Brienz/Brinzauls

Brienz/Brinzauls is first mentioned around 840 as Brienzola. At that time, the population of the village was less than 100 residents. The entire village sits upon a layer of saturated soft-rock permeated by glacial melt from the mountains above. The growth of and consequential increase in pressure on the water deposit below has led the 150-metre thick layer above to slide southwards at a rate of roughly 1.5 metres annually. Simon Löw, emeritus professor of Engineering Geology at ETH Zurich, disputed a link to climate change, citing the lack of thawing permafrost and any correlation between annual rainfall and the speed at which the slope slides. Two roads and the railway line were also closed. There was, as predicted, a massive rockfall on the night of 15–16 June 2023 which stopped just before the village, with no damage reported to the buildings. Municipal officials ended the evacuation of the village on 3 July, while emphasizing that future evacuations could remain necessary. 2024 evacuation In 2024, the movement of an additional 1.2 million cubic metres of rock was detected. It was thought that the relatively slow movement of the rock mass could give villagers additional time, in the range of several months, but a sudden collapse, like that of 2023, was not ruled out; such an event would give no time for the inhabitants of the village to flee. Efforts were made in 2024 to reduce pressure on the deposit prior to its eventual collapse. Civil engineers sought to drain the meltwater deposit by tunneling underneath both layers and the mountain above. A new evacuation for the village’s 91 residents, as well as their pets and livestock, was ordered to be carried out by November 17th at the latest. Personal belongings and the retable of the village's 500 year old church were transported out of the village as well. Since then, access to the village and its immediate environs has been prohibited, and it has been classified as a "red zone" by cantonal authorities. Although the 2023 evacuation lasted only 51 days, this one is expected to last far longer, and may possibly be permanent. Even if, in the future, the village is deemed safe for public access, funds will be available for those who do not feel comfortable in their return. ==Geography==

Before the merger, Brienz/Brinzauls had a total area of . Of this area, 22.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 50.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (24.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). ==Demographics==

The historical population is given in the following table: Brienz/Brinzauls had a population (as of 2013) of 128. The age distribution, , in Brienz/Brinzauls is; 14 people or 12.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old. Eight people or 6.8% are 10 to 14, and two people or 1.7% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 12 people or 10.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. Nineteen people or 16.2% are 30 to 39, 16 people or 13.7% are 40 to 49, and five people or 4.3% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 24 people or 20.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 15 people or 12.8% are 70 to 79, there are two people or 1.7% who are 80 to 89. In the 2007 federal election, the most popular party was the SVP which received 50.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (30%), the SPS (12.5%) and the FDP (6.9%). The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Brienz/Brinzauls, about 66.1% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). Brienz/Brinzauls has an unemployment rate of 0.72%. , there were 10 people employed in the primary economic sector and about four businesses involved in this sector. Six people are employed in the secondary sector and there are two businesses in this sector. Four people are employed in the tertiary sector, with two businesses in this sector. ==References==