The Urbanist Tall Stories 486: The towering beauty of Switzerland’s Grande Dixence Dam
Nov 24, 2025
Jessica Bridger, a writer and narrator, shares her profound insights on the Grande Dixence Dam, the tallest in Europe, built in the 1950s. She details its impressive scale and the surreal experience of interacting with its massive structure. Bridger delves into its engineering marvels and crucial role in Swiss hydropower, generating a significant portion of the nation's energy. She also highlights the dam's cultural invisibility and its impact on Swiss identity, emphasizing how human ingenuity harmonizes with nature.
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Standing Beneath A Monumental Wall
- Jessica Bridger describes standing at 2,170 meters and touching the sun-warmed concrete face of the Grand Dixence Dam.
- She recounts its scale, construction period, and the feel of inevitability about the structure.
Scale Equals Energy Impact
- The Grand Dixence is 285 meters high, 700 meters long, and used 6 million cubic meters of concrete.
- It supplies around 2,000 megawatts annually, making it a cornerstone of Swiss stored energy.
Hydropower's Role In Swiss Energy
- Switzerland imports 70% of its energy but hydropower provides about 60% of domestic production.
- Grand Dixence alone converts its reservoir force into roughly 2,000 megawatts, nearly double a nuclear plant's output.