energie.wege – Route 3: Partenen – Trominier – Vermunt – Silvretta-Bielerhöhe

Illwerke info center energie.raum - Europatreppe 4000 - Vermunt cable car top station (Trominier) - Vermunt dam - Obervermuntwerk - Silvretta-Bielerhöhe

Idyllically situated lake, magnificent view of the peaks and glaciers of the Silvretta.

Mountain forest of Partenen

The mountain forest from Partenen to Trominier is habitat for the boreal owl, three-toed woodpecker, and eagle owl. Due to the near-natural forest management, there is a high proportion of habitat-suitable deadwood in the forests.

Barbara Chapel on the Silvretta-Bielerhöhe

September 23, 1967: It was quiet on this Saturday at the Bielerhöhe; the people gathered remembered the victims that the construction of the power plant facilities in the Silvretta had cost. Then Bishop Bruno Wechner consecrated the Barbara Chapel.

The chapel was created at the request of the employees of Illwerke. Some employees still knew people who had accidents; many also remembered this Saturday the terrible conditions under which the Silvretta reservoir was built from 1938. The contracted construction firms had also employed forced laborers and prisoners of war during World War II. Near the Barbara Chapel, at Madlenerhaus, they were housed under precarious conditions in the so-called Silvrettadorf, in eleven barracks for 80 men each.

There were victims in work accidents. But there were also many forced laborers who tried to escape and were shot. It is only known that 48 people managed to escape via the mountain passes to Switzerland.

The chapel appears simple and plain; it was built according to the plans of architect Hubert Fragner from Telfs and consecrated in honor of St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners. When the 210-kilogram bell rings, it sounds far and wide the admonition inscribed on the bell: “Remember the victims demanded by this great work.” The same inscription can also be seen on the altar wall. That the “great work” cost not only workers but also prisoners of war and forced laborers is noted on a simple plaque on the sidewall of the chapel.

The energie.raum is open daily all year round. Visiting the exhibition is free of charge and barrier-free.

Presented by: Montafon
Author: Andreas Marent