Castasegna: the old customs house for sale worries Bregaglia (cross-border guide)

Context

In a nutshell

• The Confederation has put the old Castasegna customs house up for sale.
• The price has not yet been made public by Bern.
• The Municipality of Bregaglia has asked Chur for help.
• The building was built in 1860 and expanded over time.

• What: Sale of the old Castasegna customs house by the Confederation
• When: News spread in August 2026, with meetings planned after the summer
• Where: Castasegna, Val Bregaglia, Canton of Graubünden
• Who: Municipality of Bregaglia, Mayor Fernando Giovanoli, Confederation, Canton, Federal Office of Customs and Border Security
• Amount: Price not yet specified by Bern

The Municipality of Bregaglia opposes the prospect of losing the old Castasegna customs house, one of the last no longer necessary customs buildings that the Confederation has decided to put on the market with the intention of proceeding with the sale. The news mobilized local authorities, concerned about the reduction of state and federal presence within the valley. Before proceeding publicly, Bern contacted the Municipality and Canton directly to verify any institutional interest in the purchase. Faced with this move, the municipal administration of Bregaglia immediately took action asking for support and coordination in Chur. Mayor Fernando Giovanoli, interviewed on the subject, stressed that the issue goes far beyond the four walls of the building located near the border,

Operational details

The federal decision to alienate real estate assets no longer needed for direct customs activities raises questions about the long-term consequences for employment and the presence of public personnel in the Alpine valleys. According to the municipal administration of Bregaglia, the sale of historic properties of this type is often a first step that risks leading to a progressive reduction in jobs related to services in the territory. Often the reason is given that, in the absence of adequate living or residential spaces, there are no people interested in holding certain public positions in decentralised areas. For this reason, the mayor stressed the strategic importance that the Canton or the Confederation retain ownership of suitable buildings to allow police and border guards to regularly carry out their operational and surveillance duties.

Future scenarios and alternative destinations of spaces

After the summer break, an official meeting is scheduled between the Municipality of Bregaglia and the representatives of the Canton of Graubünden to evaluate what to do and define a common strategy on the management of the property. In the event that the building does not remain in public hands and the institutional purchase option is definitively phased out, the local administration hopes that the spaces will be converted to respond to the housing shortages experienced in the region. The first

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Key points

The case of the old customs house in Castasegna highlights the delicacy of the processes of dismission of public real estate in peripheral Swiss areas, where each building represents a bastion of sovereignty and continuity of services. The local population and local administrators continue to monitor the evolution of the administrative situation, awaiting the direct confrontation between the Municipality and the Canton, which will take place immediately after the summer season. Evaluations will range from the possibility of a joint public intervention to maintain the building in the state domain to the analysis of alternative proposals for the urbanistic and residential valorization of existing volumes, taking into account the specificities of the real estate market in the Bregaglia Valley compared to other Alpine regions bordering more densely solicited by speculative pressures.

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Source: rsi.ch