The rural exodus hit Andermatt hard, in the Swiss canton of Uri. Today, an Egyptian investor is building a second village. The apartment buildings were already gone before construction began.
At some point they must grow together, the two parts of the village. On the one hand, the historic center of the town with its rustic wooden houses, the cobblestone alleys, with the town’s crystal-clear riverside and the State flags that flutter without creases in the windows. On the other side, the new district of Reuss, luxurious hotels, luxury restaurants, smooth surface and modern architecture that is based on the Alpine architectural style.
A parking lot separates the two parts of the village, a narrow strip of land that doesn’t really know what will happen to it. The historic core symbolizes the Swiss village. Aesthetic, cozy, friendly – and a little orphaned. But the new neighborhood promises resurrection: tourists, jobs and money. At 1,400 meters, the village of Andermatt, in the small canton of Uri, reinvents itself.