Stiva da morts /Totenstube, Vrin

The mortuary room can be visited. The key is in the church, at the entrance on the left.

How can we connect the Vriner tradition of mourning with today's living and dying circumstances? In 2003, Gion A. Caminada formulated an architectural answer to this question with the "Stiva da morts", the mortuary room. In this case, architecture serves Caminada as a medium to outwit social realities. He wants people to be able to rebuild a normal relationship with death, for example, that moments of laughter are possible in mourning in addition to moments of crying. That's why his "Stiva" offers different entrances and different spaces for communal mourning:

On the upper floor, which is directly accessible from the cemetery, there is a recreation room with a kitchen. Here, over a cup of coffee, it is possible to talk about death, but also to laugh at one or the other anecdote from the life of the person who had to leave this time. A small staircase leads to the lower floor, where the funeral room is located, which is also accessible from the street.

As is customary in the area, the building is designed as a modern knitted construction. Caminada built it as a double knitted construction with double-formed corner constructions. Although he admits that this type of construction consumes a lot of wood, the architect argues that the wood comes from the forests near Vrin and was processed by his own craftsmen in the workshops in the village. The Vrin cycle is thus closed. The special feature of this building is also manifested in the treatment of the exterior walls. Caminada had them coated with casein, a mixture of quark and lime. A shellac finish of the elegant, raw, warm-looking rooms provides a contrast to the cool façade.

(Source: Regiun Surselva)

Places of Magic - Vrin

Totenstube

The idea of a mortuary room in Vrin corresponds to the old custom of saying goodbye to the deceased in one's own home. The ritual was adopted and implemented in a similar setting in a new, public building. The project, designed by local architect Gion A. Caminada, was not immediately met with enthusiasm by the villagers and took time to be accepted.

A look inside is immediately fascinating. The windows are arranged in such a way that the area and village details can be viewed from different angles. The knitted construction made of local wood gives the rooms a warm appearance. The wooden exterior walls are completely different. These are whitewashed and blend in with the cold, stone church building.

(Source: Book Places of Magic)

The mortuary room can be visited. The key is in the church.

Book available from: Surselva Tourismus AG, Info Lumnezia, Palius 32 D, 7144 Vella
Phone 0041 81 931 18 58, vallumnezia@surselva.info