The best road cycling routes around Tiefencastel

A village submerged - Marmorera The flooding (1954): 29 houses, 52 stables and a church sank into the water. A new Marmorera was built slightly higher up on the slope for the relocated inhabitants. On September 14, 1955, the Marmorera Castiletto dam was inaugurated. Among those present were, in addition to the Zurich City President Emil Landolt, local politicians such as Gion Not Spegnas, District President of Oberhalbstein, as well as involved entrepreneurs and officials. While the illustrious guests attended the ceremony in the high-alpine valley basin, the plant further down in Tinizong, one of the three power station stages, was already producing electricity for Zurich. The reservoir looked like a natural mountain lake with a smooth water surface, in which the sunlight glittered. But the apparent mountain idyll hides a secret. On the dark ground lie the ruins of the village of Marmorera – once a flourishing community that benefited from coach traffic over the Julier Pass before the construction of the Albula Tunnel, but whose citizens had been barely making a living from agriculture since the Second World War. Text / Source: Swiss National Museum, Landesmuseum Zürich, Museumstrasse 2, Zurich https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/2022/09/staudamm-marmorera/

Lai da Marmorera / Marmorerasee since 1954 Sunken village and lost homeland – The story of Marmorera The story of Marmorera is a story of change and loss. In the 1950s, as Zurich increasingly needed electricity, a reservoir was built on the Ova da Marmorera river. This led to the flooding of the village of Marmorera, which then sank into the reservoir. The inhabitants were resettled, and the old village disappeared into the water of the new Marmorerasee. The Marmorera Castiletto dam was completed in 1954, and the old municipality of Marmorera was replaced by the new Marmorera. Today, only a few houses remain on the shore of the lake, and the story of Marmorera remains a fascinating testament to a turbulent past. Text / Source: wikipedia.org https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lai_da_Marmorera

Julier Pass, History (Pass height 2284 m above sea level) The column remnants exactly at the summit of the Julier Pass and the finds of Roman coins nearby point to a very early use of this Alpine crossing. The Septimer Pass, a few kilometers to the west, which was however steeper and more avalanche-prone, can certainly be considered a competitor. What is certain is that both were used intensively in Roman times. The Julier even with two-wheeled carts. In the age of packhorse trains, the Julier increasingly lost importance because the topography at the Septimer Pass was hardly a factor and, moreover, the detour via the Engadin was not necessary. With the construction of a cart track over the Septimer (1387), the Julier was definitively left behind. The Julier remained important for access to the Upper Engadin and the Bernina Pass. The actual road construction over the Julier took place between 1820 and 1826. In this phase of history, the Julier retained "the upper hand" over the Septimer. On the one hand, topographical reasons were decisive, and on the other hand, the canton could not afford to ignore the Engadin. This was the first road construction project in which the canton acted as the client. In the second half of the 19th century, various route adjustments followed, which became necessary due to the increasing feeder traffic for the Upper Engadin health resorts. The opening of the Albula Line of the Rhaetian Railway in 1903 caused car traffic over the Julier to collapse again. When the Federal Council put pressure on the Graubünden government in 1923 for a car-suitable transit route, the canton opted for the Julier route. Between 1935 and 1940, the pass road was renovated and was the first Alpine crossing to receive an asphalt surface. Today, the Julier is the most important, year-round open, northern access to the Engadin. Text / Source: Interessengemeinschaft Alpenpässe IAP, Postfach 11, Realp https://www.alpen-paesse.ch/de/alpenpaesse/julierpass/

Already in the Roman Empire around 2,000 years ago Already in the Roman Empire around 2,000 years ago, the Julier Pass was of great importance. At the pass summit, two columns of a Roman sanctuary still stand today. Today, the pass road over the Julier is the most important road connection to the Engadin and is passable all year round. In the vicinity of the Julier, you will find numerous hiking and biking routes on which the landscape can be ideally explored. From the Julierhospitz (pass summit 2284 m above sea level), the exploration tour or hike to the clear mountain lake Leg Grevasalvas begins. Text / Source: Graubünden Ferien, Alexanderstrasse 24, Chur https://www.graubuenden.ch/de/ausflugsziele/julierpass

Sül Munt Baselgia e fin Lais da Macun

Beautiful view up- and downstream. In spring with impressively low water levels, which makes the massive dam visible.

Great view of the entire Marmorera reservoir from the beginning of the lake towards the north to the dam. In spring with little water. Attention: only accessible by bike and only with little traffic, as it is directly on the pass road.

A short stop in La Punt is worthwhile. This is mainly due to the striking white house – the Chesa Merleda. This is a prominent example of Engadine architecture.