What would it take for you to move to the mountains?

Written by Tamar Kutubidze, Nini Lagvilava, Sonja Lussi & Charlene Zehnder

A collaboration between students from Tbilisi State University and the University of Zurich

Imagine a serene village nestled in the Swiss Alps, with breathtaking views and quiet streets that seem straight out of a storybook. Now, imagine this village isn't just a fairytale, it is a place willing to pay you to call it home. Welcome to Albinen, a small village in the Valais mountains of Switzerland. Perched 1'300 meters above sea level, Albinen has only 240 residents (SWI swissinfo, 2017). In 2017, facing a bleak future, Albinen took a bold step. The plan? Offer monetary incentives to attract new residents. To qualify, applicants needed to be under 45, commit to staying at least 10 years, and invest 200'000 Swiss Francs in property development (Siebrecht, 2017).

Fast forward to seven years later: has the plan worked? Albinen's goal was modest, to attract five families in five years, with the hope of ten families in ten years. By 2022, the initiative looked promising on paper. Albinen approved 17 applications, supported 31 adults and 16 children, and spent CHF 710'000. However, the head of the municipality remains unconvinced (Lynch 2023). Despite the program's success in applications, Albinen's population dropped from 273 to 262 between 2017-2023 (Metry 2024).

Infrastructure challenges remain a significant issue, and integration has been slow. A local of Albinen reported that newly arrived residents are rarely seen in the village (Lynch 2023), sparking concerns that they might view Albinen as a second-home destination rather than a permanent community. This leads us to ask: are these newcomers committed to revitalizing Albinen, or are they simply seeking a picturesque retreat?

Depopulation of mountainous regions isn't unique to Albinen. It's also a challenge in Georgia's Caucasus Mountains, where issues like limited infrastructure, rural economies, and poor connectivity drive people to seek better opportunities in the lowlands (Telbisz, et al., 2020). The Georgian government addresses this by offering financial aid, agricultural subsidies, and housing support in remote areas. In regions like Svaneti and Tusheti, eco-tourism initiatives are combined with efforts to encourage permanent settlement.

Mountain regions in both countries, Georgia, and Switzerland, therefore, face similar issues with depopulation. Almost a quarter of the population lives in the Alps, yet many mountain villages are seeing dwindling numbers (Alpenkonvention, 2015). While the approaches differ, both countries share the same goal: revitalization.

Albinen's initiative drew international media attention and still receives up to 100 applications daily from Germany, Austria, Croatia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, and Brazil (Hess 2017). The problem: the press omitted key details, giving people from around the world false hope for a better life in Switzerland. Most applications fail to meet the requirements, creating unnecessary work for the municipality (Lynch 2023). While Albinen achieved its target of attracting families, its deeper goal of transforming into a thriving, cohesive community remains elusive.

Research suggests that successful revitalization initiatives require more than financial incentives. They need robust infrastructure, opportunities for community engagement, and long-term planning (Telbisz et al., 2020). In Georgia, the stakes are high. Mountain villages are more than homes; they are living monuments to ancient traditions, music, and architecture. Revitalizing these areas could preserve a unique cultural heritage while supporting ecological sustainability. However, achieving this requires a balanced approach that ensures both integration and sustainable development. With the right strategies, Georgia's mountain villages could thrive again as vibrant, self-sustaining communities.

So, what would it take for you to move to the mountains? Would breathtaking views and monetary incentives be enough, or does it take something deeper, like a sense of belonging? The examples of Albinen, Svaneti and Tusheti offer no easy solutions but invite us to reflect on what truly makes a place feel like home.

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