Matthias Bellwald, mayor of Blatten, shows remarkable strength and empathy during the crisis. Despite the destruction of the village, he emphasises the importance of cohesion and the need to look to the future. Bellwald always speaks on behalf of the village and the valley, conveys confidence and sees the reconstruction as the first step. He says things like: “The unimaginable has happened. We have lost the village, but not our hearts. Embrace each other, support each other, help each other, comfort each other.”
The former career officer, a colonel in the general staff, can touch people with words. He gives space to the suffering of the village without taking up space himself. He is controlled and emotional at the same time. Even at the first media conference, Matthias Bellwald conveys confidence.
Blatten wants to live on, stay in the valley and rebuild the village, says Bellwald. “We now also need a phase in which we have to let it all settle. You have to be able to process it first.” But the village has risen again. ‘I think that’s the first step towards moving forward.’
As a leader, Matthias Bellwald always looks to the future and uses down-to-earth, simple and visual language to give the population strength and support – without promising too much: ‘We will rebuild Blatten, but we don’t know where yet!’
SRF- 10vor10, 28.5.25: Der Berg begräbt Blatten
Blick, 30.5.25: Interview mit Matthias Bellwald
Tourism must not come to a standstill in summer
After dealing with the short-term needs of those affected, the medium-term crisis communication is also about ensuring that tourism, the most important economic sector in the Lötschental, does not dry up. “There are few cancellations. We are also appealing to the solidarity of guests to come here to Lötschental so that the economic survival of the valley is also ensured,” as Mathias Fleischmann, Director of Tourism Lötschental, explains in the SRF Tagesschau report.
