Recurrently threatened by landslides, the village of Brienz, in Graubünden, could be abandoned and the inhabitants relocated to new neighborhoods built elsewhere, according to information from Blick published on Saturday. A possibility confirmed to RTS by the head of communications in Brienz.
While the approximately 80 residents of the small Grisons village of Brienz/Brinzauls have until Sunday noon to leave their homes, for the second time in a year and a half due to the danger caused by the neighboring cliff, the question of their return arises again, and more seriously than the first time.
>> More details in our article: New evacuation for residents of the village of Brienz (GR)
An information session for the population is planned next Wednesday to find out more about the municipality’s projects. Among the options: permanently rehousing the residents elsewhere, in new housing to be built. Mentioned on Saturday by Blick, this option was confirmed by Brienz communications head Christian Gartmann.
“The reconstruction of part or all of Brienz has been on the agenda since 2020, with intensive clarifications. We are now able to present concrete locations for partial reconstruction,” he said on RTS 12:30 p.m. .
In the same municipality
For the moment, two places seem privileged to accommodate the planned new housing: the village of Tiefencastel, a little less than two kilometers as the crow flies, and Alvaneu Dorf, a little more than four kilometers away. Both have fairly large flat and still unbuilt areas in their periphery: Cumpogna in Tiefencastel and Federna in Alvaneu Dorf [lire aussi l’encadré].
In this option, the inhabitants of Brienz would not change municipalities, since all these villages merged, with others, in 2015 to form the new municipality of Albula. It brings together more than 1300 inhabitants.
Frustrated at not being able to decide for themselves
Mainly concerned, does the population of Brienz support such a move? Christian Gartmann admits he can only make assumptions. What is certain, however, is that the state of mind of the inhabitants has changed. “We notice that people are much more sensitive, more hurt. They feel like they are being held hostage because they cannot decide for themselves whether they want to live in Brienz or not,” he notes. Reactions and feelings about danger are also very individual.
This relocation could become a reality even if Brienz is not completely buried, because the incessant damage caused by ground movements on roads, pipes, buildings and other developments risks becoming unmanageable for the municipality.
>> Read also: One year after the landslide, the village of Brienz (GR) is still sliding towards the valley
In the best case scenario, the chosen site could be ready for construction in a year and a half at the earliest.
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Radio subject: Sandra Zimmerli
Adaptation web: Vincent Cherpillod
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