Landslide village: foundation stone laid for new Blatten
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Landslide village: foundation stone laid for new Blatten
Less than four months after the collapse of the Birch glacier, the municipality of Blatten has broken ground on the construction of a new village. The symbolic act took place on the scree covering the old buildings.
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“A Blatten without Lötschental or a Lötschental without Blatten is not an option,” said Matthias Bellwald, mayor of the municipality, at a small ceremony on Friday.
One week after accepting a decree in favour of his constituents and the companies that work in the municipality as a priority, Bellwald was keen to launch the reconstruction project for his village, as part of the “Blatten 2030” project, “in the place where we want to build our future”. The future hazard map will define the areas where reconstruction will be possible.
+ Blatten: what price for preserving Swiss mountain life?
Returns hoped for as early as 2028
While a number of new homes will be built in the existing hamlets (Eisten and Weissenried), the town council is keen to rebuild part of the village where it once stood. The aim is to build a church and recreate a village square.
Various houses will also be built. “The aim is for the first residents to be able to return to their homes by the end of 2028, and the majority of the others by 2029,” explains Bellwald. “The current lake that has formed will eventually disappear” and the site will become increasingly secure.
“This first shovelful of earth is primarily an action for the people of Blatten, who don’t want to leave, who don’t want to leave their mountains. It’s important to show them that we have a reconstruction project and a vision,” he added.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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