As of: February 28, 2024, 10:06 p.m
By: Christoph Gschoßmann
Comments
Press
Split
There is a risk of rock falls at any time on Lake Oeschinen in Switzerland.
A hut is in the danger zone.
But there is a plan to save her.
Kandersteg - It sounds unusual: a hut in Switzerland threatened by a rock fall is to be dismantled in one place and rebuilt in another, wooden beam by wooden beam.
The hut is located on Lake Oeschinen, a tourist magnet in the Alps.
Numerous photos of the azure lake in front of the impressive mountain panorama can be admired on Instagram.
But danger is a constant companion in the picturesque backdrop.
Rockfalls in the Swiss Alps: Tens of thousands of cubic meters of rock crash into the valley
Rockfalls and large rock falls have been occurring on the southwest side of the lake for years, reports the Swiss media
20 Minuten.
According to this, for example, around 20,000 cubic meters of rock broke off in February 2023, and 10,000 cubic meters fell into the valley in August 2022.
There would be a risk of rock falls of up to several million cubic meters.
The southwest end of Lake Oeschinen has been permanently closed since 2019.
Rockfalls and debris flows can occur at any time, warns the municipality of Kandersteg.
In Austria, a popular Alpine hut recently had to close for another reason.
Picturesque and dangerous: Lake Oeschinen in Switzerland.
© IMAGO/xKristof26475x
There is exactly one hut in the exclusion zone in Kandersteg: the Holzsypcher alpine hut.
Anyone staying there is at risk of death.
Living there or even managing the hut is therefore forbidden.
However, the mountain hut has been there for centuries.
It is said to be the oldest building on Lake Oeschinen.
A loss if the predicted landslide occurs.
Like a set of building blocks, the hut is to be dismantled in one place, only to be rebuilt nearby - but safely.
Landslide at the Spitz Stein is a question of time
But the clock is ticking.
“According to experts, it is not a question of whether the top stone will break off and a landslide will occur - but when,” says the owner of the hut.
However, no further relocation of huts near the danger zone is planned.
According to the Berner Zeitung,
the slide area below the Spitzes Stein was
now moving 20 centimeters downwards per day.
The mountain is considered the best monitored peak in the country because of the danger it poses.
He will cancel.
Climate change is probably one of the causes.
The traditional Holzspycher hut on Lake Oeschinen should be preserved
In 1806, when the Holzspycher hut was built as the first building on the lake, no one had any idea of the dangers.
It has been owned by the same family for 200 years.
It is empty in winter, but in the warm months it is used as summer pasture for cows.
Until a few years ago, cheese was made there.
“Many generations have spent their summers there with their livestock,” the owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells
20 Minuten.
Therefore, the hut should be preserved in its original condition.
My news
Avalanche alarm: Italy evacuates valley – read curfew for residents
Eruption overdue: Supervolcano in Italy swells, steams heavily and spits out more gas
2 hours ago
German tourist dies in avalanche accident in South Tyrolese
One year after record low tide: water is back - now Lake Garda is running overflowing
Lotto winner and husband died: mystery about the whereabouts of the 192 million fortune
Adriatic community raises the alarm: Foreigners are illegally pouring concrete onto the coast
And how exactly does the process work?
“Each beam is rebuilt from time to time in a different location on Lake Oeschinen.
The structure of the hut will not be changed,” explains the owner to the portal.
The hut will be located not far away, next to the mountain station.
All the wood will be transported, but the cellar will remain behind.
According to an official building application, a concrete basement is planned for the new location of the hut - outside the exclusion zone.
However, a lack of water is a problem at one of the largest Alpine club huts.
(cgsc)