Gemmipass

Daubensee at the Gemmipass north. The trail runs along the eastern shore of the lake.

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The Gemmipass is a 2314 meter high mountain pass in the Valais Leukerbad in the Bernese Alps. It forms a north-south connection between Kandersteg in the Kander valley ( canton Bern ) and Leukerbad in the Valley of the Dala. The pass is on the ridge between Daubenhorn ( 2942 m above sea level. M. ) in the west and the plate horns (up to 2,855 m above sea level. M. ) in the east.

Name

For the origin of the name Gemmi there are different explanations. One interpretation states that the name Gemmi probably from Latin gemini ( German: Gemini ) is derived, due to the similar appearance of the mountains cow horn and Altels east of the pass path. Other interpretations go of the French language: Gemmi could from the French " chemin " ( German: path, path) or be derived from " gemir " ( German: groan, moan ).

Geography

The Gemmipass marked geologically the western edge of the Aar Massif and therefore separates the westerly Bernese Kalkhochalpen ( Wildstrubelmassif ) from the east adjoining the crystalline basement of the Balmhorngruppe. In the high valley north of the pass, there are numerous karst features, such as karst fields, the deep endorheic depression at the mountain inn Schwarenbach and the above ground septic Daubensee.

Access

The environment of the Gemmi Pass is a popular hiking area. The mule track over the pass starts at around 1400 m above sea level. M. in Leukerbad. After a relatively gentle climb of 300 meters, the 600 meters high, disintegrating into several almost perpendicular rock layers Gemmiwand must be overcome on the south side of the pass, where the reckless -scale distance is always assured. The approximately 10-km descent on the north side of the pass through an impressive natural landscape and is not associated with any difficulties. Many hikers stay halfway in the mountain inn Schwarenbach ( 2060 m above sea level. M. ).

From Leukerbad since 1957 and a cable car directly to its summit; March to June 2012, she was replaced. The two-cable aerial ropeway has two gondolas each for 35 passengers and can carry 335 people per hour. The difference in height of 920 m is overcome through a single support, the ground clearance is up to 300 m. Another, smaller cable car runs from the summit on the other side down to the Daubensee.

History

The Gemmi was first mentioned in the early 13th century as a natural path which later evolved into one of the most famous Alpine crossings for freight and passenger traffic. Already in the early Middle Ages turned the Gemmipass an important link between the Bernese Oberland and the Valais dar. example, then the Engstligenalp was farmed by the Valais. However, the rock wall above Leukerbad long time was considered insurmountable. The pass route then led up from the east Daubensee the mountainside and through the Furggentäli to 2730 m above sea level. M. lying gap in the disk horns, the so-called Old Gemmi. The subsequent descent to the Clabineralp was very steep, but could be passed without actually passing through a rock wall. In this way, a part of around 800 migratory against South Alemanni came into the Central Valais. The old pass route was moved in 1550 to near the present-day mule track over the Gemmiwand.

When the spa town of Leukerbad gained in importance in the 18th century, the call for a simpler supposed to take way louder. Messrs. Meier Stephan Matter and bailiff Balet taken the initiative to build a new road through the Gemmipass. They succeeded in Leuk the Gemmizoll and to obtain from Bern 12,000 pounds of money or powder as support. 1739 the new way was blasted through the rock wall. It was in the interest of Bern, to create a more direct connection via the Gemmi and the Simplon Pass to Italy.

The route, however, never developed into an actual Transithandelsweg because an efficient transport organization was missing. About 1900 guests were driven to the Gemmi Wägeli over the pass. In the 1950s we discussed the construction of a highway across the Gemmipass from Kandersteg to Leukerbad; However the project was not realized.

Literary mentions

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe described the rock wall in front of the Gemmipass when he was in Leukerbad on November 9, 1779. Guy de Maupassant's story L' Auberge ( German: Gasthaus ) is playing on Gemmipass. In Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story The Final Problem ( German: The last problem ) is mentioned at the beginning of the story of Gemmipass. Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne and Mark Twain visited Leukerbad, the latter on his steep path primarily women remarked that were carried in litters and ' seasick and pale and white as the snows of Mont Blanc " looked like.

Berghaus Schwarenbach

In Schwarenbach, to the south

Pine forest

For Sünnbüel