Metamorphosis of a Valley - The Hydroelectric Exploitation of the Maggia

Description

The hydroelectric facilities of the Maggia are among the largest in Switzerland and the most important in the Canton of Ticino. Built between 1950 and 1968 by Ofima (Forces Motrices de la Maggia SA), they extend over a length of more than 60 km, from Lake of Gries in Upper Valais at 2,386 meters altitude to Lake Maggiore at 193 meters altitude, with a height difference of 2,200 meters. Thanks to 8 artificial basins, about 140 km of galleries, and 7 power plants (for a total of 600 MW installed capacity), the Maggia facilities guarantee an average annual production of 1,265 GWh, thus providing the energy needed for more than one million inhabitants. While its economy was almost exclusively based on agriculture, livestock, and transhumance, this archaic valley, turned inward, transforms in a blink into a large construction site employing thousands of workers from the start of construction. Immediately, discordant feelings arise within the population. On one hand, some fear excessive interference in local life; on the other hand, hope is born that the arrival of facilities creating valuable and secure jobs might dissuade young people from seeking a less arduous and more comfortable life outside the valley. After many years, the Museum of Val Maggia could not omit to recall this important extraordinary moment in the valley's history: a time with many nuances that marked the fate of a vast territory, its inhabitants, traditions, and economy. The consequences for such a peripheral region are inevitably numerous and complex, similar only to the arrival of the railway in the Léventine valley. Without these works, the valley would not be what it is today. The exhibition not only recalls the initial tribulations, critical environmental questions, sacrifices imposed on the population, and the distress caused by tragedies; it aims to offer a more comprehensive framework that leads to an essentially positive assessment: a gigantic work based on a brilliant and courageous idea realized thanks to the insight of the project promoters and the extraordinary changes that occurred, from which regional communities have been able to and have benefited significantly. Thanks to the impeccable work done to improve and maintain the structures, the developments carried out over 75 years ago still constitute an important energy source for the community.

Highlights

• Discovery of the hydroelectric facilities of the Maggia
• Exhibition on economic and social impact
• Located at the Museum of Val Maggia

General Information

The event highlights the hydroelectric facilities of the Maggia, one of the largest in Switzerland. It explores their impact on the local economy and the transformation of the valley, offering a historical and social perspective.

Location

Cevio Vecchio 6/12, 6675 Cevio, Switzerland

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