DUILE

AUSTRIA (see also List of Individuals)

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19.3.1776 Graun/I - 3.2.1863 Innsbruck/A

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Josef Duile was born in South Tyrol, formerly a possession of the Imperial Austrian State. After studies at the University of Innsbruck, Duile entered the State office in 1798, from where he was promoted to regional head in 1805. One year later, he took over as an inspector the Bavarian Roads and Hydraulics department at Bozen first and then in Rovereto, at the times of Napoleon's possession of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Duile returned to the State engineering direction at Innsbruck in 1820, where he was appointed finally vice-director. It was during that time where he was particularly engaged with the design and execution of strategic mountain roads, such as across the Brenner and the Arlberg Passes.

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In 1826 Duile submitted a design for the correction of the Alpine Rhine River in the county Vorarlberg close to Lake of Constance, which was executed only much later, however. Duile's name became famous mainly for projects in torrent rehabilitation that were proposed along with his road projects. Whereas this issue was dealt with mainly empirically, Duile put forward a more systematic and scientific approach to reduce the dangers from avalanches, large floods and debris flows that often endangered the nearby infrastructure. He was also active in Switzerland, such as in Canton of Glarus where he proposed check dams to retain large sediment volumes during floods. Finally, Duile became known for a suspension bridge erected in Innsbruck in 1843, which was damaged during a large flood of Inn River in 1937, however, and no more erected as the original. In summary, Duile may thus be considered a founder of hydraulic torrent rehabilitation, a subject that is presently of strong engineering interest.

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_{Duile, J. (1826). Über Verbauung der Wildbäche in Gebirgs-Ländern, vorzüglich in der Provinz Tirol und Vorarlberg: Zum Gebrauche für Bauund Forstbeamte, Obrigkeiten, Seelsorger, und Gemeinde-Vorstände. Innsbruck.}

_{Duile, J. (1841). Bericht und Anträge des Herrn J. Duile, k.k. österreichischer Landingenieur von Innsbruck im Tyrol an Landammann und Rath des Kantons Glarus über den Untersuch der Wildund Gebirgsbäche im Kanton Glarus. Glarus.}

_{Konold, W. (1994). Josef Duile. Historische Wasserwirtschaft im Alpenraum und an der Donau: 206-207. Wittwer: Stuttgart. P}

_{Krapf, P. (1901). Ein Gedenkblatt für den Altmeister Josef Duile. Innsbruck.}

_{Strele, G. (1935). Zur Geschichte der Wildbachverbauung in Österreich 1834-1934. Centralblatt für das gesamte Forstwesen 61(1): 2-19; 61(2): 37-50; 61(3): 96. P}