Pilatus (mountain range)
| Pilate | ||
|---|---|---|
 Aerial view of Mount Pilatus with Lucerne in the foreground |
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| Highest peak | Tomlishorn ( 2128 m above sea level ) | |
| location | Border area of the cantons of Nidwalden , Obwalden and Lucerne | |
| part of | Emmental Alps | |
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| Coordinates | 661 062 / 202 847 | |
| Type | Fold Mountains | |
| surface | 50 km² | |
The Pilatus is a mountain range in Switzerland south of Lucerne . It lies in the border area of the cantons of Lucerne in the west and Nidwalden and Obwalden in the area of the highest elevations, the highest point of which is the Tomlishorn with a height of 2128 m above sea level. M. is. On the promising local mountain , the mountain station are located on Lucerne Pilatus Kulm of Pilatusbahn with observation deck, a panoramic gallery and two mountain hotel.
According to Alfred Helfenstein, the Pilatus area can be described as the Grosse Schliere , the Sarner Aa , the Alpnachersee , the Vierwaldstättersee , the Reuss , the Kleine Emme , the lower reaches of the Rümlig , the Fischenbach, the Risetestock and the cantonal border between Lucerne and Obwalden. The deepest depth of the Pilatus area is 432 m above sea level. M. the confluence of the Emme and Reuss.
geography
According to the division of the Swiss Alpine Club , the massif is counted as part of the Lucerne Prealps as part of the Central Swiss Prealps , and according to another division also to the Emmental Alps .
The Pilatus is not a mountain with a closed summit structure. Rather, the mountain massif consists of individual peaks or a mountain range, of which the donkey is the most striking rock formation.
The mountain range moves from west to east starting with the Risetestock ( 1759 m above sea level ) over the Stäfeliflue ( 1922.2 m above sea level ) to the Mittaggüpfi ( 1916.6 m above sea level , also Gnepfstein ), where the Oberalp with the former Pilatussee lies in the upper Eigental . After the Widderfeld ( 2075.2 m above sea level ) the ridge descends into the Gemsmättlis saddle, near which the border between the cantons of Lucerne and Nidwalden leads north. The ridge swings up to the Tomlishorn ( 2128.5 m above sea level ) as the highest point, after which the head ( 2106 m above sea level ) and the donkey ( 2118.7 m above sea level ) complete the chain. The Matthorn ( 2041.3 m above sea level ) is set off a little to the southeast from the mountain range .
In front of the head northwest is the Klimsenhorn ( 1907.2 m above sea level ) with two foothills, north-west the Lauelenegg ( 1442 m above sea level ) and northeast the Fräkmüntegg ( 1469 m above sea level ). The Egg der Lauelen runs over the Höchberg ( 1198 m above sea level ) north-west to the Würzenegg ( 1173 m above sea level ) and borders the Eigental , that of the Fräkmünt stretches in a wide arc eastwards around the catchment area of the Steinibach . The Krienseregg ( 1026 m above sea level ) is located between the northern Eggen in the catchment area of the Ränggbach .
North-east in front of the donkey is the Rosegg ( 1972 m above sea level ), the ridge continues over the Steiglihorn ( 1968 m above sea level ) with the Galtigen ridge and over the Windegg ( 1673 m above sea level ) and the Chrummhorn ( 1254 m above sea level ) past the Renggpass ( 886 m above sea level ) to Lopper ( 839 m above sea level ).
To the north of Tomlishorn is the Chastelendossen ( 1883 m above sea level ), on the south side of the Widderfeld there is the moon milk hole .
geology
The Pilatus massif belongs to the Helvetic fringing chain and forms the frontal area of the Drusberg ceiling , a partial ceiling of the Helvetic ceiling system . To the north, the Pilatus rests with a thrust surface (abnormal tectonic contact) on the subalpine flysch , which in turn crossed the subalpine molasse .
Its rock series is divided into formations of the Cretaceous and the older tertiary formations . The Pilate chalk series is the oldest to have deposits from the Valanginium (Valangien). The three recognizable links are Valang (in) ienmergel or Valendis marl ("Vitznaumergel"), Valang (in) ienkalk or Valendis limestone ("Betliskalk") and the final Valangien glauconite ("Gemsmättlischicht"). The next younger level, the Hauterivium , comprises the mighty silica limestone , the basal layers of which are mostly slate-shaped. The upper end of the Hauterivium is a widespread, grobspätige Echinodermata - breccia . The barremium above is divided into not very thick, green-sand ( glauconite-bearing ) Altmann layers , marly Drusberg layers and lower Schrattenkalk . The Drusberg layers represent an alternating layer of schisty, dark gray marls with more calcareous, compact layers. Due to their relative softness, they are either predominantly covered by vegetation or exposed on steep heaps between the rock faces of the Kiesel and Schrattenkalk. The next younger level, the aptium , is divided into the Rawil member, formerly orbitoline layers (dark, marl-like zone with numerous orbitolines ), the upper Schrattenkalk and, as the conclusion of the chalk series, the Gault (Upper Lower Cretaceous) of the Garschella formation .
The Eocene formations are represented by sandstones and nummulite limestone ( lutetium ), pectinite slate ( lower bartonium or Auversia - including the Hogant sandstone) and urban slate ( Priabonium ).
Tectonically, five components are distinguished:
- Klimsenhorn series : The layers submerge towards the south-southeast.
- Tomlishorn vault : In the eastern part it represents an anticline tilted over to the north , the fold axis of which dips slightly to the southwest.
- Donkey vault : emerges from the leaf alpine hollow. The fold axis dips towards the south.
- Steigli vault : It dominates the north and east sides of the mountain. The fold axis also dips towards the south.
- Matthorn vault : builds up most of the south side. The fold axis is practically horizontal.
In the folds, the competent (= hard) limestone layers often form the framework, while the incompetent (= soft) marl layers were often squeezed out by the fold pressure.
At the Renggpass-Lopperbergbruch the folds suddenly tear off. At this leaf shift, the Lopperberg remained behind the Pilatus partial ceiling by approx. 500–700 meters.
A commemorative plaque between Pilatus Kulm and Esel commemorates the geologist Franz Joseph Kaufmann , who thoroughly examined the Pilatus massif from 1863 to 1866. In 1867 his observations appeared as contributions to the geological map of Switzerland .
climate
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Average monthly temperatures and precipitation for Pilatus 1981–2010
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fauna
The last of the bears that used to be found there was shot in 1726. After the 17th century, the Alpine ibex was exterminated at Pilatus, one has in 1961 with the reintroduction begun. The animals were caught on Piz Albris and then released on Mattalp. The first resettlers included three bucks (five to eight years old) and three stone tears (three to four years old). By 1969, 19 ibex had been released. In the 2004 census of the game population, 30 goats, 28 goats and 32 young animals were sighted. In July 2012, 109 specimens were counted, and three healthy ibex were released for hunting as part of the hunt. Today the ibex is one of the great attractions of Pilatus. The game rest areas are on the Lauelenegg and the Fräkmüntegg . The Pilatus is under landscape protection and is part of the federal inventory of landscapes and natural monuments of national importance BLN.
meteorology
The long history of the mountains of Pilatus is based on his character as a notorious “weather maker” who sent devastating torrents on all sides . For example, floods on the Ränggbach, west of Kriens , repeatedly caused flooding in Lucerne. An attempt was made to tame this brook with constructions as early as the 15th century and expansion work on the Renggloch in the 16th century, but this only succeeded in the 18th century. For a long time Pilate had a bad reputation.
As in many isolated mountains, clouds like to collect on its slopes. He has always played a role as a weather prophet for the inhabitants of the region. The weather rule is:
“If Pilate has a hat
, the weather stays good in the country.
If he has a fog collar
, you may dare to take a tour.
But if he wears a sword,
he will certainly bring us rain soon. "
The "sword" means a long cloud flag. The reason for this is that the level of condensation visible on the mountain allows conclusions to be drawn about the moisture content of the air and thus the probability of precipitation.
etymology
In the Middle Ages the Pilatus massif was called Mons fractus (“broken mountain”), Frakmont or Fräkmünd . The oldest reference dates from around 1100 under the name fractus mons . Two Alps on both sides of the massif still bear the names Fräkmüntegg and Fräkmünt today . The Pilatus massif soon became Mons pileatus , d. H. "The mountain interspersed with rock pillars " (from Latin mons ' mountain 'and Latin pila , pillar / strut'), Pylatus (1480), Mons Pilati (1555), called Pilatusberg.
It was only later that the already existing name Pilate was associated with the prefect of Rome in Jerusalem, Pontius Pilatus . The legend developed that Pontius Pilatus found his final resting place in the now silted mountain lake Pilatussee near Oberalp. Violent storms occurred wherever you wanted to bury your body beforehand. That is why a high mountain like Frakmont was chosen, on which storms are constantly raging. Every Good Friday the Roman governor of Judea is supposed to rise from his wet grave and sit in full regalia in court. Until the 16th century, the city council of Lucerne had banned climbing the mountain under threat of fines. Pilatus should not be disturbed in the mountain lake - and no storms should be conjured up. If anyone dared to anger the spirit of Pilate, for example by throwing a stone into the still water, it would send terrible storms with severe devastation down to Kriens.
This legend was already known in Christian antiquity and was widespread in the Middle Ages . Their popularity played a major role in the fact that the traditional name "Fräkmünt" was gradually displaced in the 15th century and replaced by the name "Pilatus". It was first recorded in 1475.
Another linguistic interpretation is the derivation of pilleus (Latin for "felt cap"). Pilleatus would then be "the one provided with a cap", which refers to the frequent clouds on the mountain top.
Legends and stories
The world of legends in and around the Pilatus massif is very diverse. In the past, Pilatus was not the lofty local mountain for Lucerne, but the gloomy seat of treacherous storms and waterfalls that rolled towards the city. It became the seat of dragons and worms, witches and wizards , but also the dwelling of good little miners who were well-disposed towards people, who protected chamois, but punished the wicked and hard-hearted.
The most famous legends and stories about the Pilatus area (between 653 and 670 degrees of latitude and 197 and 214 degrees of longitude) include:
- The legend of Prefect Pontius Pilatus and his burial in Lake Pilatus
- The Lucerne Dragon Stone
- Moon milk from the moon milk hole
- The secret of the Domini (k) cave
- In the steep north face of the Widderfeld you can see a rock cave called Dominiloch (also: Dominikhöhle). A lime- covered, free-standing boulder at the entrance to the cave was interpreted as a man who, enchanted, stood with crossed arms and legs at a table. A whole series of legends was formed around this frozen figure:
- Years ago, a chapel is said to have stood on the Bründlen, which was buried in a landslide. The statue of St. Dominic was miraculously moved into this cave. Three young boys once called out different names to the figure, but she only answered the name Domini. But if you call her another name, you will die in the same year.
- According to another legend, a giant once lived in the Domini Cave, who was a loyal guardian of the country and its people. But when he slept once and woke up to see that the Swiss were fighting the Swiss, his body froze and turned to stone.
Tourism
In 1860 the Hotel Bellevue was opened on the Pilatus. In 1868 Queen Victoria stayed at the hotel with her entourage. The Pilatusbahn , the steepest cog railway in the world, has been leading from Alpnachstad to Pilatus-Kulm at 2073 m above sea level with a maximum gradient of 48% since 1889 . M .; Hotel Kulm followed a year after the lift opened. The hotels are located, together with the mountain stations of the railways to Alpnach and Kriens, between the Esel and Oberhaupt elevations. The first building of the Hotel Bellevue was replaced from 1963 by the now known round building, whereby the mountain station of the rack railway was also extended.
The mountain has been accessible from Lucerne since 1956 with the Kriens – Krienseregg – Fräkmüntegg gondola lift and a Fräkmüntegg – Pilatus aerial cableway , which was renewed in April 2015. This enables a round trip from Lucerne to Mount Pilatus, then (but not in winter) by cogwheel train to Alpnachstad and back to Lucerne by steamboat , motor ship or S-Bahn. It is also possible to approach from the Eigental by crossing the chain. It can, for. B. the legendary places of the former Pilatussee or the moon milk hole can be visited.
Numerous sports can be practiced on and on the Pilatus, such as paragliding , sledding , hiking , climbing (on the rocks and in a rope park), mountain biking and tobogganing on a summer toboggan run .
The top of the mountain is illuminated for a few nights. The mountain is an attraction high above the city of lights, Lucerne, even at night .
Technical equipment
On the top of the donkey is a 70-cm - relay station for amateur radio installed.
On the ridge southwest of the Oberhaupt (beyond the Chriesiloch , a long crevice that was named as early as 1700) there are locked installations of the Florako radar system for military and civil aviation (see also Skyguide ). There is also a weather station on the mountain, see photo above.
Trivia
The American composer Steven Reineke published a musical description of Pilatus as the seat of dragons in 2002 with the composition Pilatus - Mountain of Dragons for symphonic wind orchestra .
The Swiss artist Hansjürg Buchmeier took over 35,000 photos of the Pilatus between 1995 and 2005. 100 views of it are in the work Pilatus published in 2005 . A mountain. A hundred views. reproduced. Buchmeier describes his book as a homage to the Japanese painter Hokusai and his 36 views of Mount Fuji .
Although the summit height is 2128.5 m above sea level. M. is still with the earlier incorrectly published height of 2132 m above sea level. M. advertised.
literature
- Oskar Allgäuer: The Pilatus. Edited by the Lucerne State Archives, Commission publisher Eugen Haag, Lucerne 1961 (= Lucerne through the ages. Volume 18).
- Josef Aregger: The Pilatus - history, natural science. Separate print from the negotiations of the Swiss Society for Natural Sciences. Lucerne 1972.
- Maur. Antonii Cappeller: Pilati Montis Historia, Figuris aeneis illustrata. Basilae 1767. (German translation: Moritz Anton Kappeler : Naturgeschichte des Pilatusberg. Haag, Luzern 1960.)
- Verena Gurtner: Pilatus via Lucerne. Orell Füssli, Zurich 1975.
- Alfred Helfenstein: The name of the Pilatus area. Keller, Lucerne 1982, ISBN 3-85766-004-X .
- Peter A. Meyer: Pilate between mysticism and tourism - Festschrift. LIGRA, Lucerne 1995.
- Anton Müller-Ermensee: Fabulous things from the city of Lucerne and the Pilatus area. Comenius, Hitzkirch 2002, ISBN 3-905286-46-7 .
- Hugo Nünlist : Pilate and his secrets. Schweizerisches Jugendschriftenwerk, Zurich 1948.
- O. Adrian Pfiffner: Geology of the Alps. 2nd edition, main utb, 2010
- Hans Pfister: Pilatus, sagas and stories. Haag, Lucerne 1991.
- Hans Pfister: Pilatusalpen - summer farms around the mountain. Haag, Lucerne 1982.
- The Pilatus, Mons Fractus, 50 years Pro Pilatus, association for the protection of the Pilatus area. Pro Pilatus, Luzern 1999, ISBN 3-9521831-0-5 .
- Steinhauser Viktor: Geology of the eastern Pilatus group. Diploma thesis ETHZ, 1981.
- Peter Xaver Weber: Pilatus and its history. Hague, Lucerne 1913.
- Bernhard Zimmermann: Pilatus - the world-famous mountain in Switzerland. Alpnachstad 1949.
- Hansjürg Buchmeier: Pilatus. A mountain. A hundred views. Photo book with an essay by Peter von Matt . Brunner, Kriens / Luzern, 2005, German / English / Chinese ISBN 3-03727-004-7 , German / English / Japanese ISBN 3-03727-009-8 .
Web links
- Pilate's website
- Waltraud Hörsch: Pilatus. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ^ Alfred Helfenstein: The name of the Pilatus area. Keller & Co AG, Lucerne 1982, ISBN 3-85766-004-X , p. 11.
- ^ Lithostratigraphic Lexicon of Switzerland
- ↑ A. Buxtorf: Geology of Pilatus . Switzerland. Natf. Ges. 105th annual vers. 1924. Lucerne.
- ↑ Peter Xaver Weber: The Pilatus and his story. Haag, Luzern 1913, p. 213.
- ↑ Neue Luzerner Zeitung: Ibex shot down outraged tourists , article from September 12, 2012.
- ^ Rudolf Käch: Die Steinbockkolonie am Pilatus , Platinum-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-905914-02-3 .
- ↑ Environment, biology and geology: protection zones. In: map.geo.admin.ch. swisstopo , accessed on October 10, 2011 .
- ↑ Daniel L. Vischer: The history of flood protection in Switzerland. From the beginning to the 19th century. (PDF; 4.3 MB) Published by the Federal Office for Water and Geology BWG. Biel 2003. pp. 60-69. (Reports from the BWG, Water series - Rapports de l'OFEG, Série Eaux - Rapporti dell'UFAEG, Acque series, No. 5)
- ↑ Chratzerengrat and Schijen - mountains and their names create Swiss identity. ( Memento from December 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Brief historical-geographic portrait of the Canton of Obwalden
- ↑ Monocable gondola
- ↑ aerial tramway
- ↑ Radio relay on Mount Pilatus.
- ↑ Alfred Helfenstein: The Namengut Pilate territory. Keller, Luzern 1982, ISBN 3-85766-004-X , p. 33.
- ↑ Advertising with incorrect height information persists