Charles Kuonen suspension bridge
Coordinates: 46 ° 6 ′ 6 " N , 7 ° 48 ′ 10" E ; CH1903: 628158 / 105638
| Charles Kuonen suspension bridge | ||
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| Official name | Charles Kuonen suspension bridge | |
| use | Pedestrian | |
| Convicted | Europaweg | |
| Crossing of | Grabengufer rockfall area | |
| place | Randa , Canton of Valais | |
| construction | Rope bridge | |
| overall length | 494 m | |
| width | 65 cm | |
| height | 85 m | |
| building-costs | 720,000 CHF | |
| start of building | May 8, 2017 | |
| completion | 28th July 2017 | |
| opening | 29th July 2017 | |
| construction time | 2.5 months | |
| planner | Swissrope, Frutigen | |
| toll | no | |
| location | ||
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| Above sea level | 2020 m above sea level M. | |
The Charles Kuonen suspension bridge is a rope bridge on the Europaweg on the eastern side of the Mattertal in Switzerland , which is known as the "suspension bridge". Since it opened in July 2017, the 494-meter-long structure has been the longest “pedestrian suspension bridge” in the world.
history
The bridge was built to replace the Europabrücke , which was built in July 2010 and which was destroyed by a rock fall two months after it was opened . Since then, hikers have had to descend 500 meters into the valley and then climb back up on the other side of the rockfall area, which has reduced the number of users of the Europaweg. A group around Leo Jörger, the former mayor of Randa , set up the project for a new bridge.
The construction costs amounted to 720,000 francs . Of this, 250,000 francs were raised by the neighboring communities of the Europaweg, the communities of Grächen , St. Niklaus , Randa, Täsch and Zermatt . Another 100,000 Swiss francs came from the main sponsor Charles Kuonen, whose name the building bears. The rest of the money came through sponsors.
The bridge was built by Swissrope (Lauber Seilbahnen) in Frutigen , which specializes in the construction of cable cars and bridges. It was built around 200 meters below the old Europabrücke in ten weeks and opened on July 29, 2017. It replaced the Titan RT in Saxony-Anhalt as the longest pedestrian suspension bridge.
technology
The bridge is 65 centimeters wide and leads over the rockfall area at a height of 85 meters. Galvanized gratings serve as a catwalk.
The suspension ropes with a diameter of 53 millimeters and a rope tension of 440 kN are made of steel and together weigh eight tons. A damping system in the suspension ropes (patent pending) reduces vibrations in the bridge. The entire bridge weighs 58 tons.
Web links
- Official site of the suspension bridge
- Impressions of the opening of the Charles Kuonen suspension bridge , europaweg.ch
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e sda : 494 meter long connection between Zermatt and Grächen: longest suspension bridge in the world opened in Valais. In: nzz.ch . Aktiengesellschaft for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, July 29, 2017, accessed on July 29, 2017 .
- ↑ Europabrücke still defective - Randa / Zermatt. In: outdoorseiten.net. August 9, 2015, accessed July 29, 2017 (with pictures of the destroyed bridge).
- ↑ a b Luzius Theler: Hiking pleasure with a gentle rocking effect: the longest suspension bridge in the world . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . July 27, 2017, ISSN 0376-6829 ( nzz.ch [accessed July 29, 2017]).
- ↑ suspension bridges of Swissrope
- ↑ Longest pedestrian suspension bridge “It hangs totally calm in the air” , FAZ , July 30, 2017.