Waal (irrigation)

A Waal in Prad (Vinschgau), with three weirs to divert the water

A dry Waal in Prad (Vinschgau), with two weirs to divert the water

A Waal in Laatsch (Vinschgau), with a board as a weir to divert the water

A Waal is a man-made irrigation canal or ditch that guides water, mostly from a stream and only very rarely from a lake, to the agricultural crops that are often very distant from here. The name is common, among other things, for the artificially created canals in Tyrol / South Tyrol to irrigate the fields. In the South Tyrolean Vinschgau in particular, the amount of precipitation is so low due to its geographical location that agriculture, especially on the Sonnenberg , is dependent on artificial irrigation . For this reason, one of the most extensive irrigation systems in the Alps was created there.

Etymology and word meanings

The construction of irrigation canals of this form has been widespread worldwide and since the beginning of agriculture and can be found in this sense for functionally similar systems in local forms, such as bisse , bite or Fuhren in the Swiss canton of Valais, Fluder in Austria, Wuhr in the southern Black Forest, Fléizen in the Luxembourg Ardennes, Levada in Madeira and the Canary Islands, Ru in the Aosta Valley, Bief or Bisse in the French Maritime Alps or Faladsch in Oman. The following terms are those that are found in the Tyrolean and adjacent areas:

Waal from Latin aqualis or Celtic boul , an artificially created irrigation canal, ditch, artificial channel. Aqualis originally means 'water jug', in late Roman times ' watercourse ' and also ' brook , canal'. In the Vinschgau valley , the names Haroesseval, Rafinechswal and Walitteval are documented in 1359 for three historical, now defunct Waale in Schlanders . In Engadine and Münstertal , the common are Romansh names of Bach ual or Aual, in Lower Engadine the importance of irrigation ditch is added. In Ladin Val Badia is the equivalent Agà and Val Gardena Aghel . In the Fassa Valley , the irrigation ditch in the upper valley area is called egacél, in Lower Fassaner agacál, in the area of Moena egaciàlch . On Nonsberg and Friuli are with ACAL and Gai aqualis outlet tubes occupied. In the upper Inn valley , the pronunciation Qual is attested for the village of Pettnau near Telfs .

Kandel or Kååndl is derived from the Latin canale . For German there is Old High German  chánali , Middle High German  kanel , New German on the one hand the high-level language Kanál with a larger scope of meaning and on the other hand the dialectal Kándl, which is semantically restricted to the 'channel made of wood for the purpose of irrigation' . The different emphasis on the first syllable in the dialectal word and on the final syllable in the high-level word testify to the different time when the word was adopted from Romanic (in which the final syllable is generally emphasized) into Germanic (in which since approx. 1000 AD. the first syllable is stressed). Kándl, who took part in the accent jump, must have come to German before the transition to first syllable stress , Kanál only afterwards. Analogous to the Vinschgau forms, the Rhaeto-Romanic forms chanal, chanel (in the Engadine) and canal (in the Surselva ) exist in the neighboring Graubünden to the west . For example, to the west and east of the Resia, relic words from the Latin canale meaning 'gutter made of wood, for the purpose of irrigation' can be understood. Derivatives from the Etymon canale also live further east, in the Ladin valleys of the Dolomites and on the Nonsberg, but do not explicitly designate the 'wooden channels for irrigation' there, but are semantically broader. This fact arises from the fact that in these areas further east due to the precipitation values ​​there, irrigation does not play the central role as in the low-precipitation area around the Reschen .

Holzrinnenwaal (Martell Valley)

Lawad or Lawåd is another word of Roman origin to denote a wooden gutter. The feminine form of the participle can be used as an etymon : levata, to levare 'to raise'. The Lawad is thus 'the superior'. In the German-speaking Tyrol, Lawad is documented as runst or lafath for Taufers as early as 1713 and is still used in the Vinschgau in the form of Lawad or Lawåd . Even in the neighboring Romansh-speaking area west of the Reschen, the word is still alive today, so lavá is: there as 'moat, channel made of boards' in the Val Müstair .

Road or Rode probably comes from the Latin rota and has to do with rotation, with the sequence of rotations. When watering so that the old legal rights are meant in turn the water distribution among the members most accurately regulate when ( Roadtog ) and at what time intervals ( meantime ) how much water (Fürch) may be discharged. In order to avoid disputes, the sequence of the water drainage was often determined by drawing lots: wooden sticks with the identification tags of those affected were pulled out of a sack, like in a raffle , and thus the cycle sequence, the road, was determined. As a rule, the rotations were closely related to the farm or to the land and not to the people living on it. They could not be sold, but they could be mortgaged . Hence the saying: "A farm without water is worthless". The same root can be found in the medieval rod transport system in Tyrol. At that time the goods of passing merchants were subject to the right of defeat in certain cities (Rodstation) . Not only - they also had to use the local carters, who transported the goods from rod station to rod station in a fixed sequence (rod) .

function

The main function of the Waale is irrigation. The Waal "carries" the water into the meadows and fields to be irrigated, hence the name Tragwaal, which is sometimes used. Waale were used to operate mills and saws , as steeper terrains were ideal for such purposes. They supply the water for watering animals and in earlier times even the drinking and domestic water for entire towns. They may also be used as a convenient vehicle for spreading manure in the fields. If whales are used exclusively for irrigation, the water supply is only maintained during the growing season. In the course of October the water will be turned off and in April / May such whales will be put back into operation. In the Vinschgau there used to be an almost 600 km long main waterway network, which covered all agricultural corridors.

Investments

Aqueduct of the Lasa Kandlwaal in Lasa

The simplest form is a canal dug into the terrain . On steeper slopes or in areas prone to erosion, the floor and the walls of the Waale are secured by structures. In rocky terrain, these can be channels or tunnels carved into the rock. Shorter rocky obstacles and small trenches running across are usually overcome with the help of wooden gutters, so-called candelas, avalanches or nueschen . Unique in its design is Laas Kandlwaal which crossed the Etsch on a 600 m long wooden aqueduct at 32 up to 15 m high stone pillars, was until 1907 destroyed by a fire. On to stone, muren- or avalanche-prone stretches the irrigation channels are in Karnillen or Dolen out which are covered with stone slabs and soil underground Waalabschnitte. Inspection shafts , the windows, installed in these carcasses make it possible to monitor the condition of the underground course. In order to keep the sediments and objects carried along by the water as low as possible, sand traps, sieving systems and rudimentary trapping rakes are interposed. Waal branches, Waal diversions are partly provided with stationary lockable swell boards equipped with screw devices, with the help of which the diversion of the water can be precisely regulated.

Irrigation method

The water is in the waters possibly with the help of Schwellbrettern from the Tragwaal into smaller side channels into which Pingger diverted, in turn narrow meadow channels, root canals or Ilzen called dine. The irrigation of slightly sloping meadows and fields is carried out in a kind of trickle process, whereby the direction of flow of the water is regulated again and again at short intervals using water sheets, water boards or water dogs , so that it can be spread anywhere on the field. The alluvial sand that has been carried along for centuries is deposited next to the Ilzen and often forms low, long ridges in the meadows, the Bichl or Egger . Many a farmer builds a water supply in an artificial basin, which is called Tschött or Hilbe , until the next road (until his turn comes again) . Tschött are also called very large reserve basins , which today help to bridge dry periods, as a result of which the waterfall of the tapped streams is reduced.

Management

The origins of this irrigation technique go back a long way. The oldest documents date from the 12th century and some only confirm older rights. The fact is that the construction, maintenance and operation of such systems could not be managed by individual farmers. They emerged as a joint effort and had as a legal basis mostly very complicated and elaborate agreements ( wisdoms ), which despite everything often could not prevent legal disputes lasting years, even centuries, or fights over water that were fought with brute force.

Waalerhütte (2377 m) on the Atzboden belonging to the Klammwaal

The Waalmeister is responsible for handling legal transactions. He manages the books, makes all normal business management decisions and represents the community in litigation and litigation. The individual members of the cooperative make their contributions in the form of work or possibly in cash. The maintenance of the Waal is the responsibility of the Waaler . He supervises the Waal, carries out maintenance work and has to ensure the functioning of the Waal around the clock. For this reason, the Waalers used to live directly in a Waaler's hut next to the Waal, if it was very long, and also used acoustic aids such as the Waal bells. The Waaler was an important and most respected man and was entrusted with his task by the community on the first Sunday of Lent for a year. The mandate was renewed every year provided the community was satisfied with its work. Every year at the beginning of the growing season, the Waal has to be made functional and cleaned of all the rubbish that the winter weather has deposited. The opening is often done by a group of the community.

Transition to modern irrigation methods

The management and maintenance of the Waale is very labor-intensive. The same goes for the traditional type of irrigation. The whales are very susceptible to disturbance, can overflow during thunderstorms and cause erosion in the area. It is all too understandable that massive investments were made in modern irrigation methods from the beginning in the interwar period and after the Second World War . Many whales have been abandoned and replaced by pipe systems. The beds of some Waale only serve as a base for pipelines today. Nevertheless, there are still Waale that are in operation and lovingly maintained.

The Waalwege

On the ridge of the downward facing Waaldamm, a Waalsteig was usually created, which was previously only intended for maintenance staff. When tourism increased and guests began to hike through the side slopes, they found a suitable infrastructure in many places on which the slopes can be crossed relatively comfortably and safely, the Waalweg. Today, many of these carefully restored and carefully guarded Waalweg trails belong to the South Tyrolean and Vinschger cultural landscape that has been promoted and advertised for tourism.

Water body

The water of the Waale, which was mainly used to irrigate the meadows, is called "Wasserwosser" in South Tyrol , the water for watering - and not for drinking or other purposes. It was distributed among those involved according to a special key. The South Tyrolean Vintschger Museum in Schluderns , Vinschgau, dedicates one of its permanent exhibitions to vital water, the precious water from the mountains: WAWO - s'Wosser zum Wassern - Acqua per irrigar .

Overview of preserved whales

Schnalswaal between Tschars and Juval Castle ( Vinschgau )

Vinschgau

• Times :
  • The Malser Haide has remained a Vinschger cultural landscape that has been irrigated using the traditional method to this day. There are u. a .: Neuwaal / Töschgwaal, Lagrin- / Magrinwaal, upper and lower Tentwaal, Mareieswaal, Fassawaal, Latinawaal, Mühlwaal, Weitwiesenwaal, Spinaidwaal and even a war whale
  • Mals Oberwaal, 1.5 km long, leads through partly steep and rocky terrain to the Pflanzgarten
• Glurns :

  Mitterwaal, 7 km long, built in 1333, absorbs the water of the Rambach near Rifair in the Münstertal and brought it to the fields near Glurns on the orographic right until 1994. In the meantime it has been restored and prepared as a showwale that is well worth seeing. A section is blocked, a detour via serpentines up and down the slope is indicated.

• Schluderns :
  • Leitenwaal, approx. 3 km long, still contains the water today together with the Berkwaal at the foot of the long rock nose protruding into the mouth gorge of the Matscher valley , on which the ruins and the castle chapel of the Ober- and Untermatsch castles are located along the right mountain slope and past the Ganglegg (a pre-Roman settlement and a hill examined by archaeologists in a multi-year excavation campaign at the end of the nineties) into the Schludernser Leiten. Beautiful Waalweg in combination with the Berkwaal
  • Berkwaal, 3 km long, aligned for 300 second liters, collects the water at the same point as the Leitenwaal, but crosses the slopes on the orographic left side and supplies the slopes of the main valley above the Churburg . Beautiful Waalweg, access via the Edelweißsteig behind Schluderns
  • Gschneierwaal, 8 km long, starting from the Greinhof in the Matscher Valley to the Gschneirhöfen above Schluderns , Waalweg trail with partially beautiful panoramic views
  • Griggwaal, about 1.5 km long, in the mouth area of ​​the Matscher valley on the orographically right side of the valley up to the Kalvarienberg, has no water, but an easily accessible and attractive rocky path.
• Prad :
  • Frauwaal, 4 km long towards Lichtenberg, no longer has any water
  • Agumser Bergwaal, 4 km long, has no water, the water used to be taken from the Stilfser Bridge
• Lasa :
  • Zinswaal, 2 km, is collected in the Laasertal and still supplies the meadows on Laas Nördersberg today
  • Kandlwaal or Lasa Aqueduct, about 2 km long, contained the water in the Lasa Valley and used to supply the low-lying meadows on the opposite side of the Val Venosta. It is unusual that the water community ventured into a construction project at that time that crossed the Adige at a respectable height and somehow reminds of the aqueducts of Roman times: 600 m long, a Kååndl made of wood on 32 to 15 m high stone pillars, of which today the north side of the Adige are still 10 and 20 south of it. Unfortunately, the wooden components of the aqueduct fell victim to a fire in 1907. A small section has been restored by the forest administration as a showpiece
  • Leitenwaal, 2 km long, was part of a large and extensive whale system, which was fed by the Gadriabach, and which was abandoned long before it was restored in 1992 with Waalerhütte. At the foot of the Lasa Leiten, it strokes westwards to the Loretzboden and continues to the Sisinius Church. There are still some newly prepared mills above Allitz .
• Korsch :
  • Zaalwaal, about 3 km long, crosses the Kortscher Leiten above the village to the west. Via the picturesque Waalweg, St. Georg on a rocky nose can also be reached, a chapel ruin and burial place of a Bavarian landed gentry, where graves with pagan and Christian signatures from the 7th century were found.
  • Rautwaal, 2.5 km, contains the water in the Plima in Martell Valley . It crosses the slopes of the Nördersberg above the village of Morter to the west
  • Neuwaal, 5 km, has no more water,
  • Raminiwaal, 2.5 km, partly still has water, runs from Tarsch towards Latsch
  • Latschanderwaal, 7 km long, was completed in 1873 as the last major Waal project in Vinschgau. Runs at the foot of the Sonnenberg just above the state road through deciduous forests and chestnut groves towards Kastelbell
• Schlanders :
  • Forrawaal, a long Waal in the Schlandrauntal , which is still partly in operation , which fed the irrigation network on the Schlanderser Sonnenberg with the now abandoned parallel Waals, Talatsch- and Neuwaal . The Forrawaal is the highest and can be walked over varied terrain by reasonably sure-footed hikers from the former school on the Schlanderser Sonnenberg towards Schlandrauntal.
  • Ilzwaal, approx. 4.5 km long, still irrigates the dry stone terraces above Schlanders. Starting from the little Agidius Church, the Waalweg leads over varied terrain into the Schlandraun Gorge . Schlandersberg Castle is a great hiking destination.

Remains of the Goldrainer Jochwaal near the Niederjöchl (2011)

• Goldrain :
  • Goldrainer Jochwaal: In the upper Penaudtal today cased Waal, which is routed over the Niederjöchl ( 2662  m ) openly into the Vinschgau. The Goldrainer Jochwaal is considered the highest Waal in the Eastern Alps.
• Tschars :

  Tscharser Schnalswaal, with a length of almost 11 km it is the second longest Waal in South Tyrol. Construction began in 1504. In 1517 the part up to Tschars was completed, in 1553 the extension to Galsaun near Kastelbell was completed. The Waal still carries water as far as the village of Tschars. The water is collected at the Walchhof in Neuratheis in Schnalstal. In Schnalstal, the Waal crosses partly geologically difficult and steep terrain and reaches the Vinschger main valley below the castle rock of Castle Juval . In Schnalstal the Waal is underground, partly in tunnels. The Waal was also of great importance for the Schnalstal because the Waalweg was an important entrance to the valley before the road was built in 1875. The Waalweg is one of the most beautiful in the country

• Naturns :
  • Stabener Schnalswaal, 5 km long, it used to be a parallel to its big brother, the Tscharser Schnalswaal, which runs a few hundred meters above sea level. Because of the steep and rocky terrain, the part of the Schnalstal was for the most part run as Kandelwaal. Remnants of the Kandel pipelines can still be seen on the opposite rock faces when you drive across the road to Schnalstal. It is still used for irrigation today, but the water comes via pumps from the Adige below.
  • Naturnser Schnalswaal, 9 km long, a young canal, only built in 1833. The water was collected in the Schnalser Bach near Altratheis and crossed the steep rock walls to the Wallburg at the exit of the Schnalstal as a chandelier over a distance of 1.5 km. The Waal runs east along the Naturnser Sonnenberg to the Fallrohrhof. In 1912, the power station company built a tunnel from Altratheis to the Wallburg, so that the Kandel pipeline became superfluous. From 1967 the Waal was piped.

Burgrave Office

• Partschins : Partschinser Waal, 5 km long, is caught below the Partschinser waterfall on the Salten , runs in an easterly direction to the district Vertigen
• Rabland : Rablander Waal, 0.5 km long, entry at the Giggelbergerbahn
• Marling : Marlinger Waal, is about 12 km long and thus the longest Waal in South Tyrol. It was built between 1737 and 1756 at the instigation of the Allerengelberg monastery in Schnals as a joint project with the municipality of Marling, because it had acquired the Gaienhof with its wineries near Marling in 1619. The Waal begins at the Töll and ends in Oberlana. The water in the Waal will be drained on May 31, July 31 and August 31 due to cleaning work.

• Lagundo : Lagundo Waal, about 6 km long, is made up of three sections based on the building history (13th century), Plarser, Lagundo and Gratscher Waal . It is still in use today and runs from the Töller Bach next to the Töll to Gratsch near Meran. The Waalweg offers variety and delightful views of the Merano valley basin
• Kuens : Kuenser Waal, about 2.5 km long. It leads from the Spronser Tal (Longfall) to above the Gasthof Ungericht and is - apart from the last section, which runs in pipes - still in its original condition and is fully operational.
• Meran : Maiser Waal (also: Neuwaal Obermais ), about 9 km long. It leads from Saltaus , where the water is derived from the Passer , in the direction of Meran through the communities of St. Leonhard , Riffian , Schenna , Meran and ends in the Obermais district . The name of the Waal, which has been documented since the 13th century, is derived from the formerly independent municipality of Mais , which today comprises the two districts of Obermais and Untermais . The Neuwaal was reopened in 1658 after a long period of decay, is still used to irrigate agricultural areas and has been renovated since 2012 as part of an extensive project. The soil improvement consortium Neuwaal Obermais , based in Merano, maintains the watercourse and the parallel hiking trail.

Klosterwaale in Swabia

Klosterwaal Krumbach in Ochsenhausen

In Upper Swabia there are still three Benedictine waals in monasteries:

• Krummbach in Ochsenhausen
• Quiet stream in Weingarten
• Motzenbach in Ottobeuren

See also

• Meadow irrigation

literature

• Armin Tille : The rural economic constitution of the Vintschgau, mainly in the second half of the Middle Ages . Wagner University Press, Innsbruck 1895.
• Gianni Bodini: Paths by the water. South Tyrolean Waale . A picture guide through a setting culture. Tappeiner, Lana an der Etsch 1993, ISBN 88-7073-159-6 .
• Hanspaul Menara : South Tyrolean Waalwege . A picture book with a Waal lexicon. Athesia, Bozen 2007, ISBN 978-88-8266-294-3 .
• Erich Daniel: The terminology of water management in Vintschgau . Innsbruck 1969, OCLC 800824788 (Dissertation at the Leopold-Franzens-University in Innsbruck. Philosophical Faculty, 1969, 249 pages, speaker: Johannes Erben ; holdings: State library "Dr. Friedrich Teßmann" , Bozen).
• Jürg Frischknecht , Ursula Bauer: Schüttelbrot and Wasserwosser. Paths and stories between Ortler and Meran . With picture stories by Marco Volken (photographer). 2nd Edition. Rotpunkt, Zurich 2012, ISBN 978-3-85869-447-8 .

Web links

Commons : Waal  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Ueli Raz: The holy waters, pictures of the Suonen in the canton of Valais. Retrieved on August 25, 2009 (private homepage of Ueli Raz (Bern): The seven tens of Valais. Vers une sociologie glaciaire and with numerous other contributions). 
• Julia Kuhn: Irrigation in Vinschgau: A search for Roman traces in Tyrolean irrigation terminology ( memento from July 19, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
• History of the whales, irrigation canals worldwide, a documentation. Retrieved August 25, 2009 (carefully compiled). 
• Volkmar Schmidt: Holy waters. Retrieved on August 25, 2009 (a private website with lots of photos and information on artificial irrigation systems Suonen - Bisses - Wasserfuhren - Waale - Levadas around the world). 

Individual evidence

Lit. Gianni Bodini: Paths by the water served as a source for topographical information on the Waalen in Vinschgau . 1993.

1. ^ Gianni Bodini: Antichi sistemi d'irrigazione nell'arco apino. Ru, Bisse, Suonen, Waale. Priuli e Verlucca, Ivrea 2002, ISBN 88-8068-186-9 .
2. ^ Robert Luft: Vocabulaires et toponymie des pays de montagne. Club Alpin Francais de Nice - Mercantour, 2006, accessed on 7 August 2020 (French). 
3. ↑ Article on eurac.edu ( Memento from July 19, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ Ulrich von Ammon: German dictionary of variants: the standard language in Austria, Switzerland and Germany as well as in Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, East Belgium and South Tyrol. Walter De Gruyter, October 2004, ISBN 978-3-11-016574-6
5. ^ Hannes Obermair : Bozen Süd - Bolzano Nord. Written form and documentary tradition of the city of Bozen up to 1500 . tape 1 . City of Bozen, Bozen 2005, ISBN 88-901870-0-X , p. 343-344, no. 696 .
6. ↑ WAWO We show the permanent exhibitions Schwabenkinder , WaWo - s'Wosser zum Wassern Archaischer Vinschgau and invite you to hike the archaeological park Ganglegg and the Lehrwaal Quairwaal.
7. ↑ Schlunderns municipality : "Wasserwosser" - an exhibition in the Vintschger Museum
8. ↑ Peterperpedes: Seniorenwanderungen KG Bolligen: Hiking week Vinschgau - from Saltaus along the Maiserwaal to Merano. In: Seniorenwanderungen KG Bolligen. May 3, 2016, accessed September 27, 2019 . 
9. ↑ Jürg Frischknecht, Ursula Bauer: Where Reinhold Messner dismisses ( Memento from July 28, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), PDF, 2 pages, Sunday newspaper , May 8, 2011, pages 78–79.
10. ↑ Schüttelbrot and Wasserwosser ( Memento from September 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive )