The Signalkuppe (in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, pronounced seeg-nall-koo-pay) also known as Punta Gnifetti (in
Italian) (4,554 m) is a
peak in the
Pennine Alps on the border between
Italy and
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. It is a subpeak of
Monte Rosa. The mountain is named after 'the Signal', a prominent
gendarme
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "Man-at-arms, men-at-arms" ...
atop the east ridge, named ''Cresta Signal''.
The first ascent was made by
Giovanni Gnifetti Giovanni may refer to:
* Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname
* Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data
* ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
, a parish priest from
Alagna Valsesia, together with J. Farinetti, C. Ferraris, C. Grober, J. and G. Giordiano and their porters on 9 August 1842.
The highest hut in Europe, the
Margherita Hut
The Margherita Hut (Italian: ''Capanna Regina Margherita'') is a mountain hut belonging to the Italian Alpine Club, located on the summit of Punta Gnifetti (ital., in German Signalkuppe) of Monte Rosa, a mountain massif of the Alps lying near t ...
(named after Italy's Queen consort
Margherita of Savoy) lies on the summit of the mountain. Work started in 1890, supported by the Italian crown, and Queen Margherita opened it in 1893. The new hut, effectively a high-altitude
Faraday cage
A Faraday cage or Faraday shield is an enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields. A Faraday shield may be formed by a continuous covering of conductive material, or in the case of a Faraday cage, by a mesh of such materials. Faraday cage ...
, is clad in sheet copper to shield against unwanted electrical fields.
See also
*
List of Alpine four-thousanders
*
List of mountains of Switzerland named after people
This is a list of mountains and summits of Switzerland named after people. Only a few mountains were named after people, as it is not a common practice in Switzerland. These mountains were often named after those who were the first to climb them, ...
References
* Dumler, Helmut and Willi P. Burkhardt, ''The High Mountains of the Alps'', London: Diadem, 1994
* Collomb, Robin G., (ed.), ''Pennine Alps Central'', London: Alpine Club, 1975
External links
The Signalkuppe on SummitPostPhotographic account of an ascent of the Signal ridge (in Italian)Margherita hut page (Capanna Margherita, in Italian)Margherita hut official page from Rifugimonterosa.it (in english)Other photos of Margherita hut ascent from Alagna (in Italian)
Mountains of the Alps
Alpine four-thousanders
Mountains of Piedmont
Mountains of Valais
Pennine Alps
Italy–Switzerland border
International mountains of Europe
Monte Rosa
Mountains of Switzerland
Four-thousanders of Switzerland
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