Planned asylum accommodation: A village rehearses the uprising

Baker Willi Moosberger will be 65 this summer. He actually wanted to hand over his shop and café to a successor. Moosberger is convinced that this will now be difficult. For a long time he supplied the hotel “Aarehof” opposite with fresh baked goods. That’s the end of it.

Because the hotel in the middle of the town is supposed to be turned into asylum accommodation, at least for three years. “I have concerns about what to do all day and where to go in the evening,” says Willi Moosbrugger. And above all: who should buy their bakery now?

The new asylum center is in the middle of the village, next to the Wildegg train station. Pass away station is currently being rebuilt. The square in front of the train station will also be redesigned. The plan is to accommodate up to 140 men in the former hotel.

In addition: “140 men will stay outside in the summer. We fear that they will stay at the station a latent feeling of insecurity,” says Glarner.

Michael Bürgisser from the neighboring community has children, who get on and off at the Wildegg train station. He therefore collected signatures under the motto “No attacks on our women!”. Two thousand concerned citizens put their signatures under this lurid claim. The petition was submitted last weekend.

Legend: From the hotel ” Aarehof” in the Aargau municipality of Möriken-Wildegg is to become asylum accommodation for 140 men. SRF

The canton of Aargau decided on the planned asylum accommodation. Pia Brugger Kalfidis from the cantonal social service reassured: “From our point of view it is a good solution. We are close to public transport when people go shopping or when they attend German courses.”

But what does she say about the concerns of the many villagers? “We want quiet operations in Wildegg,” says Brugger Kalfidis. “We will have 24-hour security patrolling at night and we are talking to residents about reasonable zones.” The canton cannot do without accommodation in Wildegg. Suitable living space is needed for refugees.

For SP Councilor Lelia Hunziker, the concerns are hot air. “It’s amazing,” she says. “Every time an asylum shelter opens, there is an outcry at first. There are torchlight processions, liquid manure trucks, petitions. But like the Amen in the church, the counter-movement comes. After a few weeks, the villagers say we don’t get anything from it noticed the new one.”

But the community is not happy about the decision either. Jeanine Glarner, Mayor of Möriken-Wildegg, learned from a press release from the hotel owner that new accommodation is planned in her community. That’s not in the right way, says Ms. Glarner. The canton should have discussed this with the municipality beforehand.

The 140 new residents are expected to move in on June 3rd. The canton invites the population to visit the accommodation beforehand.