update], 279 or 92.4% were Roman Catholic, while 11 or 3.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.