MUTZNER

SWITZERLAND (see also List of Individuals)

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19.1.1885 Chur/CH - 5.2.1966 Bern/CH

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Carl Mutzner graduated as a civil engineer from ETH Zurich in 1908 and there submitted a PhD thesis in 1913. He was appointed in 1918 director of the Swiss Water Resources Office in Bern and thus took an important position for the development of Swiss hydropower. Mutzner supported also an old idea of connecting the two main Swiss rivers Rhone and Rhine, to open for his country two alternative water courses for sea access. These projects were buried definitely after World War II, when Rhone River was extensively used for hydropower and irrigation in France. After Mutzner's retirement in 1947 his position was taken over by Oesterhaus.

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Mutzner's main work was the examination of novel Swiss hydropower works in terms of economy, technical quality and impact on the Swiss electricity market. In addition, his Office was the authority interested in developments in river navigation and lake regulations. In Switzerland, waters are subject of each Canton, as are other public properties. However, most of the Swiss public projects were and still are sponsored by the Swiss government, such that it co-determines a project and particularly puts an accent on technical relevance and financial participation. Mutzner's Office thus had a far reaching task in these matters. Another decision was finally put aside during Mutzner's stay in the Office. After World War II it was realized that a navigation canal between the Rhine and the Rhone Rivers was economically not profitable. After France had developed its internal navigation scheme from 1820, it had come almost to a complete standstill after the War. Switzerland made a correct decision in not setting up an internal waterways system that would have been extremely costly and slow because of considerable topographic problems. Mutzner supported on the other hand the intake structures of Grand Canal d'Alsace and the Rhine regulation downstream from Basel.

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_{Anonymous (1938). Mutzner, Carl. Neue Schweizer Biographie: 376. Berichthaus: Basel. P Anonymous (1955). a. Direktor Dr. Carl Mutzner zum 70. Geburtstag. Strom und See 50: 17. P Furrer, C. (1996). Carl Mutzner - Vorkämpfer für die Gewässerhoheit der Kantone. wasser, energie, luft 88(5/6): 125-126.}

_{Mutzner, C. (1927). Über den Stand und die künftige Entwicklung der schweizerischen Elektrizitätswirtschaft. Schweizerische Wasserwirtschaft 19(11): 147-154.}

_{Mutzner, C. (1945). Le projet de mise en navigabilité du Rhône et le programme d'études pour la liaison Léman-Rhin. Bulletin Technique de la Suisse Romande 71(8): 97-105; 71(9): 113- 117.}