Authorities intervene Xhaka family has historic villa garden in Liestal cleared
A park-like garden in the historic villa district of Liestal has disappeared. The site was completely cleared at the end of September, as reported by the Aargauer Zeitung. The property belongs to the family of national soccer star Granit Xhaka.
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- The Xhaka family's Generation Immobilien AG is almost completely clearing the park-like garden of a historic villa in Liestal.
- This is causing concern among the city and canton, as the neighborhood is listed in the federal inventory of buildings worthy of protection.
- The city of Liestal has stopped further tree felling and is now clarifying whether the clearing was unauthorized.
- The owners explain the swift action with safety concerns.
As reported by the Aargauer Zeitung, numerous trees were felled in a park-like garden on a private property in Liestal. The property in question is located on Holderstöckliweg and belongs to Generation Immobilien AG. Football stars Granit and Taulant Xhaka and their father Ragip are on the board of directors of Generation Immobilien AG.
As Generation Immobilien AG told the newspaper, it intends to "carefully upgrade" the historic villa dating back to 1915 and "create additional living space". However, the radical redesign of the garden has met with incomprehension.
Was the surprising clearing illegal?
The canton and city were surprised by the radical action, according to the report. "It was agreed with the owners that they would consult with the canton again before anything was done to the house or garden," according to the Canton of Baselland's monument preservation department. A date had already been set.
But then the trees suddenly disappeared. This procedure does not correspond to the sense and spirit of an environment worthy of protection, according to the monument preservation authorities. Although the city of Liestal does not have any tree protection, the district with its villas has been listed in the Federal Inventory of Buildings Worthy of Protection since 2003. It is also listed with the highest conservation objective, which means that the substance of the open spaces must be preserved.
The clearing is now causing unrest in the city and canton, writes the AZ. The felling of further trees has been stopped for the time being. An investigation is underway to determine whether the clearing was unauthorized.
"Safety risk no longer justifiable"
Generation Immobilien AG justifies its swift action with safety concerns. An expert analysis of the tree population had been carried out and it had been concluded that a large part of the tree population was in a poor condition after years of inadequate care.
The property had not been inhabited for around two years. After heavy storms at the end of August 2025, the "safety risk to people and buildings was no longer acceptable", according to the owners.
