Mystery house movements force evacuation

Tuesday, 24 February 2026 06:30

A building in the Old Town in Geneva has been evacuated due to mysterious movements.

The 14th century house has 12 apartments - all those living there are not allowed to return until engineers have given the all clear.

It was built in the year 1360 - and used to house a hospital towards the end of the medieval period.

Residents were alerted to the movement after an ancient beam broke and cracks appeared in the walls.

The problem for the experts is that they don’t really know how it was built - or what walls are load bearing.

The study could take several days to determine the problem.

More from Bitesize News

Swiss Post announce job cuts

Swiss Post will eliminate up to 110 positions in 2027, blaming shrinking letter volumes and fewer over-the-counter transactions
Autumn arrives in Switzerland

The heatwave that has gripped Switzerland since May finally breaks tomorrow
Driver warning in Vaud

Drivers in western Vaud face four nights of disruption on the A1 next week.
Mixed results in school classrooms

Swiss 15-year-olds still rank among the world's best in maths and science, but their performance in reading and maths is sliding
Good news for household bills

Swiss households will pay a little less for electricity next year
Fuel reserves now in use

Switzerland is dipping into its emergency fuel reserves for the first time this year to keep petrol and diesel flowing