The landslide of Fidaz (April 10, 1939)

"Switzerland's biggest natural disaster in decades"

This was the headline in the Swiss Illustrated in April 1939 after a huge rock mass of around 100,000 m3  broke away from the Flimserstein and thundered down onto the village of Fidaz.

The falling material caught the children's home "Sunnehüsli" in Fidaz. The house was completely destroyed and 18 people were killed. Fortunately, three children were rescued from the rubble almost unharmed.

In order to protect the village from further spontaneous discharges of the loosened rock masses, the rock face was then bombarded  with an infantry cannon in order to bring it down prematurely.

Even 10 years after the accident, the path of the rockfall can still be clearly seen. Like a "scar", it runs vertically through the forest below the rock face.

From an ecological perspective, however, the rockfall is also the birth of young life. The resulting swath forms a new niche for the growth of pioneer vegetation and thus a habitat for many animals.

After 70 years, the scars of the rockfall are clear and the forest is quite fast, and already 70 years the forest has reconquered the devastated area.

A visit to the village of Fidaz at the foot of the gigantic Flimserstein is always worthwhile! The high-altitude hike Bargis-Fidaz-Flims leads along the foot of the Flimserstein and thus offers a good opportunity to go in search of the faded traces of the rockfall on your own.

Already about 9450 years ago, the probably largest landslide in the Swiss Alps - the Flims landslide - occurred on the Flimserstein , in which about 10km3 of rock fell into the valley, which led to the creation of today's impressive landscape, such as the unique Ruinaulta (Rhine Gorge).

Would you like to learn more about rockfalls, landslides or earthquakes in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sardona? Then it's worth visiting the BergeBeben exhibition in Vättis.