Laufenburg uses 20 million francs to revive its old town

Swiss town Laufenburg has used a 20 million-franc investment plan to renovate its historic centre, reversing years of decline, SRF reported. The municipality bought buildings and advised private owners on restoring historic properties.

About 40 houses had been partly dilapidated, rented out cheaply and barely renovated, while others stood empty. The situation contributed to a rise in the town’s social assistance rate.

In 2016, Laufenburg approved a 20 million-franc loan to support the plan. The town bought four buildings, including the Restaurant Adler, and has invested seven million francs in the property. It now houses a regional social services office, apartments and a restaurant.

Mayor René Leuenberger said all the apartments in the Adler building had been rented and the restaurant was operating. Without renovation, he said, the building’s future would have been uncertain.

The investment plan also encouraged local resident Felix Klingele to turn his family home into a hotel. He said the house had been renovated and now looked bright, in contrast to how it appeared a decade ago.

Not every building has been restored. Leuenberger said a yellow house in the old town was being rented out but had not been renovated, which he said was disappointing.

Florian Inneman, a spatial planning expert at Espace Suisse, said it was unusual for a municipality of Laufenburg’s size to commit 20 million francs to buying and restoring properties. He said shops on ground floors had once generated returns, while towns now needed housing and good solutions for ground-floor spaces.