Walk no. 10

Christian Ratti with Simon Gaus
MANHOLE COVERS – Industrial Culture and Protection of Amphibians
Sunday, 20 June, 7 pm
Meeting point: Froschkönig-Brunnen (Frog King fountain) close to Felsenrainanlage, Seebach (Tram 14 to Felsenrainstrasse)

Manhole covers are not only important components in the urban drainage but also valuable testimonials of industrial culture. For kunstpassanten, the «manhole cover specialists» Christian Ratti and Simon Gaus deal with these quotidian objects in the public space during a two-hour walk through Zurich Seebach.

 

Goldsmith and artist Christian Ratti shows different types of manhole covers and explains how they differ in form, function, age and origin. The presumably last manhole cover from the production of the Seebach foundry – which has been closed a long time ago – is one of the discoveries of the walk.

Simon Gaus invites us to take a closer look into the shafts: often whole groups of common toads, alpine newts and grass frogs can be watched down there. For these animals the manhole covers often serve as deadly traps. The amphibian rights activist demonstrates how to build and install devices for easy exit for those fallen animals.

Documentation

Besides photographs and information on each single station, it is possible to download an itinerary of the walk. Do you want to support the Dolologie research? If you see a special man hole or accidentally discover amphibians in a shaft (important: open only under safety measures!), send the pictures of your findings with a description of the location.

View Documentation! (in German)
View big map (with directions; in German)