On the trail of the 1946 earthquake – an interactive treasure hunt through Sion

Today, 22 April 2021, sees the launch of an interactive treasure hunt focusing on the 1946 earthquake. At 13 stations dotted around Sion's Old Town, visitors will be invited to play a series of games to find out more about the events back then and what they mean for us today. They'll be led on the hunt by Wallis, the seismograph mascot of the Pedagogical Centre for Earthquake Prevention (CPPS) in the canton of Valais ('Wallis' is German for 'Valais').

All that people need to take part is a smartphone and the GuidiGO app, in which they can download the 'Earthquakes in 1946' tour. The treasure hunt is available in English, French and German and takes about two hours to complete.

Why in Sion and why now? On 25 January 1946, the canton of Valais was hit by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake – the most recent earthquake in Switzerland to claim human lives. This year, 75 years on, a series of events is getting under way in Sion to commemorate the earthquake, highlight current scientific knowledge about the seismic hazard in Switzerland and raise public awareness of the risk. The treasure hunt was developed with the support of the Commune and Bourgeoisie (Citizens' Commune) of Sion, the Swiss Seismological Service (SED) at ETH Zurich and the HES-SO Valais-Wallis university of applied sciences.

We hope that everyone who takes part enjoys the tour!

For more information, visit: www.cpps-vs.ch/en-us/Earthquakes-1946

Background information about the 1946 earthquake can be found here.