Located in the
Italian-speaking
canton of Ticino,
the Luzzone dam
is best known for
its exterior. The
world’s highest
artificial climbing
wall rises 541 feet
and features more
than 650 man-
made holds.
Fewer see the
interior of the dam,
completed in 1963,
and its pop art
palette.At 820 feet,
Mauvoisin is the
second-tallest dam
in Switzerland and
the biggest arch
dam in Europe.
(Arch dams curve
inward toward
the water they
contain.) More than
1,800 workers built
it over a decade,
finishing in 1958.
The tunnels they
used are open
to tourists today.20