Tälligrattunnel
| Tälligrattunnel | ||||
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 The eastern entrance to the tunnel
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| use | Drainage tunnels, hikers | |||
| place | Canton of Valais | |||
| Number of tubes | 1 | |||
| location | ||||
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| Coordinates | ||||
| West portal | 651018 / 143307 | |||
| East portal | 651852 / 142735 | |||
Map with all coordinates: The Tälligrattunnel is a tunnel that was used in the 1980s for the water supply of the Aletsch region in the canton of Valais , etc. a. the Riederalp was built. The tunnel crosses under the Tällerat (2615 m), an extension of the Eggishorn . The north-western entrance of the tunnel is in the Märjelental at an altitude of 2347 meters. This is where the Märjelensee originally spread out, the most imposing glacial lake in the Alps.
history
The Riederalp high plateau and the southern slopes of the Aletsch region have very little rainfall. Centuries ago, the farmers took great effort to bring water from the glaciers to their meadows. Springs provided sparse drinking water for the residents. They each fetched it from the open well. In the 1940s, the irrigation problem for the lower areas was solved with the construction of the Riederhorn tunnel. On the Riederalp high plateau, however, springs dried up and drinking water became increasingly scarce, which, among other things, resulted in a construction freeze. After emergency solutions, the communities Martisberg, Goppisberg, Greich, Ried-Mörel and Bitsch founded a special purpose association and implemented the Märjelen project in the 80s, the heart of which is a reservoir with 500 million m³ of water. The construction of the dam required the excavation of the 1000 m long TÄNGRAT tunnel, which is accessible with heavy construction machinery. The work was completed in 1988 and since then the precious water has been flowing through the tunnel to the south side and on to the consumers. The tunnel shortens the route of the transport line from the reservoir via the abandoned "Obers Tälli" alp to Fiescheralp by a good hour and also guarantees winter-safe access to the Märjelental. In the middle of the tunnel there is a Marian altar in a niche. The joint venture supplies the higher-lying areas of the municipalities mentioned with sufficient irrigation and drinking water all year round. In the meantime Goppisberg, Greich and Rieder-Mörel have merged to form the municipality of Riederalp (2003) and Bettmeralp has also joined the association. A few years after commissioning, the tunnel was opened to hikers and is now also illuminated with solar power.
The Tälligrattunnel is not the first and only tunnel in the Märjelen area. The lake at the edge of the glacier, which held 10.7 million m³ of water at its peak in 1878, broke out again and again and caused great damage in the Rhone Valley. These eruptions were reflected in the legend of the rollibuck. In order to prevent the devastating floods in the valley floor, the Council of State had a 3.80 m deep and 80 m long trench dug in the direction of Fieschertal against the will of the Fieschertal valley (1828/29). Because this collapsed or was deliberately filled in, it only partially solved the problem and was replaced (1889–1894) by a relief tunnel of 550 m. Due to the retreat of the glacier, it only fulfilled its purpose once in 1896.
The western entrance
In the tunnel
Marien Altar in the tunnel
Individual evidence
- ↑ When boats were still curving around the icebergs at 2300 meters , Walliser Bote, July 24, 2017, page 6, published on the homepage of the municipality of Fiesch, accessed on November 22, 2017
- ↑ Gallery outflow Märjelensee Management Center World Heritage