The Wiesen Viaduct is a single track limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 railway

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

 viaduct

Viaduct

A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...

. It spans the Landwasser River

Landwasser River

The Landwasser is a river in Switzerland. Its origin was Lake Davos before this was turned into a reservoir for a power station. Nowadays it is fed entirely by Flüelabach and changes its name near Davos. Davos is the largest town and except for the last bit the only municipitality on the river...

 southwest of the hamlet of Wiesen

Wiesen, Switzerland

Davos Wiesen is one of six parts of the city of Davos besides Davos Dorf, Davos Platz, Davos Frauenkirch, Davos Glaris and Davos Monstein.-External links:* *...

, in the Canton

Cantons of Switzerland

The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...

 of Graubünden

Graubünden

Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

.

Designed by the then Chief Engineer of the Rhaetian Railway, Henning Friedrich, it was built between 1906 and 1909 under the supervision of another engineer, Hans Studer. The Rhaetian Railway still owns and uses it today.

An important element of the Davos–Filisur railway, the viaduct is 88 metres (288.7 ft) high, 204 metres (669.3 ft) long, and has a main span of 55 metres (180.4 ft).

Location

The Wiesen Viaduct forms part of the Davos–Filisur railway section between Wiesen

Wiesen (Rhaetian Railway station)

Wiesen is a station on the Davos-Filisur railway line. An hourly service operates on this line.-Rhaetian Railway services:*R6 - 1tph...

 and Filisur

Filisur (Rhaetian Railway station)

Filisur is a railway station in Filisur, Switzerland. It is located on the Albula Railway line from Chur to St. Moritz. Hourly services operate on this section of the line...

. Just 300 metres (984.3 ft) southwest of Wiesen railway station, it has, on its south side, a separate pedestrian bridge giving hikers access to Filisur

Filisur

Filisur is a municipality in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-History:Filisur is first mentioned in 1262 as villa Fallisour.-Geography:...

. At the western end of the viaduct is a non functioning Hippsche turning wheel.

History

The Wiesen Viaduct structure was designed by the then Chief Engineer of the Rhaetian Railway, Henning Friedrich. Construction began in October 1906, under the direction of another engineer, Hans Studer. With the launch of the Davos–Filisur railway in July 1909, the viaduct came into operation. It cost a total of 324,000 Swiss francs to build.

The falsework

Falsework

Falsework consists of temporary structures used in construction to support spanning or arched structures in order to hold the component in place until its construction is sufficiently advanced to support itself...

 used for the building of the viaduct was designed by G. Marasi, swallowed up around 500 cubic metres (17,657.3 cu ft) of wood, and was constructed by the Graubünden carpenter Richard Coray.

In 1926, the viaduct was the inspiration for Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th century art. He volunteered for army service in the First World War, but soon suffered a...

's painting Brücke bei Wiesen.

Technical data

The Wiesen Viaduct is 88 metres (288.7 ft) high and 204 metres (669.3 ft) long. Its main span is only 3.7 metres (12.1 ft) in width, but also 55 metres (180.4 ft) long, which makes it one of the longest main spans of any masonry bridge.

To the west of the main span are two arches, each 20 metres (65.6 ft) long. East of the main span are four arches, each of them also 20 metres (65.6 ft) long.

These technical characteristics combine to make the Wiesen Viaduct the Rhaetian Railway's largest stone bridge.

See also

• Bernina Express
  Bernina Express
  The Bernina Express is an express train connecting Chur in Switzerland with Poschiavo and Tirano in Italy, by crossing the Swiss Alps from north to south. For most of its journey, the train also passes along and through the World Heritage Site known as the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina...
  
  
• Arch bridge
  Arch bridge
  An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
  
  
• Viaduct
  Viaduct
  A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
  
  
• Wiesen (Rhaetian Railway station)
  Wiesen (Rhaetian Railway station)
  Wiesen is a station on the Davos-Filisur railway line. An hourly service operates on this line.-Rhaetian Railway services:*R6 - 1tph...
  
  
• Filisur (Rhaetian Railway station)
  Filisur (Rhaetian Railway station)
  Filisur is a railway station in Filisur, Switzerland. It is located on the Albula Railway line from Chur to St. Moritz. Hourly services operate on this section of the line...
  
  
• Davos–Filisur railway
• Rhaetian Railway