Rodewald Raimund
Erfassung und Inwertsetzung des alten rätischen Flurbewässerungssystems am Beispiel der Wale (auals) in der Val Müstair
Project Number: CH-3331
| Project Type: |
Research_Project |
| Project Duration: |
01/01/2005 - 12/31/2009 project completed |
| Funding Source: |
Bund , |
| Project Leader: |
Dr. Raimund Rodewald
Geschäftsleiter
SL-FP, Stiftung
Landschaftsschutz Schweiz
Schwarzenburgstrasse 11
3007 Bern
Phone: +41 (0) 31 377 00 77
FAX: +41 (0) 31 377 00 78
e-Mail: r.rodewald(at)sl-fp.ch
http://www.sl-fp.ch |
Research Areas:
Disciplines:
| |
|---|
| Legal and Social sciences, Economics |
| Social geography and Ecology |
Abstract:
Water supply has always been the limiting factor in the development of the agrarian village community, particularly in the dry inner Alps. This has given rise to ingenious water conduit systems in the entire alpine arc, but also in other arid areas. Already the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians and Assyrians built highly specialized irrigation systems. Also the Roman technology of the aqueducts is well known.
Water conduits in the arid regions of the inner Alps, e.g. in the Valais, are part of the archaic shaping of the landscape by man. These channels were called “Suonen” (or “Bisses” in the French speaking part of the Valais) and also referred to as “holy waters”. Settlement in the inner alpine region began often in the higher elevations to descend to the marshy valley floor only later. These steep southward-facing elevations received little rainfall. An intricate system of open conduits carried water from the glacial streams to the villages and meadows. Along their even slopes water was diverted for irrigation purposes, whereby the respective water rights were strictly regulated. Allocation of water use rights and disputes among the rights owners were recorded in documents which today count among the oldest written official documents of many municipalities of the Valais. One of the oldest such documents (on the issue of water rights) dates back to 1040.
In the old churraetian region (Engadin, Val Müstair, Val Venosta), irrigation ditches were widespread because of the dry climate. In the rain poor and arid regions of the inner and raetian Alps – and thus also in the Müstair and the Venosta Valley – documents testify to the existence of ancient water irrigation systems since the late Middle Ages (Bundi 2000). Already in the Lex Romana Curiensis of 740 A.D. mention is made of the legal status of the ditches ('aqueductus'). One of the oldest documents date back to 1410. With the exception of Val Venosta, however, the old irrigation systems are less widely known and less sophisticated in the raetian regions than in the Valais, where the Suonen often run for many kilometers along rock faces as spectacular channels and divert the water directly from glacial rivers for drinking and irrigation water. In Val Müstair and Val Venosta these conduits are defined as ditches in the meadows and the diversion of the water takes place from rivers at lower altitudes. Due to the topography wooden channels were rare.
Through reallocation and consolidation of agricultural land and the advent of new sprinkling technologies in the 20th century (hydrants) these ditches were given up one by one. Today they remain visible as veins in the meadows or as regularly sloping gashes or paths along the mountainsides. A few of the artificially created ditches still carry water today and here and there traces of technical metering devices for irrigation purposes (watering slabs and water gates) can still be seen. The last open water ditches are in danger of overgrowing and getting forgotten.
The bases of the project of the SL were own discoveries of remaining old water ditches and the comprehensive publication of Martin Bundi. The project sequence is organized along the following five objectives:(1) Compilation of existing knowledge of the course of ditches in the landscape and of project targets relevant for tourism; (2) Rendering visible the significance of the ancient agrarian irrigation system in Val Müstair; (3) Identifying the most important and impressive Auals; (4) Restoration and revitalization where useful and necessary and (5) Communication to the public at large and embedding into the touristic offer in the Val Müstair.
About 25 former water ditches have so far been located with their respective dispersion network. In addition former wooden channels, small aqueducts and abandoned parts of tools have been discovered. The finely woven network of water conduits can easily be discerned from above as subcutaneous veins in the landscape. This exploratory was has been carried out by the author and recorded by the local forester engineer by means of GPS, benefiting from the excellent aerial maps archive of the Swiss National Park. Apart from field investigations also oral history and archive sources have been contacted. In many instances it was high time to tap the public memory of the importance and utilization and the actual craft and skills of the watering trade. Many old inhabitants of the valley can still remember the irrigation technology abandoned step by step about 50 years ago. Passionately they provided information to our research team, enthusiastic about the rekindled interest in things ancient. Often, photographs, tools and documents surfaced, uncovering on by one the old cultural and social history of the Auals hidden beneath the sward. The different sections and the quality of the visible traces of the Auals in Val Müstair can now be incorporated into the maps along with the accompanying facilities, like little ponds to irrigate the flax, rendering them visible again. This project will serve as a basis to mark the most important Auals, and to undertake a valorization through appropriate information about Auals trails in extension to the existing hiking trails network. Impressive objects could be restored and renaturated. As an example the 700 meters long Aual “Foppumwasch” has been reactivated in 2007 along with a trail to render it walkable. With this project, accounting for the history of irrigation can therefore be linked to the goals of ecotourism. The inventory has been completed and will be published 2009.
Last update: 12/27/16
Source of data: ProClim- Research InfoSystem (1993-2024)
Update the data of project: CH-3331
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