Rein da Medel
Encyclopedia
The Rein da Medel is the longest headwater of the Rhine. It is located in the Swiss
cantons of Ticino
and Graubünden
and flows trough the valleys Val Cadlimo and Val Medel
. Rein da Medel is the local Sursilvan, (i.e. Romansch) name in Graubünden, which is commonly used to denote the Ticino part as well.
The most important places along the river are the villages Curaglia and Platta in the municipality of Medel
.
There are three almost equally strong source streams:
The northern spring stream is about 640 meters long. The southern and western spring streams are about 1,000 meters from the spring to the confluence at 46.566048 °N 8.705075 °W.
About a kilometer after the confluence of these spring creeks, the Reno di Medel flows through the Lago dell'Isra (2322m). A gorge runs under the Gotthard Base Tunnel
and marks the transition from the Val Medel to the Val Cadlimo. Just below the gorge opens out, a tributary flows in from the south, which comes down from the Passo dell'Uomo via the Val Termine valley. In this area, the Reno di Medel form the boundary between the municipalities of Quinto and Blenio
. A few meters north of the inflow into the Lai da Sontga Maria
reservoir (1908m), the boundary between Ticino and Graubünden is a straight line between Lukmanier Pass
and Pizzo Scai, which ignores the local topography.
In Graubünden, the river flows through the Sursilvan speaking part of the canton. The middle section of the river is called Froda; the lower section is called Rein da Medel. The name change takes place at the confluence of major tributary Rein da Cristallina. The middle and lower sections of the river are in the Val Medel
valley. Most of this section is in the municipality of Medel
, except the uppermost bit is in Ticino and the last kilometer is in the municipality of Disentis/Muster
.
A small valley braches off to the south-east from the Val Medel towards the Lukmanier Pass
. The entrance to this vallye is covered by the Lai da Sontga Maria
reservoir. Numerous small tributaries flow into the Reno di Medel throughout the entire Val Medel. The last two kilometers are through a canyon named Las Ruinas , where the Reno di Medel flows into the Anterior Rhine at about 1075 m above sea level, just below the road bridge across the Anterior Rhine in the road to the Lukmanier Pass.
.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
cantons of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
and Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
and flows trough the valleys Val Cadlimo and Val Medel
Val Medel
The Val Medel is a righthand side valley of the Surselva valley in Graubünden, Switzerland. It is approximately 15 km long and stretches from Disentis to the south, where it ends at Lai da Sontga Maria reservoir on Lukmanier Pass...
. Rein da Medel is the local Sursilvan, (i.e. Romansch) name in Graubünden, which is commonly used to denote the Ticino part as well.
The most important places along the river are the villages Curaglia and Platta in the municipality of Medel
Medel (Lucmagn)
Medel is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-Geography:Medel has an area, , of . Of this area, 17.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 14.9% is forested...
.
Course of the river
The headwaters of the Rein da Medel flow through the Val Cadlimo, a valley south of the main Alpine ridge in the municipality of Quinto in the Canton of Ticino. This is officially Italian-speaking territory; the Italian name of the river is .There are three almost equally strong source streams:
- The southern spring stream flows through the Lago Scuro (2451m, between Punta Negra and Bassa del Lago Scuro)
- The central spring stream rises on the Botta di Cadlimo (2534m) and shortly thereafter flows through the Lago di Dentro
- The northern spring stream rises beneath the Pizzo Curnera.
The northern spring stream is about 640 meters long. The southern and western spring streams are about 1,000 meters from the spring to the confluence at 46.566048 °N 8.705075 °W.
About a kilometer after the confluence of these spring creeks, the Reno di Medel flows through the Lago dell'Isra (2322m). A gorge runs under the Gotthard Base Tunnel
AlpTransit
AlpTransit, also known as New Railway Link through the Alps NRLA , is a Swiss federal project aimed to build faster north-south rail links across the Swiss Alps by constructing base tunnels several hundred metres below the level of the current tunnels...
and marks the transition from the Val Medel to the Val Cadlimo. Just below the gorge opens out, a tributary flows in from the south, which comes down from the Passo dell'Uomo via the Val Termine valley. In this area, the Reno di Medel form the boundary between the municipalities of Quinto and Blenio
Blenio
Blenio is a municipality of the district of Blenio, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.Blenio was created on 22 October 2006 when it incorporated the formerly autonomous municipalities of Aquila, Campo Blenio, Ghirone, Olivone and Torre of the upper Blenio valley.A legal challenge to the merger...
. A few meters north of the inflow into the Lai da Sontga Maria
Lai da Sontga Maria
Lai da Sontga Maria is a lake near the Lukmanier Pass in the municipality of Medel , Grisons, Switzerland. The reservoir has a surface area is 1.77 km². The arch dam Santa Maria was completed in 1968....
reservoir (1908m), the boundary between Ticino and Graubünden is a straight line between Lukmanier Pass
Lukmanier Pass
Lukmanier Pass is a pass in the Swiss Alps.The road from Disentis/Mustér in the canton of Graubünden leads through the Val Medel across the pass to the Blenio valley and Biasca in the canton of Ticino.The Pass is kept opened during the winter.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe*...
and Pizzo Scai, which ignores the local topography.
In Graubünden, the river flows through the Sursilvan speaking part of the canton. The middle section of the river is called Froda; the lower section is called Rein da Medel. The name change takes place at the confluence of major tributary Rein da Cristallina. The middle and lower sections of the river are in the Val Medel
Val Medel
The Val Medel is a righthand side valley of the Surselva valley in Graubünden, Switzerland. It is approximately 15 km long and stretches from Disentis to the south, where it ends at Lai da Sontga Maria reservoir on Lukmanier Pass...
valley. Most of this section is in the municipality of Medel
Medel (Lucmagn)
Medel is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-Geography:Medel has an area, , of . Of this area, 17.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 14.9% is forested...
, except the uppermost bit is in Ticino and the last kilometer is in the municipality of Disentis/Muster
Disentis/Mustér
-Demographics:Disentis/Mustér has a population of . , 8.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -4.7%....
.
A small valley braches off to the south-east from the Val Medel towards the Lukmanier Pass
Lukmanier Pass
Lukmanier Pass is a pass in the Swiss Alps.The road from Disentis/Mustér in the canton of Graubünden leads through the Val Medel across the pass to the Blenio valley and Biasca in the canton of Ticino.The Pass is kept opened during the winter.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe*...
. The entrance to this vallye is covered by the Lai da Sontga Maria
Lai da Sontga Maria
Lai da Sontga Maria is a lake near the Lukmanier Pass in the municipality of Medel , Grisons, Switzerland. The reservoir has a surface area is 1.77 km². The arch dam Santa Maria was completed in 1968....
reservoir. Numerous small tributaries flow into the Reno di Medel throughout the entire Val Medel. The last two kilometers are through a canyon named Las Ruinas , where the Reno di Medel flows into the Anterior Rhine at about 1075 m above sea level, just below the road bridge across the Anterior Rhine in the road to the Lukmanier Pass.
Flow lengths
The total flow length of the net since Medel is about 25.4 km. The lengths of the various sections are apporximately:- Southern headwater: 0.99 km
- Western headwater: 1.00 km
- Northern headwater: 0.64 km
- Reno di Medel (upper reaches of the Val Cadlimo, plus part of the middle reaches in Ticino, excluding Lai da Sontga Maria): 6.76 km
- Lai da Sontga Maria: 2.67 km
- Froda (dried part of the middle reaches without Lai da Santa Maria): 5.91 km
- Reno di Medel (lower reaches): 9.05 km
Neighboring river basins
The key neighboring river basins in the Rhine system, those of the Reno Anteriur (Anterior Rhine), the Reno da Nalps and the Reno da Sumvitg and in the catchment area of the Po the rivers of Canaria, Murinascia Grande and BrennoBrenno
Brenno is a long river in canton Ticino in Switzerland. It drains most of the Blenio Valley and it joins the Ticino River between Pollegio and Biasca....
.