Residents of Villa Baviera, formerly Colonia Dignidad, denied blocking access to Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (Minvu) officials attempting to value the properties for expropriation. The government filed a judicial request to enter the site, which will be turned into a memorial. The community says it only asked for time to inform all residents and supports the memorial but demands consideration of their rights as victims.
On Wednesday, officials from the Housing and Urbanization Service (Serviu) of the Maule Region and valuers attempted to enter the former Colonia Dignidad properties to conduct the valuations needed for their expropriation, a presidential mandate announced in 2024 to turn the site into a memorial. During a meeting with 30 residents, they were told there was no authorization from the board for entry, according to a Minvu statement.
In response, Serviu filed a judicial request with the Parral Court of Letters for access to the land, seeking police support if necessary and an audience with the judge to inform on the process. The properties cover 117 hectares across 91 lots and six polygons, several declared national or historical monuments. The first polygon includes Paul Schäfer's house, the restaurant, hotel, and hospital, sites where torture occurred during the dictatorship. Others encompass archive pits, burning areas, burial sites for the disappeared, and ash deposits from Operation Retiro de Televisores.
Residents of Villa Baviera, now a tourist complex, denied impeding access. In a statement, they explained the meeting was announced with less than three hours' notice and that they only requested a few days to inform the entire community. “It is not true that they were told there is no board authorization to enter,” they stated. They added they do not oppose the memorial, acknowledging the pain of dictatorship victims, but ask that their needs as survivors of Schäfer's sect not be overlooked, as recognized by the National Institute of Human Rights months ago.