Göscheneralp

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Göscheneralp
State : SwitzerlandSwitzerland Switzerland
Canton : Canton of UriCanton of Uri Uri (UR)
District : No district division
Residential municipality : Göscheneni2
Coordinates : 680 089  /  166718 coordinates: 46 ° 38 '49 "  N , 8 ° 29' 5"  O ; CH1903:  six hundred and eighty thousand and eighty-nine  /  166718
Height : 1715  m above sea level M.
Residents: 260 (1960, hamlet Göscheneralp and
Gwüst together)
map
Göscheneralp (Switzerland)
Göscheneralp
w w w w

The Göscheneralp was an alpine settlement in the municipality of Göschenen in the canton of Uri in Switzerland . The hamlet of Gwüest also belonged to the high-altitude settlement . Göscheneralp was about nine kilometers west of the valley village of Göschenen. To the northwest, the Chelenalp connects to the Göscheneralp. The Voralptal is also nearby . After the construction of the dam for the Göscheneralpsee , the Alp was flooded and the residents moved to Gwüest .

The hamlet was with a height of 1715  m above sea level. M. one of the highest permanent settlements in Switzerland, which gives it a special position with regard to the settlement history of the Alpine region. Its special geographic significance is also close to the Gotthard Pass , for which it was of existential importance as a producer of forage.

Settlement history

Whether there was a settlement on the Göscheneralp during the High Middle Ages remains the subject of scientific controversy. The alp name "mountain" for the trough shoulder of the Chelen glacier (so-called sun terrace at 1,950 m) above the Älplerboden and the Bratschifluh could represent a parallel to the mountain alp in the Meiental (also at 2,000 m and on the sunny slope). The climatic conditions existed in the High Middle Ages to allow temporary or even permanent settlements at these altitudes, and thus the "mountain" above the later Göscheneralp around 1200 would be an option. However, many high-altitude medieval mountain settlements were abandoned around 1400 due to the plague , wars or climate deterioration. The most important reasons for settling the Göscheneralp were the general economic conditions in Switzerland.

The year-round settlement of the alp began after the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 at the latest. The increase in population caused them to move to the side valleys of the region (population pressure), but these valleys repeatedly lost their attractiveness. The onset of mule traffic resulted in increased cattle trade with the farmers who had to meet the increased feed requirements of the animals in the high valleys. As a growing area near the Gotthard Pass, the Göscheneralp was able to make a decisive contribution to this (see also Chelenalphütte ).

Development of the periodic settlement into permanent settlement

According to stories, the first permanent settlers would have been impoverished goat farmers or banished thieves and smugglers. There are hardly any indications of the establishment of a winter-proof settlement. Only two drawings are available as sources: In 1794 or earlier Franz Xaver Triner made two watercolor sketches, one of which shows two houses in the Dörfli at 1700  m :

  1. A picture of roofs covered with gneiss slabs, slugs and stable stone foundations.
  2. The second picture shows a family idyll in the middle of the barren area, with children playing and light clouds.

The settlement structure - the social conditions

The settlement was built on a slightly elevated site next to the Göschener Reuss , a meandering torrent, to protect it from flooding. There was a high fluctuation of the inhabitants, especially due to the landless. Thus the Dörfli consisted of a social class of mountain farmers, craftsmen and their servants without their own land.

The improvement in the climate in the second half of the 17th century gave the impetus to the use of high pastures. During the cold winter months, the inhabitants of the alp were able to do manual work. The end of the Thirty Years' War meant an economic recession for Switzerland and the population was forced to find new branches of the economy. The living conditions in the 18th century are largely unclear. There are travel descriptions of the Göschenertal from 1743 and 1747 that mention the name Gestineralp . However, they point out that the travelers did not reach the Alp.

After a dam project, which was supposed to provide energy to the Gotthard Railway , failed in Andermatt due to popular resistance, the Göscheneralp Valley (Göscheneralpsee project) was selected as an alternative, which meant the end of the Alp.

literature

Web link

Individual evidence

  1. Topographical Atlas of Switzerland , sheet 398, data status 1933 (online at map.geo.admin.ch: time travel )
  2. a b Werner Meyer : Settlement and everyday life. Medieval Central Switzerland from the perspective of archeology. In: Central Switzerland and the early Confederation. Anniversary publication 700 years of the Swiss Confederation . Olten 1990
  3. ^ Georg Kaufmann: Hinteralp and Gwüest - settlement history of the Göscheneralp. Altdorf 1998.
  4. ^ B. Richter, B. Pavlovic: Göschenen and Göscheneralptal. A geographic excursion guide. Delmenhorst 2008.
  5. ^ Reto Gamma, Emanuel Müller: High voltage. How the Urschner fought against a reservoir and the Göscheneralp had to go under. Altdorf 1982.