End of the evacuation Brienz residents return to their village: "It's just so beautiful"
The evacuation of the Grisons village of Brienz, which was threatened by a landslide, was lifted on Monday after more than a year. "A great relief," the mayor told Keystone-SDA.
26.01.2026, 15:12
02.02.2026, 07:09
SDA
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- After more than a year, the evacuation of Brienz in the canton of Graubünden has been lifted.
- The danger from the mountain has decreased significantly.
- Many residents are relieved to return, but a third are still thinking about relocating.
- The forest law requires the houses to be demolished when people move away, which is met with criticism.
- The new drainage tunnel, which is intended to stabilize the slope and secure Brienz, offers hope.
It still looks like a ghost village. Most of the shutters are closed - only a few villagers are returning. "We hope that those who never gave up hope can now come home," said Daniel Albertin, mayor of the municipality of Albula, in an interview with Keystone-SDA at the village fountain in Brienz.
One person who never gave up hope is Georgin Bonifazi. The farmer from Brienz took only the most important things with him to Landquart, where he lived for 62 weeks in a "makeshift apartment" with his family, as he told Keystone-SDA.
Now that he's back in Brienz, he's breathing very differently, it's a whole new quality of life. He wakes up at night because of the unfamiliar silence. "It's just so beautiful." He now wants to bring his animals - 60 cattle, 30 suckler cows and 70 sheep - back to Brienz by Easter.
Senior Hermann Bossi also returned this Monday morning. As he puts his belongings in the house directly in front of the looming rock face, he denies the question of whether he is afraid of further rockfalls. It is as calm as it has ever been on the mountain, he told Keystone-SDA. Bonifazi also agreed. Since the plateau, which was in danger of falling, collapsed last November, it has been "quiet as a mouse" in the village. Before that, the rumbling on the mountain was part of everyday life.
End of the evacuation brings uncertainty
The end of the evacuation was made possible because the movements on the mountain measured above the village have calmed down. "The acute danger from the rockfall area high above the village has decreased so much since the debris flow at the end of November 2025 that it is safe to stay in the village permanently again," wrote the municipality of Albula.
Last Friday, villagers were allowed to spend the night in Brienz again for the first time. Since Monday, "phase green" has been in force again - meaning that people from outside the village are also allowed back in. The Postbus is running again and municipal employees are putting the road signs to Brienz back up on the signposts.
However, the suspension also creates uncertainty for the future, Albertin continues. Around a third of the total population has registered for preventive relocation. The fact that a return is now possible is causing many to doubt this decision.
However, the offer of resettlement should remain in place, the municipality emphasized. It was only in December that the Graubünden cantonal parliament allocated CHF 50 million for this purpose. The people who want to leave receive 90 percent of the costs incurred and have to pay ten percent themselves. The price: they will have to demolish their old home in Brienz.
The controversial forest law
This is what the Forest Act, on which the resettlement financing is based, wants. It regulates the handling of natural hazards. In the event of a hazard, measures are possible - including protective structures. This also includes resettlement, as the potential for damage can be eliminated and there is therefore no longer any risk. This is crucial for financial support.
The village image would be destroyed in this way, criticized Bonifazi. He understands the people who want to leave, but would like their houses to remain standing and habitable. "Demolition or sealing, as envisaged by the Heritage Society for some buildings, should not be a solution. Not at a time when living space is needed everywhere and nature has not destroyed anything".
Brienz has always been an exceptional case, continued Bonifazi. He would therefore also like to see appropriate exceptions in the interpretation of the Forest Act.
"Where could be more beautiful than here?"
For him, the success of the drainage tunnel is key. Since 2024, the authorities have been building the 2.3-kilometre tunnel below the high plateau on which the mountain village lies. The 40-million-franc tunnel is intended to slow down the landslides that are driven by trapped water.
Measurements already showed the effect of the drainage last summer. In December, the slide movements were finally at 10 to 25 centimetres per year - the lowest value for 15 years.
"That was the turning point for us," says Bonifazi. The goal of preserving Brienz has thus been achieved - "the success is there". He feels safe and, above all, comfortable here. Because "where could it be nicer than here?" the farmer asked the journalists from Keystone-SDA.
