Once Famous for Gold Mining now Famous for Crypto Mining

Last century the Southern Swiss village of Gondo on the Italian Border, was famous for gold mining, but the industry closed and Gondo fell on harder times.

The village which today counts only around 50 inhabitants has recently put it’s name back on the map, becoming famous for its Cryptocurrency mining operations.

Swiss stock exchange chairman Romeo Lacher, in a report to the financial times; suggested the country issue a Cryptocurrency version of its fiat currency (the Swiss franc), in an effort to boost the local economy and accelerate the disuse of cash.
“I believe there would be a lot of upsides, we would be strongly supportive … An e-franc under the control of the central bank would create a lot of synergies — so it would be good for the economy. I don’t like cash”
Sited at http://bitcoinist.com/swiss-stock-exchange-chairman-e-franc-would-be-good-for-the-economy/

Tucked away in a windowless bunker in Gondo - Zwischbergen, Municipality in Switzerland; 900 graphic cards reverberate constantly as they "mine" virtual currencies.
“mining is the process of adding transaction records to a cryptocurrencies public ledger of past transactions . . . This ledger of past transactions is called the block chain . . . The blockchain serves to confirm transactions to the rest of the network as having taken place.” - https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Mining

Gondo’s deputy president, Paul Fux, in an interview laughed “we had gold mines that were famous all over the world... Now we have a new breed of miners,"

This town has struggled for many years but the Alpine Mining's arrival appears to have inspired villagers who are set to be opening the village's first restaurant this March.