World Heritage Identification Number: 1276
World Heritage since: 2008
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: Yes
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: Italy, Switzerland
Continent: NA
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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The Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes: A Technological Marvel in the Swiss Alps
The Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, showcases an extraordinary feat of engineering and a testament to human ingenuity in overcoming the formidable challenges posed by the Swiss Alps. This railway system, operated by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB), connects remote settlements in the Central Alps, significantly impacting the socio-economic development of these regions.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes, brings together two historic railway lines that cross the Swiss Alps through two passes. Opened in 1904, the Albula line in the north western part of the property is 67 km long. It features an impressive set of structures including 42 tunnels and covered galleries and 144 viaducts and bridges. The 61 km Bernina pass line features 13 tunnels and galleries and 52 viaducts and bridges. The property is exemplary of the use of the railway to overcome the isolation of settlements in the Central Alps early in the 20th century, with a major and lasting socio-economic impact on life in the mountains. It constitutes an outstanding technical, architectural and environmental ensemble and embodies architectural and civil engineering achievements, in harmony with the landscapes through which they pass.
Encyclopedia Record: Rhaetian Railway
The Rhaetian Railway, abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the RhB operates all the railway lines of the Swiss canton of Grisons, except for the line from Sargans to the cantonal capital, Chur, which are operated by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS), as well as the line from Disentis/Mustér to the Oberalp Pass and further on to Andermatt, Uri, which is operated by Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB). Inaugurated in 1888 and expanded from 1896 onwards in various sections, the RhB network is located almost entirely within Grisons, with one station across the Italian border at Tirano.Additional Site Details
Area: 152.42 hectares
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 46.4983333333 , 9.8463888889
Image
© W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)