The
Val d'Anniviers 
(old name in German
Eifischtal) is a Swiss Alpine valley, situated in the district of
Sierre 
in
Valais 
, which extends south of the
Rhône 
Valley, on the northern slopes of the
Pennine Alps 
. The valley was home to six municipalities: Ayer,
Chandolin 
,
Grimentz 
, Saint-Jean, Saint-Luc and
Vissoie 
. The citizens of those municipalities agreed on November 26, 2006, to merge into one, which was named Anniviers. The merger took place in January 2009.
Toponymy
The name of the valley has changed little during its history: "vallis Annivesii" before 1052, then "de Anivesio" in 1193, "Annivies" in 1215, "Anives" in 1243 and "Annevié" in 1253.
The origin and meaning of the name "Anniviers" are uncertain and have been interpreted in different ways from Latin.