Historical Site Viamala

Lost hole

Verlorenes Loch
Das Verlorene Loch

In 1816, the Ticino road builder Giulio Pocobeili and his assistant Richard La Nicca crossed the Passo del San Bernardino to plan a route for a mountain pass road.

Description

Seven years later, the 120-kilometre road was completed. According to calculations at the time, it was supposed to make it possible to travel from Chur to Bellinzona in 28 hours. In places, this commercial road led through the Viamala on a new, correspondingly faster route - no longer via Oberrongellen, but directly through the Lost Hole. Pocobelli's assistant, the later cantonal engineer Richard La Nicca, blasted a tunnel through the rock here. Or rather, he had it blasted. Richard La Nicca watched the explosive spectacle in 1820 during his wedding celebrations at Hohe Rätien.

Guided hikes through the Verlorna Loch
The section between Thusis and Rongellen is a masterpiece of early road construction from 1818 - 1823. On the guided hikes, you will learn a lot about the extraordinary engineering achievement of the time and how it was possible to build the road in such a special place.

The rescue of Verlorna Loch
The most spectacular section of the Commercialstrasse from 1823 almost... s'Loch ab... It turned out differently, with immediate structural measures it was possible to plug the "holes"!

Opening hours

The Lost Hole is open. It is closed in winter when there is ice and snow.

Contact

Responsible for this content: Viamala Tourism.

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