Dialect no longer permitted Valais municipality renames streets in High German

Sven Ziegler

21.10.2024

Gampel-Bratsch renames numerous streets.
Gampel-Bratsch renames numerous streets.
IMAGO/Depositphotos

In the Valais municipality of Gampel-Bratsch, street names in dialect are being renamed. In future, the streets will be named in standard German.

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  • The Valais municipality of Gampel-Bratsch is adapting street names in dialect to standard German.
  • Numerous people are also getting new house numbers.
  • The changes were planned for a long time and follow official recommendations.

In the municipality of Gampel-Bratsch in Valais, several street names will be adapted to the written language from January 1, 2025, as they were previously in the local dialect. For example, "Bärgjistrasse" will become "Bergstrasse" and "Hanuviertil" will become "Hahnenviertel".

The changes are based on recommendations from the Federal Office of Topography Swisstopo. The numbering of buildings has also been modernized so that all residential buildings, outbuildings and stables are now included, reports the "Walliser Bote".

Some street names have been dropped or changed to avoid confusion, particularly for security reasons. Many people will now have a new address or a new house number.

The implementation of the changes has been delayed by years due to delays at the surveyors' offices, but will now come into force at the beginning of the new year. Matthias Heinzen from the municipality's technical services explains that the work has now been completed.

Around 318 residential addresses are affected by the changes. A transitional period until March 31, 2025 will allow residents to continue using their old addresses before the new addresses finally come into effect.