Les Allamans is a tiny, isolated village in picturesque surroundings, reached by a narrow winding road that climbs up the mountainside between pine trees. Popular with walkers and summer holidaymakers, it has retained the lively atmosphere of a mountain community. A century ago, the village still had a population all year round and it took a lot of courage on the part of the villagers to cope with the difficult agricultural work and the rigours of the environment.
The village of Les Allamans dates back to the early 13th century when country people were making strenuous efforts to clear forests. Instigated by lords of the manor and monks, the trees were felled and pastures extended beyond the limits of the old clearings and areas of shrub. Above Samoëns, on the mountain range marking the border between the Faucigny and Valais areas, there were still vast stretches of woodland in which there was almost no grazing land. However, the feudal lords wanted to maximise the value of the area and they decided to pay a colony of woodcutters with specialist knowledge of forestry to settle there. With the agreement of the monks in Aulps Abbey, several German-speaking families moved here in 1215 and set up a village known as the "Village of the Germans" (Village des Allamands).
The newcomers attacked the herculean task of cleaning the forest then extended the clearings and laid down cobblestones. After decades of back-breaking work, two new mountain pastures were created - Bostan and Odda. It is interesting that the new areas were given, and kept, Germanic names - "Bostan" comes from "Bostâr" meaning "woodland" and "Odda" means "valuable asset" in High German.
By the late Middle Ages, the families living in Les Allamans had acquired a certain degree of wealth. The mountain dwellers earned a comfortable living from livestock farming and were even able to provide some of their children with good, solid education. For example, the village had its own solicitors.
When there was an increase in the number of people travelling between the Faucigny and Valais areas, the village became a major community along the way, frequented in all seasons by travellers, merchants, shepherds and cowherds taking their animals up to, and down from, the mountain pastures and pilgrims heading over the high-altitude mountain passes to the Rhône Valley. They would all make a very welcome stop in Les Allamans to refresh themselves (or heat themselves up) before going on over the Golèse and Coux mountain passes to Val d'Illiez.
Although the village became less isolated at that time, it was also the scene of some terrible events. In 1476, an army from Bern swooped down on Samoëns, taking the route across the mountain passes and setting fire to Les Allamans. Half-a-century later, the village was again set alight, this time by troops from the League of Swiss Cantons who even set fire to the chalets in the mountain pastures and the highest village in the range (Le Ramble, at the same altitude as the Tornay hut today). Le Ramble was never rebuilt.
The time had come for the authorities to keep a more careful watch on the borders and excisemen were soon sent on regular tours of duty to Les Allamans.
It is difficult to imagine how difficult life once was in this mountain community. Not only did the villagers have to carry out back-breaking work in weather that could be harsh in the extreme, they also had to cope with wild animals that made their life even more difficult (foxes, wild boar, bears). This won them the local nickname of "Couve-Loups" (wolf watchers).