Bisse

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Gorperi bisse, Baltschiedertal
Gorperi bisse, Baltschiedertal
Suone Heido, Nanztal, 12 km long, mentioned in 1305

Suonen [suɔnən suənən] (singular Suon or Bisse ) even bite (singular bites of french le bites ), water carts (singular water load ) or water passing (singular water Leite ), are historical and still existing water lines in the Swiss canton of Valais . Thomas Platter from the Mattertal speaks in his biography from the 16th century about the water pipes: "... we got mad about a water pipe , do you bring the water from the mountains to the gods."

function

The bisses are designed as gravity channels and are mainly used to irrigate agricultural areas. That is why more bisses have been created on the dry southern slopes than on the northern slopes. Most of the bisse are 500 m to 2 km long, the longest bisse is the 32 km long Bisse de Saxon . In addition to irrigation, the bisses were also used to supply drinking and drinking water, for washing and in some cases for spreading manure.

technology

Since the suonen were very important as a water supply for the cultures and villages and their construction and maintenance were very dangerous, those working on them had an important function and a corresponding reputation in the village community. The suonen partly overcome larger obstacles such as rock walls or scree slopes, for which special techniques have been developed over the centuries. In the rock walls, the suonen run in wooden channels that are suspended from beams along with a catwalk . The beams are wedged in holes made in the rock. To monitor the flow of water, small water wheels are sometimes used that drive a hammer hitting a wood. The hammer blows can be felt over great distances and confirm the flow of water.

history

Artificial irrigation systems in the low-precipitation zones in Valais must go back at least to Roman times. In the Inner Valais (especially in the Rhone Valley and the directly adjacent valley sections) there is a very dry climate because the surrounding mountains of the Valais and Bernese Alps keep most of the precipitation away from the main valley.

The oldest verifiable dates of irrigation systems in Valais come from documents from the 12th century. The dating of the old wooden structures (Chännel) using dendrochronology ranges from 1270 to modern times.

Pastor Seematter von Mund mentioned the earliest year in 1929, the year 930 carved into the rock on the Wyssa waterway. Similarly, the year 1001 is said to have been located in the neighboring municipality of Birgisch on the Restiwasserleite. Unfortunately, the inscriptions have been lost due to renovation work on the bisses.

Individual bisses have been very well documented since the 15th century.

Since the 1950s, many Suonen have been relocated in tubes or given up entirely to make maintenance easier. The tourist value of the suonen was discovered later, which means that many of them now have open water again. The paths along the line that are used for maintenance can be used as hiking trails that are easy to walk on and offer good views due to the exposed location of the suonen.

In the 1980s, the joint maintenance of the Valais Suonen was the subject of scientific research by Elinor Ostrom, who later won the Nobel Prize for Economics . After her studies in the Valais community of Törbel and some other communities around the world, Ostrom put forward the thesis that collective property manages natural resources better in the long term than private or state property. The result was Ostrom's main work, Governing the Commons .

etymology

Until the middle of the 20th century, the term Suon was used almost exclusively in the Raron , Lötschental , Lötschberg Südrampe and Rarn shadow mountains ( Eischoll , Unterbäch , Bürchen ) as well as in the Piedmontese Walser colony of Alagna . In tourism marketing and literature, however, the term has since established itself for the entire Upper Valais . Dialectal variants are Sua (Alagna) and Süe, plural Siene (Lötschberg Südrampe). The word bisse may come from the Old High German  suoha 'furrow', 'dig', 'harrow'. The Swiss Idioticon , however, assumes non-German origin. In the entire German-speaking part of the canton of Valais one can simply speak of water pipes .

In the Franco-Provencal or French-speaking Lower Valais, the suonen are called bisses (singular bisse ). This word goes back to Gaulish (Celtic) * bĕdu 'Kanal' and is therefore etymologically identical with French bièf 'Kanal, Mühlbach'. It is sometimes used as the bites in the German language.

Almost all bisses have a proper name, which is mainly based on the landscape or the place names. There are several Bärgeri, Eggeri or Obersta .

Well-known suonen

The Bisse d'Ayent on the 100-franc note issued in 2019

Musée des Bisses

The Valais Suonen Museum was opened in May 2012 in Botyre ( Ayent municipality , above Sion ). The museum is located in the “Painted House”, a listed building from the 17th century. The exhibition on the history of the Valais Suonen extends over four floors and 270 m² of exhibition space.

Movies

See also

literature

  • Leopold Blotnitzki: About the irrigation canals in the Valais Alps. Written on behalf of the Comité of the Agricultural Society of Romanesque Switzerland., Rieder & Simmen, Bern 1871.
  • Werner Bellwald, Stefan Würth: names in the area of ​​the Upper Valais irrigation . In: Geschichtsforschender Verein Oberwallis (Hrsg.): Leaves from the Valais history . tape 35 . History Research Association Oberwallis, 2003, ISSN  2296-0864 , p. 171–222 ( online at doc.rero.ch [accessed on April 16, 2016]).
  • Johannes Gerber: Hiking on fabulous Suonen. 5th edition. Rotten Verlag, Visp 2015, ISBN 978-3-905756-005 .
  • Johannes Gerber: Walliser Suonen. Revised new edition. Editions monographic, Sierre 2015, ISBN 978-2-88341-235-4 .

Web links

Commons : Irrigation canals in the canton of Valais  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b The Suonen and Bissen of the Valais. Retrieved August 26, 2009 .
  2. ↑ Helvetia archaeologica, No. 129.
  3. ↑ Christian Imboden: Mountains: Profession, Vocation, Fate. Rotten Verlag, Visp 2013, chapter Suon (French bisse) .
  4. ↑ Unprinted material from the Linguistic Atlas of German-speaking Switzerland , accessible online via digital.sprachatlas.ch , enter it under “Ortschaften” Valais and under “Questionnaire” on page 65 .
  5. ↑ a b Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Vol. VII, Col. 1109, Article Suen II .
  6. ↑ The Bisses and Bites of the Valais. The word bisse . Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  7. ↑ Glossaire des patois de la Suisse romande , Vol. II, pp. 387–390, article bief .
  8. ↑ New 100 franc note: Walliser Suone is now in every wallet. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  9. ↑ Homepage of: Le Musée des Bisses