by Paul Heldner (a chronicler from Glis)
There is disagreement among scholars about whether the name Albinen is derived from “Albignion” (meaning “alp”) or from “Arbignon” (meaning “forest”). Both “Albignion” and “Arbignon” are Old French terms, but since we have no evidence on whether the area around present-day Albinen was pastureland or was still wooded in the relevant era (7th to 10th century A.D.), we do not know which derivation is correct. But whether the area was still a wilderness in the days of the Franks or was being used for grazing cattle, Celtic graves attest to the fact that it was already settled in prehistoric times. Then, sometime around the 11th century A.D., Germanic-speaking tribes came to Albinen from the direction of Leukerbad, cultivated the land and established a permanent settlement here. Albinen first appears in the written record as “Albignun” in 1224; from 1339 we also find the spelling “Arbignon”.
The Burgergemeinde (“citizens’ community”, a statutory corporation in Swiss public law including all individuals who are citizens regardless of where they were born or where they may currently live) of Albinen is also very old, presumably dating to 1226 or not long thereafter, as this was the year when the local peasants “stood together as one” to buy the rights to Albinen from the bishop. The foundation charter is preserved to this day in the town archives.
Albinen also includes the hamlets of Tschingeren (also first mentioned in writing in 1224) and Dorben (first mentioned around 1250). Initially, the most important of these three communities was Dorben, and as such would have been the site of the original thingstead (village hall); Albinen did not become dominant politically until around 1350.