Dry stone wall construction in Gütsch
Realized:
2020
performed by:
Naturnetz Mittelland
Gütsch is a beautifully situated holiday home settlement above Schwyz, under the peak of the great Mythen. Numerous networking and upgrading projects for nature conservation have been implemented in the region over the last 10 years. The meadows around the houses are extensively cultivated.
An old, crumbling wall, actually just a grass-covered rampart, stretches from the road down the slope to the forest and marks an old field boundary. Clearing away the pile of stones will certainly require a lot of digging. We don't have an excavator, but we do have 10 motivated community service workers.
The geology here has advantages and disadvantages: the humus layer is only thin, and landslide material soon appears underneath, which serves as a stable foundation. However, the humus is also extremely clayey. Voluntary and involuntary slips as well as dirty shoes and clothes will accompany us for three weeks. Our stone material is as varied as the geological layers in the region. Hard black alpine limestone, soft yellow limestone, crumbly marl and slate, and everything a bit worn and full of cracks from landslides and erosion. Carving the stones is mostly a matter of luck.
Thanks to the good subsoil and the commitment of the civil servants, we make rapid progress and soon the first foundation stones are laid. Two loose groups form as if by magic. The diggers and diggers work intensively in bursts before needing a break again. They keep coming up with extremely creative ideas for transporting the small and large stones over the difficult terrain. The backfillers and bricklayers are more of the quieter workers. They lay the capstones in particular with incredible concentration and stamina and soon become a well-coordinated team. In the course of the operation, a beautiful, valuable dry stone wall is created that blends into the landscape as if it had always been there.
The real highlight of this three-week project was the appreciation that the people at Gütsch showed us. The construction site was visited regularly, the farmer brought two loads of beautiful capstones and someone brought beer for the evening. And the best service was provided by Andi, who provided a morning buffet. That made us forget the dirt and bad weather.