Supersaxo is the surname of a number of unrelated families of the Upper Valais. It is a latinized locational surname, from Latin super "above" and saxo (ablative) "rock"; as such it is a direct translation of German auf der Fluh (Fluhe, Flüe, Flühe etc.)
The most notable bearers of the name are the Supersaxo auf der Flüe of Naters. They are descended from the Manegoldi, a family of episcopal ministeriales originally of Ernen. They renamed themselves ab der Flue or de Saxo in c. 1340 (Rudolph Super Saxum) after their seat in Naters, the castle Uff der Flüe. After 1352, the castle was occupied by the castellanus of Naters and it intermittently served as residence of the prince-bishops of Sion in the 15th and 16th centuries. Three members of the family served as prince-bishops of Sion. The residence of the early modern Naters residence of the family, known as Supersaxo Haus, was built in 1597. This family was extinct in the male line in 1734.
Naters is a municipality in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipalities of Birgisch and Mund merged into the municipality of Naters, which also includes the villages of Hegdorn, Geimen, Mehlbaum, Rischinen and Blatten bei Naters.
Ernen is a municipality in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 2005 Ernen incorporated the formerly independent municipalities of Ausserbinn, Mühlebach, and Steinhaus.
Other (unrelated) families called Supersaxo are found in Jeizinen (Gampel), Saas-Grund (extinct) and Michel-Supersaxo of Brig.
Gampel is a former municipality in the district of Leuk in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.
Saas-Grund is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies east of Lenzspitze and Dom.
Notable people with the surname include:
- Georg (Jörg) Supersaxo auf der Flüe (ca. 1450–1529), leader of the Seven Tithings, diplomatic envoy to Milan for the treaty of 1495.
- Walther II. Supersaxo von der Fluhe (ca. 1402–1482), prince-bishop of Sion r. 1457–1482.
- Georg I. Michel-Supersaxo (ca. 1550–1625/26), castellanus of and Landeshauptmann of the Seven Tithings 1593–1595. [1]
- Georg II. Michel-Supersaxo (1601–1676), castellanus of Brig and Landeshauptmann 1664–1670. [2]
- Bartholomeu Supersaxo von der Fluhe (1602–1640), prince-bishop of Sion r. 1638–1640.
- Franz Josef Supersaxo von der Fluhe (1665–1734),prince-bishop of Sion r. 1701–1734.
- Franz Georg Michel-Supersaxo (1661–1705), castellanus of Brig
- Franz Ignaz Michel-Supersaxo (d. 1734), castellanus of Brig
- Aloys Supersaxo of Saas-Fee, alpinist, first ascent of Nadelhorn (1858)
- Ambros Supersaxo of Saas-Fee (1853–1932), alpinist, first ascent of Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey (1885) and of Obermominghorn (1886).
Landeshauptmann or Landeshauptfrau is the chairman of a state government and the supreme official of an Austrian state and the Italian autonomous provinces of South Tyrol and Trentino. His or her function is equivalent to that of a minister-president or premier. Until 1933 the term was used in Prussia for the head of government of a province, in the modern-day states of Germany the counterpart to Landeshauptmann (governor) is the Ministerpräsident (minister-president).
Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The villages in its neighborhood are Saas-Almagell, Saas-Grund and Saas-Balen.
The Nadelhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It is the highest point on the Nadelgrat, a high-level ridge running roughly north–south above the resort of Saas-Fee to the east, and the Mattertal to the west. Its three ridges join to form a sharp-pointed summit, which looks like a needle when seen from the north. The other summits on the Nadelgrat are the Stecknadelhorn and Hohberghorn.
