Dispute over right of way escalates A new battle with heavy boulders in Thun's Strättligwald forest
A long-standing dispute over rights of way and forest management is escalating in the Strättlingen forest near Thun-Gwatt. The fact that a boulder weighing several tons is now blocking an access road is unlikely to ease the tension.
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- In the Burgergemeinde Strättligen near Thun-Gwatt, there has been a dispute about forest management for years.
- After a landowner was denied the right of way, he found a boulder weighing several tons in front of his driveway.
- He thinks that the popular recreation area is now all about who has the power.
A boulder weighing several tons, a blocked access road and a "story like in Gotthelf's time":
In the burgher community of Strättligen, an old conflict over the Strättligwald forest in Thun-Gwatt BE is once again causing head-scratching. The farce has reached a new climax, reports the "Berner Zeitung".
The fronts in the Burgergemeinde have been hardened for years. The point of contention is forest management. Four years ago, this led to a dispute in which Lothar Straubhaar, the current president of the Burgerrat, and Heinz Kühne, the forest warden, prevailed.
These two, says Burger Martin Straubhaar (no relation to the Burgerrat president), now do as they please in the forest. Martin Straubhaar believes that the Strättligwald is no longer about the matter at all, but about who has the power in the forest.
Who is responsible?
He also senses this in front of his property on the edge of the Strättligwald forest in Thun-Gwatt. A stone weighing several tons has recently been placed there, painted in a bright yellow, with an unmistakable message: "Someone has painted a crying face here, that's me, and next to it the king of the forest, a laughing face. At least that's how I interpret it," says Martin Straubhaar, feeling reminded of "Gotthelf's times".
The boulder was transported with heavy equipment - you don't just do that. Who is responsible for this? There's no way of knowing, but Martin Straubhaar has a suspicion: "The Strättligen civic council wants to block my passage through the forest."
Straubhaar has applied for a right of way there, but has been refused. The reason: his property has another access road. However, this is too steep and too narrow for the tenant's agricultural equipment.
There was already trouble in the summer
The Burgergemeinde does not wish to comment on the allegations, writes the "Berner Zeitung". It did not provide any information on the denied right of way or on the question of who had placed the stone in front of Straubhaar's driveway.
Meanwhile, the dispute over the Strättligwald forest is not just a matter for the Burgergemeinde. The forest walkers are also affected. Since the summer, paths that have been used for decades have repeatedly been blocked or filled in with old wood. "Not everyone shows consideration for the forest," said Lothar Straubhaar, President of the Strättligen civic community, explaining the measures at the time with reference to the sharp increase in recreational use.
