The Landwasser Viaduct, composed of dark limestone, forms part of the Albula Railway section between Tiefencastel and Filisur, and is at the mark from Thusis. To passengers on trains approaching the viaduct from Tiefencastel and Alvaneu on the Albula Railway, the viaduct becomes visible from quite some distance away. The first major feature to be reached on that approach is the Schmittentobel Viaduct, which itself is of considerable size. Then, while crossing the curved Landwasser Viaduct, passengers can observe the front of the train heading into the Landwasser Tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, the separate line from Davos Platz forms a junction with the Albula Railway just as both lines arrive in Filisur. Shortly before reaching that junction point, passengers on the Davos–Filisur line can experience a view of the viaduct from the northeast.
Technical details
One of the striking features of the Landwasser Viaduct is its highly pronounced curve, which has a radius of, the minimum used throughout the whole railway. It possesses a height of and a length of. The viaduct's masonry is approximately in volume and is jointed with dolomitic limestone. It comprises six arch spans, in width, resting on five high pillars; the arches themselves are flat. The Landwasser Viaduct carries a single railway track, which has a gradient of 2 percent across the structure. In addition to the track itself, it can also be traversed by pedestrians via a footpath, which has proven popular with tourists. The southeastern abutment of the Landwasser Viaduct is located on a high cliff, and at that point, the tracks lead directly into the long Landwasser Tunnel. The tunnel's entrance is positioned on a vertical rock wall, having been purposefully aligned with the viaduct. It was considered to be a challenging architectural feat of its era, and its construction employed several innovative techniques. Construction of the Landwasser Viaduct commenced during 1901 and was completed during the following year. Designed by Alexander Acatos for the Rhaetian Railway, its construction was undertaken by Müller & Zeerleder. The viaduct's construction was performed without the use of scaffolding, instead employing two cranes. The limestone pillars were built up around a steel-reinforced core. During 2009, 106 years after its completion, the masonry and track trough of the viaduct were repaired for the very first time. To facilitate this renovation, modular scaffolding was temporarily erected around the Landwasser Viaduct.
The Landwasser Viaduct briefly appears as a bridge which was destroyed by Rasputin's minions in the 1997 animated filmAnastasia. The portrayal was of a taller, 4-storey viaduct very similar to a Roman aqueduct but set in Poland. It also appears within the first couple of minutes of the film “A Cure for Wellness”. Supposedly, the Landwasser Viaduct has appeared over one million times on postal stamps over the years. Since 2008, the cultural importance of the railway, and features such as Landwasser Viaduct, has been formally recognised by UNESCO, having been placed on a World Heritage list.
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Citations
See the references in :de:Landwasserviadukt#Quellen|Landwasserviadukt
