Marble road in Laas – technological wonder of the world, Part 5

When a wagon arrives at the lower station of the funicular railway, its brakes and couplings are released. A locomotive of a narrow gauge railway is then connected to the wagon and pulls it 600 meters through the valley to the “Lasa Marmor” factory.

Here the wagon is unloaded by a mobile crane and the marble blocks go for processing.

Locomotive of the Lasa Marmor processing factory narrow gauge railway in Laas
© Wolfgang Morscher, 3 August 2007

Releasing a wagons’ brakes
© Wolfgang Morscher, 3 August 2007

Coupling mechanism of wagon: narrow gauge railway in the Laas Valley
© Wolfgang Morscher, 3 August 2007

A marble block on its way to the processing factory
© Wolfgang Morscher, 3 August 2007

Plate on locomotive in Laas:
"Tecnomasio Italiano
Brown Boveri
Milano
Nr. 3151, Anno 1930"
The locomotive was built in 1930 as an electric locomotive, in 1937 it was connected to a 320  V line and since 1993 equipped with a diesel-electric engine.
© Wolfgang Morscher, 3 August 2007

Narrow gauge railway track in Laas
Bridge over the river Etsch, built by Bedoni
© Wolfgang Morscher, 3 August 2007

Marble arriving at the Lasa Marmor processing factory
© Wolfgang Morscher, 3 August 2007

The Lasa Marmor factory
Modern factory buildings for marble processing
© Wolfgang Morscher, 3 August 2007

Saint Martin

Laas– St.Martin’s church
© Wolfgang Morscher, 9 June 2007

St.Martin’s church is situated on the southern flank of a hill above the village of Laas.  It was first mentioned in 1323, but it must be older and patrons of the church point to its old age and Frankish origin.

The church stands on a small hill on the northern side of the valley. The remains of prehistoric dwellings found here suggest the existence of an ancient settlement. The church is a simple building of the 17th century with a polygonal choir and a small bell tower, with a narrow staircase, facing the valley.

At the beginning of the 20th century Mass was regularly celebrated at St Martin’s and crosses were borne in religious processions. Nowadays it is only on St.Martin’s day that people come here for an offertory service.

On the first Sunday of Lent young men throw hot wooden discs from the church into the valley1).  In the autumn one can hear the sound of shepherd’s horns as herds are driven down the hillside.

At the time when marble blocks were transported from the mine to the valley on carts, the road was very bright rough. Before undertaking this dangerous journey down to the valley with a heavy cargo of marble the drivers came here to St Martin’s, the nearest church, and asked St.Martin to protect them.

One story has been told about a man called Martin. He didn’t trust the saint and didn’t believe in his help so he asked him: “My Saint Martin, please, do not interfere in my carrying the load. Because if it is broken, you are useless then as a protector.” So this man relied on the equipment more than on the help of Saint Martin. But one day it happened that the cart broke as the man was going downhill and the marble and everything fell into the abyss. Two horses died. But no man suffered and from this point of view it was lucky for Martin. He only could say: “Saint Martin doesn’t understand jokes!”
(Source: Gertraud Laimer Tappeiner, Church living Laas and its churches and chapels, Lana 1998, pp. 49-51)

1). Custom in mountains holds: on the first Lenten Sunday men made wooden discs and lay them on hot coals. When the discs became hot, the men made a wish and threw them into the valley or let them roll downhill.

The preservation of cable railway in Laas is the main purpose of
"Association of friends of Marble road in Laas"!

Back to Part 1

We will be glad upon your questions and opinions to this topic in our Forum!

© Wolfgang Morscher and Hubert Tscholl, February 2008