Gotthard: Four days to go - crystal thieves
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Crystals on display at geological offices in Faido. swissinfo.ch -
How a geologist sees the tunnel. swissinfo.ch -
Crystals on display at geological offices in Faido. swissinfo.ch -
On display in Faido. swissinfo.ch -
Crystals on display at geological offices in Faido. swissinfo.ch -
Crystals on display at geological offices in Faido. swissinfo.ch -
Crystals on display at geological offices in Faido. Keystone
The belly of the mountain holds hidden treasures. Some end up in museums, others in private collections of the highest bidders.
At the AlpTransit construction site there are both: the romantic and the profiteers. The first take home a piece of their work to put on display in the living room: the pride of a miner in the glitter of a crystal.
The second cunningly pockets the finest pieces in defiance of the law to sell them on the crystal market: the greed of a miner in the bills of a collector.
To preserve the heritage of the mountain, geologists from Faido are proposing to buy quartz and other crystals off the miners who find them in the tunnel. But the geologists’ passion for rocks will not be satisfied. The most interesting pieces disappear behind the backs of the cantonal officials. This time to be on display in a museum. Hopefully.
Luigi Jorio, Faido, October 11, 2010
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