‘The Italian village of Balmalonesca near the Swiss border was built in 1898 to house workers employed in the excavation of the Simplon railway tunnel, completed in May 1905.
‘The village housed 8,000 people from every part of Italy in wooden alpine chalets and also offered a catholic church, a nursery, a school, a hospital, a barber and many bars and restaurants. It was run under strict rules by the German engineering company Brandt Brandau.
‘When the tunnel was complete, the population departed. In 1920 a huge flood swept most of Balmalonesca away’
- Paola Vozza
Balmalonesca's Main Street
Balmalonesca's Church
Balmalonesca pupils
Balmalonesca's school
Winter in Balmalonesca
The tunnel site
Workers travelling to the tunnel by train
Workers at the Simplon tunnel excavation site
Mule transport
Dynamite transport
Workers on a drill
Workers near the tunnel entrance, 1899
The Simplon tunnel
Workers at the end of their shift
The last drill of the tunnel, 24th February 1905
The last drill of the tunnel, 24th February 1905 II
The tunnel entrance near completion
Inauguration day, 2nd April 1905
The Simplon Express, 2nd class carriage
Unveiling the memorial to workers killed, 29th May 1905
…
This capsule was curated by Marco Casali and Paola Vozza
