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Sunken village reappeared: The “Atlantis of the Alps” can still be seen in its entirety until June

2021-05-30T20:03:01.485Z


The Reschensee had to be drained for repair work. As a result, the sunken village of Graun in South Tyrol can be seen completely for the first time in over 70 years.


The Reschensee had to be drained for repair work.

As a result, the sunken village of Graun in South Tyrol can be seen completely for the first time in over 70 years.

Graun - Lake Reschensee in South Tyrol offers a unique photo motif, especially in spring: a church tower that protrudes from the middle of the water. This remnant is reminiscent of the time before the great lake existed. 71 years ago, the village of Graun, or as the Italians say "Curon", still stood here. Because of the necessary repair work, the remains of the village came to light again for the first time this year.

Because all the water in the reservoir had to be drained for the renovation, as Thomas Punter from the Reschensee tourist

office

explained to the

travelbook

website

.

The construction workers had to lend a hand “on the canal of the reservoir that leads away from the dam in the direction of the power station”, according to Punter.

The draining of the water had already started in February, and a large part of the work has already been done.

Sunken village in the Alps: the whole village had to give way to generate more electricity

But what is there to see under the water? And why was an entire village flooded? The village of Graun has a tough history behind it. In 1950, Northern Italy and Switzerland decided to generate electricity from the existing hydropower at this location, according to the book “Secret Places Europe”. For this purpose, the lake in Graun and the neighboring lake in Reschen should be merged. Instead of two small ones, a new, large lake.

The village of Graun had to give way for this.

Neither an uprising by the residents - including angry peasants who hit the vehicles of the Montecatini electricity company with sticks - nor a pope visit by the village pastor could change that.

The company had just been awarded the contract to build the waterworks.

The attempt to relocate the farmers to the "new Graun" remained largely in vain, as there was too little land for all the farmers.

Sunken village in the Alps: complete ruins have surfaced for the first time in over 70 years

Dozens of houses were finally blown up for the construction project, the church was allowed to remain in the village. “The horror of Graun”, they said at the time. Then it was said “Water march!” And the remains of Graun gradually sank. In total, the company flooded 523 hectares of land and 181 houses. Today the Reschensee is about six kilometers long and one kilometer wide. The hydropower plant there produces around 250 million kilowatts of electricity per year.

In the meantime, only the Grauner church tower can usually be seen, which protrudes from the water and is an attractive photo opportunity for many tourists.

But thanks to the repairs this year, visitors will be able to see what is left of the village for the first time.

But Punter makes it clear: “Many people think that you can actually still see real houses here, but that is not the case because everything was blown up back then.

If you see something, it is more like floors, foundation walls, stairs and cellars. ”With a little imagination, you can still see the old Roman road that winds through the village.

Sunken village in the Alps: The ruins of the Atlantis of the Alps can still be visited until June

According to Punter, the first liters are already flowing again to fill the lake, but something of the village remains can still be seen for a long time: it will take until at least mid-June until the lake has returned to its normal water level, ”he says.

A unique opportunity for a trip to Italy, despite the coronavirus.

It is unclear when the Atlantis of the Alps will reappear in full size afterwards.

That depends on when it is time for the next repairs, according to Punter at

travelbook

.

But even if not every holidaymaker in Italy will make a visit by then: every year in spring, thanks to the low water level, almost the entire old church tower in Graun can be seen.

Also interesting:

Tip for explorers - The most beautiful excursion destinations between Munich and Tyrol can be found here. (promotional link)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-05-30

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