Ponte Alto - Gondo, VS, Switzerland - Arch Bridges on Waymarking.com

EN: The Ponte Alto (or Hohstäg) leads over the river Doveria in the Gondo Gorge. The bridge is about ten meters long and about thirty meters high.

A small wooden bridge from the 17th century at this place was replaced by a larger bridge around 1805. The latter had stone abutments, but by order of Napoleon a wooden bridge track, to be able to destroy it faster in case an enemy marched in. Between 1850 and 1880, this was replaced by today's arch bridge under the then
Canton engineer Ignaz Venetz. The bridge was part of the Simplon Pass road until a new bridge was built right next to it in the 1970s, which follows a more direct line. Today, a hiking trail leads across this bridge, but immediately afterwards it crosses over a metal footbridge underneath the road back to the other side of the river.

DE: Die Ponte Alto (oder Hohstäg) führt in der Gondoschlucht über den Fluss Doveria. Die Brücke ist rund zehn Meter lang und etwa dreissig Meter hoch.

Eine kleine Holzbrücke aus dem 17. Jahrhundert an dieser Stelle wurde wurde um 1805 durch eine grössere Brücke ersetzt. Diese hatte gemauerte Widerlager, aber auf Befehl Napoleons eine hölzerne Brückenbahn, um sie beim Einmarsch eines Feindes schneller zerstören zu können. Zwischen 1850 und 1880 wurde diese unter dem damaligen
Kantonsingenieur Ignaz Venetz durch die heutige Bogenbrücke ersetzt. Die Brücke war Teil der Simplonstrasse, bis zum Bau einer neuen Brücke gleich daneben in den 1970er Jahren, die einer direkteren Linie folgt. Heute führt ein Wanderweg über diese Brücke, aber gleich dahinter über einen Metallsteg unter der Strasse durch wieder auf die andere Flussseite.

Length of bridge: 10 m Height of bridge: 30 m What type of traffic does this bridge support?: pedestrians What kind of gap does this bridge cross?: river Doveria Date constructed: 1850-1880 with predecessors back to the 17th century Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: more or less; the motorized traffic of the early 20th century has gone, but this was not the original purpose Name of road or trail the bridge services: Via Stockalper Location: east of the Simplon hamlet of Gabi, west of Gondo

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