Ausstellungsstall Turra - Safier Ställe

In the 14th century, the Safiental was settled by Walsers from the Rheinwald. They cleared forests, built houses and thus laid the foundation for an agriculture that could survive until the middle of the 20th century. The settlement pattern and the individual buildings still tell of this sustainable, but exhausting agriculture.

Characteristic of traditional agriculture was the decentralized location of hay. This led to the annual migrations of farmers with their animals. They led from stable to stable and in summer to the alp. With the help of agricultural machinery, it is now possible to transport the hay over long distances and store it in a central barn. This eliminates the need to migrate with the animals. At the same time, the numerous outdoor stables lose their function. The modernisation of agriculture will make the decentralised stables and barns superfluous. In Safien alone, this affects several hundred buildings. The great upheaval in agriculture began in the middle of the last century. Over fifty years have passed since then and many of the buildings are in critical condition. Is there a future for the Safier stables?

Various scenarios are conceivable. We can take the view that the stables are no longer used today and are therefore superfluous. Let's dismantle the stables and use the wood in a new context. However, many Safiers want to preserve their stables. This would like to support the project Safier Ställe. Because if we consider the settlement landscape as a cultural heritage, it is important to us that where the will to preserve exists, the stables and barns are preserved. After the buildings have lost their original function, we must give them a new task. Are there alternative uses for the Safier stables? It seems that we have a hard time looking for new ideas. Perhaps we are still too fixated on traditional use, perhaps the present time leaves us too little room for new ideas. This is where the Safier Ställe project comes in. The Safier stables are to be secured with new roofs. At the same time, time for thinking is to be created for the search for new uses.