Kulturabend in der Botschaft Safiental: Oral History – Kraftwerkbau im Safiental

Philipp Gremper reports at the Embassy Safiental in Chur about the project of joint historiography of the MUSEUM SAFIEN with 28 contemporary witnesses. With selected sequences from the exhibition films of the current special exhibition www.museum-safien.ch.

During the construction of the power plants in Thalkirch and Safien Platz, numerous barracks were built for workshops, offices, supply for up to 900 workers, mostly Italians. The large construction sites brought major changes to the Safien Valley and were located directly next to the homes and restaurants of the locals. With the electrification of the construction sites, the surrounding farms also received electricity for the first time around Christmas 1952.

Contemporary witnesses report on encounters between local and foreign workers, language challenges and the social and economic changes brought about by the construction of the power plant. The current special exhibition at Museum Safien documents this time with photos, plans, documents, films and personal memorabilia from various archives and private collections.