Viganella
| Viganella | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Country | Italy | ||
| region | Piedmont | ||
| province | Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (VB) | ||
| local community | Borgomezzavalle | ||
| Coordinates | 46 ° 3 ' N , 8 ° 12' E | ||
| height | 582 m slm | ||
| surface | 13.67 km² | ||
| Residents | 170 (December 31, 2013) | ||
| Population density | 12 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Telephone code | 0324 | CAP | 28841 |
Viganella is a fraction of the Italian commune ( comune ) Borgomezzavalle in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (VB), Piedmont region .
geography
Viganella is located south of the Simplon Pass in the Antrona Valley at 582 m slm. Until December 2006, Viganella, located in a valley between high mountains, was considered the darkest populated place in Italy. The two villages Bordo and Cheggio at an altitude of about 700 m are exactly on the sun limit, so that in winter no sun was visible for 83 days. With the construction of a sun mirror at a height of 1,100 meters, sun rays now reach the center of the village even during the darker times, which also adds a tourist attraction ( see below ) .
The districts of Rivera, Bordo and Cheggio belonged to the municipality. The municipality covered an area of 13 km² . The neighboring communities were Antrona Schieranco , Calasca-Castiglione , Montescheno and Seppiana .
history
Since the earliest settlement around Viganella (probably from "Vulcanella", that is, iron smelting) was established before Roman times, there are indications that the Antrona Valley with its Passo Antigine (after Mattmark - Saas-Almagell ) has been for more than two thousand Was one of the most important road connections between Valais (Helvetia) and Northern Italy for years . The south-facing slopes of the municipality, which are terraced from the narrow valley floor up to around 900 m with sometimes gigantic dry stone walls, testify to this. More detailed investigations of these walls have shown that at least some sections, which are connected with a noteworthy system of paths integrated into the kilometer-long walls, must have been built long before Roman times (Celtic settlement area).
Viganella merged with Seppiana on January 1, 2016 to form the new municipality of Borgomezzavalle.
population
The rural exodus, which has increased in most of the Piedmontese valleys since the Second World War, has taken on dramatic proportions in Viganella (see Ashenvale ). Traditional agriculture was almost completely abandoned. Young people can no longer find work and the valley population is aging. The school closed in the early 1990s.
In the districts of Bordo and Cheggio in the 1980s, mainly people from Switzerland and Germany made the houses, which had fallen into disrepair since the Second World War, habitable again and are now living there themselves. Therefore, the municipality of Viganella has the highest proportion of foreigners in all of Piedmont. In Bordo there is an international community with a Tibetan Buddhist meditation center. Together with Cheggio, the village is listed in the list of European eco-village communities.
Population development
Attractions
Lake Antrona in the southwest branch of the upper Valle Antrona was created by a massive landslide in the 16th century. The entire village of Antronapiana was buried under its rock mass over 40 m deep, and where the pastures of the old Walser community were before, the natural reservoir was formed. Today it is a popular swimming lake.
On the terraced mountain slopes above the village there are still a large number of several hundred years old, meter-thick chestnut trees that used to provide the people in the valley with a basic supply of high-quality food. Even before regional tree protection regulations came into force, the municipality of Viganella was aware of its cultural, historical and ecological value.
The mirror project
In Viganella, the sun does not rise above the mountain peaks for 83 days between November 12th and February 1st. Therefore, the village was considered the darkest place in Italy. The residents celebrated the return of the sun on February 2nd, precisely at Candlemas , with a procession and a big festival. La Candelora, as it is called locally, has been celebrated by residents for centuries to greet the sun.
In November 2005, Viganella hit the international media with the idea of installing a mirror (more precisely a heliostat ) on a mountain. The project was initiated by Pierfranco Midali, the 45-year-old mayor of the 200-strong community. Now the mirror above the village throws the sunlight onto the piazza earlier , but the sun festival should be preserved in any case by tradition and to remember the dark times.
The cost of the project in the amount of 100,000 euros was raised by private donors and local organizations. The mirror was installed on December 1st, 2006 at an altitude of 1100 meters in Viganella. It consists of 14 individual mirrors made of stainless steel with a total area of 40 square meters and measures five by eight meters. The mirror is electronically controlled and follows the course of the sun. This makes Viganella the first village in the world to have reflected sunlight in winter. On December 17, 2006, the project was officially inaugurated with a large folk festival attended by numerous visitors and journalists .
However, only a small part of the village is lit. The size of the mirror is only enough to illuminate the piazza, the rest of the village is still in the shade. It not only reflects the light of the sun, but also 80 percent of the invisible spectrum, which leads to a noticeable warming of the square.
In addition to the light and warmth effect, which gives the residents a bright and warm corner in the communication center of the village, the property also promised an increase in tourist attractiveness.
In summer, the mirror should not be used during the day to avoid creating an unnatural effect. A further attraction, however, is thought to reflect the moon, which cannot be seen in the town for three months in summer. One would like to combine this with astronomy courses.
Due to a technical defect (fire in the control box), the mirror was not in operation for two years (September 2014 to November 2016). The mirror has been back in operation since January 2017.
In 2013, a comparable mirror project was implemented in Rjukan, Norway .
swell
- ↑ site ecovillages.org
- ↑ Carola Frentzen: Mirror light for mountain village: In Viganella the sun is now also rising. In: stern.de. December 23, 2006, accessed November 21, 2018 .