Grimselpass

Pass with Totensee

The Grimsel Pass is a Swiss road pass in the Bernese Alps and connects the Bernese Oberland with the Upper Valais. The pass is at 2'164 m above sea level. M. at the European watershed between the Mediterranean and the North Sea. The historic mule track was built in the 19th century to a modern high alpine road, which is open in summer. On the south side there is a view to the Goms and the slightly higher Furka Pass and the Valais Alps.

History

The first documented use of the safe Grimsel Pass a pack road dates from the 14th century. The use during the Roman period and a crossing in 1211 by troops of the Duke of Zahringen are controversial. 1397 joined the landscapes Pomat, Goms and Hasli and the cities of Interlaken, Thun and Bern an agreement in which it was agreed to provide for the free and secure trade and entertain the mule track over the Grimsel.

The expansion of the mule track to pass road was compared to other Swiss passports relatively late, opened the pass road in 1894 as a result of the construction of hydroelectric power plants in this area, the road between 1920 -. Expanded in 1950.

For several decades it came to the Grimsel Pass road between Innertkirchen and Guttannen always regular rockfalls. At times, this area was in the pass road night driving ban and the Grimsel traffic was diverted about Under floor. This was due to movements of a rock outcrop called " Chapf " 900 m above the road. Since these movements were increasingly strong, the federal government decided to controlled demolition of the entire outcrop. On 4 October 2001, the Chapf was blown up after months of drilling. 150,000 cubic meters of rock peelings made this blowing up into the biggest Swiss history.

Lakes

On the northern side of the Grimsel Pass are three connected with cleats reservoirs. Ascending by their Elevation: The Räterichsbodensee the Grimsel and the Oberaarsee. Among these are the Räterichsbodensee and Grimselsee on the pass road. Also in northern Grimsel area is the reservoir Gelmersee. The reservoirs are operated by the Oberhasli power plants. On the pass is the Totensee, but which is not used to generate electricity.

On the valley side of the dam of the Räterichsbodensee the large-scale picture of the water Jungfrau Mélisande by the artist Pierre Mettraux was completed in September 2007. On a peninsula in Lake below the summit, the hotel Grimsel Hospice is located.

On the north side of the Grimsel pass road begins as part of the main road coming from the Jura 6 in Haslital about 2 km after the exit of the village in the south of Innertkirchen. At this point the road is not too steep, but is steadily increasing. 9 km from Within churches are just Guttannen, which is 1060 m ( Innertkirchen 625 m). After Guttannen the road climbs again with approximately the same slope until you reach 6 km Handegg.

From there you can reach the steepest funicular railway in the world, the Gelmerbahn the Gelmersee. After Handegg the road passes a comparatively steep S- curve and in one of the many tunnels. Then one is above the tree line and after a few switchbacks you reach the Räterichsbodensee.

For a while, the road passes here at the lake until it rises again in serpentines with large pitch for Grimselsee. Here is the hospice. The road rises again rather steeply, there are still six switchbacks ( 150 meters ) to the pass. At the summit, there are three hotels and a smaller lake, the Totensee.

On the south side of the road from Upper Forest rises forth steeply and passes through pine forest to Gletsch at the treeline. There, the road branches off from the main road 19, which further leads to the Furka pass. The Grimsel Pass road now runs at regular switchbacks steeply up to the pass at.

The Grimsel Pass road is part of the Aare Route, the national cycle route 8 Switzerland. The pass road rises briefly but sharply to the south, while it rises on the north side with a maximum of 9 % and has a length of 26 km.

Tour de Suisse

The Grimsel Pass was 10 times so far on the program of the Tour de Suisse. 1937, 1953, 1956, 1962, 1973, 1986, 1996, 2002, 2007 and 2011 She was at the 7th stage of the 2007 arrival. The Grimsel ranked as the eight highest pass, which the tour crossed (as of November 2011, height rating to 2010).

Grimsel Test Site

In the area of the pass and the power plants is the Grimsel Test Site, Nagra, be carried out in the experiments on crystalline rocks to the study of disposal of radioactive waste.

Gallery

The dam of Räterichboden Lake Constance with the Mélisande picture

Art at the pass

Furkapass Unterseen Kraftwerke Oberhasli Gelmerbahn funicular Oberwald Deep geological repository Les Agites Albispass Albulapass Balmberg Pass Chilchzimmersattel Berninapass Buechenegg Pass Chasseral Pass Chatzenstrick Pass Col de la Croix (Vaud) Col de la Croix (Jura) Col des Etroits Etzelpass Col de la Forclaz Col de la Givrine Glaubenberg Pass Gottschalkenberg Pass Gurnigel Pass Heitersberg Pass Hulftegg Pass Ibergeregg Pass Julierpass Kerenzerberg Pass Col du Lein Livigno Pass Malojapass Col du Marchairuz Col du Mollendruz Col des Mosses Mutschellen Alpe di Neggia Oberer Hauenstein Pass Oberricken Pass Fuorn Pass Bachtel Col de Pierre Pertuis Col du Pillon Col des Planches Les Pontins Pragelpass Col des Rangiers Raten Pass Rickenpass Col des Roches Ruppenpass Sattel (Pass) Sattelegg Pass Schallenbergpass Scheltenpass Schufelberger Egg Pass Staffelegg Pass Stoss Pass Unterer Hauenstein Pass Vue des Alpes Wasserfluh Pass Weissensteinpass Wildhaus (Pass)

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