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Building Emotions and Memory

Werner Tscholl

Building Emotions and Memory
By Francesco Pagliari -

The Rombo Alpine pass 2,509 metres above sea level links Italy and Austria, straddling the Passiria valley on the Italian Alto Adige side and the Ötztal valley in Austria’s Tyrol. A steep mountain road full of hairpin bends winds its way up to the pass, fitting harmoniously into the landscape. Inaugurated on the Austrian side in 1959 and on the Italian side in 1968, this scenic route in part retraces ancient footpaths across the mountains that have allowed north-south communications since ancient times. Even then the road was built to fuse with its surrounds. Local materials were used such as honed stone for accessory structures like retaining walls, bollards and bridges. 

The 50th anniversary of the road was an opportunity to develop a further project to enhance the mountain pass. Architect Werner Tscholl was commissioned to design five “stations” along the way that would sum up and express centuries of history amidst breathtaking natural beauty. His architectural objects stand against the horizon along the route across the mountains and national frontiers. Their geometrical forms, forged in materials that blend with the landscape, highlight their surrounds and at the same time invite quiet reflection on the history of the place. Perched on steep ridges on either side of the frontier, these sculptural architectures are an ineffable weave of history and place. The tollgate, the “Ponticello” station, has been transformed into a striking observation point whose jutting angles provide sweeping views. The stark block of the “Contrabbandiere”, or smugglers’ station has an opening carved out in the form of a human figure pointing in the direction of the Austrian valley. It recalls how goods traditionally crossed the pass in woven baskets strapped to the backs of man and mule. The “Pass Museum” straddles the frontier, perched like an erratic block on a rocky spur leaning into the void. It...

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