Grimsel artillery plant

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Artillery loops

The artillery works Grimsel (also AW Grimsel , army designation A 8900 ) is a Swiss fortress artillery work in the municipality of Guttannen in the canton of Bern .

History and location

The AW Grimsel was one of the large fortresses of the Swiss Army , belonged to the western defensive area of ​​the Gotthard fortress and was located at the Juchlichael (Juchlistock 2590  m above sea level ) at over 2000  m above sea level. M. above the Grimselsee and northwest of the Grimsel Hospiz . For the construction of the plant, a construction cableway was built from Oberwald over the Grimsel Pass to the Nollen ( 1980  m above sea level , Grimsel Hospiz ), which was dismantled after the completion of the fortress.

  • Artillery plant at the foot of the Juchlistock

  • Location map

  • Hut for cable car construction

  • Foundations of the construction cableway

The plant was built between 1941 and 1943, closed in 1998, later dismantled and sold to Kraftwerke Oberhasli AG (KWO) in 2003 .

Artillery Works Grimsel A 8900

The rock had a main tunnel about 1 km long and comprised the artillery, accommodation and the basic infrastructure with over fifty rooms, including a bakery, a sickroom, the power supply with three Sulzer diesel units, a waste incineration plant and a death chamber. It was operated by a crew of around 250 men.

The armament consisted of six 10.5 cm bunker cannons on lever mounts, which were replaced in autumn 1944 by six 15 cm bunker cannons 1942/46 L42. The battery east (cannons 5 and 6) covered the area of ​​Cristallina (border with Italy) - Airolo - Pizzo Centrale - Chastelhorn - Gemsstock (entire Gotthard area). The South Battery (guns 3 and 4) covered the area from Passo San Giacomo - Basodino (border with Italy) - Ofenhorn - Binntal . Battery West (cannons 1 and 2) covered Formazza (Italy) - Albrunhorn - Binn - Ernen - Fiesch .

The plant was operated by the fortress artillery company 25/7. The name later changed to Fortress Company I / 7 (Troop Order 61) and ( Army 95 ) Fortress Artillery Company II / 6. Until 1962 the plant belonged to Border Brigade 11 , then it was subordinated to Fortress Brigade 23 (Gotthard Brigade ).

  • Fortress south side

  • Plan of the fortress

  • Fortress north side

  • Access to the underground fortress stairs

Z 311 funicular

The plant could be reached via the Spitallamm dam (Grimsel hospice) and from there underground via 700 steps. From 1941, access to the plant took place with a 450 m long winch lift for 25 people with the valley station at Summerloch (Spittellamm dam wall of the Grimselsee) and the mountain station in the rock of the fortress. The funicular was last in operation in 2004 and was then also dismantled. The route of the former railway is still clearly visible today.

  • Spitallamm dam (view towards the south): on the right, the route of the former military cable car to the artillery plant

  • Spitallamm dam with access to the underground fortress stairs

Lock point Grimsel

In addition to the Grimsel artillery plant with its external facilities, pass defense was also of central importance. The Grimsel barrier is located at the top of the pass in the border area of ​​the cantons of Bern and Valais and consists of two infantry units and numerous shelters.

  • Nollen A 8901: Infantry bunker
  • Chessibidmer A 8907: Infantry bunker (built in 1941), 2 machine guns
  • Tank farm A 8908 (1941)
  • Seeuferegg Ost A 8909 (above the pass road): Infantry bunker (1941), 3 machine guns, protected the access via the dam to the artillery plant
  • Seeuferegg West A 8910 (at the Grimsel Hospiz Hotel): Infantry bunker (1941), 1 machine gun
  • Artillery observer Nägelisgrätli (Berne / Wallis border) A 8914: for the fire control of the AW Grimsel
  • Shelters A 8915 - A 8929 (locations unknown)
  • In the vicinity of the fort there were 13 flak positions F 11132 - F11144 for 20 mm anti-aircraft guns

  • Grimsel Hospice on the Spittenollen with the Seeuferegg dam and the Seeuferegg West bunker

  • Seeuferegg West bunker

  • Seeuferegg West bunker pass

  • Seeuferegg Ost bunker

Lock point Grimselpass

The Grimsel Pass locking point is a military-historical monument of national importance.

  • Grimsel Pass West A 8912 (Canton Bern): two-story rock structure for up to 100 men, 1 anti-tank cannon, 1 machine gun, 1 observation post
  • Grimsel Pass Ost A 8913 (Canton Valais): rock, 1 anti-tank cannon, 1 machine gun, 1 observation post

  • Bunker Grimsel Pass West

  • Bunker Grimsel Pass East

literature

  • Lock point Grimselpass. In: Silvio Keller, Maurice Lovisa, Barbara Vogt Siegrist: Military monuments of the cantons of Bern and Friborg. Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport, Bern 2006, page 46

Web links

Commons : Artilleriewerk Grimsel  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Fortress Oberland: AW Grimsel
  2. ↑ Swiss cable car inventory: Grimsel Summerloch - Spittellamm Artillery Works Grimsel.
  3. ↑ Grimselpass closure point. In: Silvio Keller, Maurice Lovisa: Military monuments in the canton of Valais. Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport, Bern 2002, pages 36–37

Coordinates: 46 ° 34  '28.8 " N , 8 ° 19' 44.8"  E ; CH1903:  668,262  /  158541