Swiss duo who saved Edelweiss Village scoop up award in Canada

(From left to right): Kirstin Clausen, director of Heritage BC, prize winner Ilona Spaar and Berdine Jonker, Heritage BC board member. courtoisie

Ilona Spaar and Johann Roduit, two Swiss living in Canada, have been recognised for their campaign to save a group of historic chalets, known as Edelweiss Village, in the Rocky Mountains. They picked up the “planning and management” award from a heritage organisation in British Columbia.

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“When we first started the project to save the chalets of the Swiss mountain guides, we never imagined that, two years later, we’d be receiving such an award,” says Spaar, still visibly moved by the accolade.

Earlier this month the Swiss national, who immigrated to Canada, travelled to Nelson, BC, to collect the prize from Heritage BC, a non-profit organisation that supports the province’s heritage sector. Fellow Swiss Roduit was unable to attend the ceremony.

The planning and management award recognises “best practices for the planning and management of heritage places through reports, studies, and plans, as well as ongoing maintenance, operations, and reprogramming”.

A grassroots campaign

In her speech, Kirstin Clausen, director of Heritage BC, lauded the pair’s rescue project.

“The success of the campaign to save Edelweiss Village was followed closely by heritage conservationists in all of British Columbia,” she said. “The Swiss Edelweiss Village Foundation succeeded in its effort because it found partners, engaged in a grassroots campaign, and remained committed to the values of the community.”

“The widespread support locally and beyond is a testament to the quality of the project and the effort to save this historic site,” she added.

Heritage BC is a well regarded organisation. “The prize is a chance to draw attention to our foundation,” says Spaar. It also comes at a critical time, as the foundation is preparing to launch a membership scheme.

A compromise between profit and conservation

Johann Roduit

The fate of the six chalets in the town of Golden, which were once home to Swiss mountain guides, remained uncertain for months. Finally, in July 2023 they were bought by a real-estate firm, Montayne Capital Corp, described by Heritage BC as a “heritage-conscious” business, which immediately began restoration work.

Unlike Switzerland, which has strict regulations and architects responsible for heritage, Canada does not have laws governing the types of renovation work that can be undertaken on historic buildings.

“We therefore did everything possible to save the chalets and have reached a good compromise,” says Roduit.

He and Spaar were inspired by the Gissbach FoundationExternal link in Switzerland, which was able to rescue a group of historic buildings on the shores of Lake Brienz in canton Bern. “This is an innovative model that we’ve introduced here so that cultural heritage and lucrative business activities can co-exist,” explains Roduit.

Holiday lets and a community hall

The new owner plans to complete restoration work by summer. The aim is to turn the chalets into short-term holiday lets. Montayne also wants to build a new structure dubbed the “Swiss Guides Great Hall” – part museum and part reception hall that can be rented out.

The Edelweiss Village Foundation has requested that the chalets remain closed during the low season so they can be toured by the greatest number of visitors possible. “The real-estate firm has agreed to this,” says Spaar.

Celebrations are planned in October 2024 to mark the 125^th anniversary of the arrival of Swiss mountain guides to the Rocky Mountains. Among the events planned are tours of the Edelweiss Village and an official reception with the Swiss consul in Vancouver.

The story of Edelweiss Village

It all began in late 2010, when Ilona Spaar published a book on Swiss mountain guides in Canada. These guides, known to be experts in their field, were hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway around 1900 to accompany tourists on mountain tours in the region.

To avoid having to pay for long and costly journeys, the railway company decided to build permanent homes for the guides and their families. That’s how Edelweiss Village, a picturesque Swiss community in Golden, British Columbia, came into being.

Put up for sale in 2022, the six chalets risked being bought up by businesses with little interest in heritage preservation. Johann Roduit and Ilona Spaar created a foundation to collect money and raise awareness both locally and internationally about the fate of this historic Swiss-Canadian site. The two succeeded in getting the village onto the list of the ten most endangered historic places in Canada, thereby drawing a lot of attention to the site in Golden.

Their efforts paid off in July 2023, when the real-estate firm Montayne bought the village and began major renovation work on the chalets.

Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Adapted from French by Geraldine Wong Sak Hoi