The Drance (, ) is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

with a length of to the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

with the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

, a maximum length of . It has a

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of . The river is formed from the confluence of the ''Dranse d'Entremont'' and the ''Dranse de Bagnes'' at the village of

Sembrancher Sembrancher () is a municipality in the district of Entremont in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Sembrancher is first mentioned in 1177 as ''Sancti Pancratii de Branchi''. Its German name ''St Branschier'' is no longer used. Geo ...

. Further upriver the ''Dranse d'Entremont'' splits into the ''Dranse d'Entremont'' and the ''Dranse de Ferret''.

History

In 57/56 BC

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

sent Servius Galba with the Twelfth Legion and some

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

to open the

Great St Bernard Pass The Great St Bernard Pass (, , ; ) is the third highest road pass in Switzerland, at an elevation of . It connects Martigny in the canton of Valais in Switzerland with Aosta in the region Aosta Valley in Italy. It is the lowest pass lying on t ...

. The legion fought the

Veragri The Veragrī (Gaulish: *''Ueragroi'', 'super-warriors'; Greek: ) were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Martigny, in the Pennine Alps, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Along with the Nantuates, Seduni and Uberi, they were ...

at the village of Octodurus along the Drance river and drove them across the river before establishing a camp near the river. The

Seduni The Seduni were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the upper Rhône valley, around present-day Sion, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Along with the Nantuates, Veragri and Uberi, they were part of the Vallenses, a group of tribes living betw ...

and Veragri attacked the legion camp a few days later in the

Battle of Octodurus The battle of Octodurus took place in the winter of 57–56 BC in the Gallic town of Octodurus in what is now Martigny, Valais, Switzerland. The battle resulted from a Roman attempt to open the Great St. Bernard Pass over the Alps. It was a ...

. In 1349 a wooden toll bridge and dam are mentioned near La Bâtiaz village (now part of Martigny). In 1595 the river flooded and destroyed a chapel in La Bâtiaz and damage in

Bagnes Bagnes is a former municipality in the district of Entremont in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. On 1 January 2021 the former municipalities of Bagnes and Vollèges merged to form the new municipality of Val de Bagnes. With an area of , ...

. In 1818 a glacial dam gave way below

Giétro Glacier The Giétro Glacier or Giétroz Glacier () is a 4 km long valley glacier located in south-western Switzerland. The 1818 Giétro Glacier catastrophe, which led to a lake outburst flood, is one of the most famous and most disastrous historical ...

releasing of water into the river, killing 44 people and destroying many structures along the river. The last covered bridge in use in Valais today was built in 1829 to replace a bridge over the Drance which was destroyed in the 1818 flood. On 26 July 2006 the Drance flooded destroying a section of railway track and derailing a St. Bernard Express train. All 34 passengers and the conductor of the train were uninjured. The floods also forced several thousand to evacuate in Martigny and other villages along the river.

Geography

The Drance river is an alpine river mostly fed by glacial runoff. High in the Alps it is fed by numerous small streams that run down the surrounding mountains. The river flows into the Rhone river near the village of Martigny. About upriver at Sembrancher, the river splits into the ''Dranse d'Entremont'' and the ''Dranse de Bagnes''. Continuing upstream past Sembrancher the ''Dranse d'Entremont'' rises to the south. At

Orsières Orsières is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Entremont (district), Entremont in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Orsières is first mentioned in 972 as ''Pons Ursarii''. In medie ...

it splits into the ''Dranse d'Entremont'' and the ''Dranse de Ferret''. The Dranse d'Entremont passes through

Lac des Toules __NOTOC__ Lac des Toules is a reservoir in Valais, Switzerland, at Bourg-Saint-Pierre. Its surface area is . It has a €2.2 million floating solar plant that was flown in by helicopter in 2019, and delivers 800 MWh/year. The dam Les Toules was ...

before reaching its source near the

. The Dranse de Ferret continues south until it reaches the ''Lacs de Fenêtre'' on the western slope of the

Pointe de Drône The Pointe de Drône is a mountain of the Pennine Alps, located on the border between Italy and Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Ital ...

. The Dranse de Bagnes rises to the east and then south east, passing through

Lac de Mauvoisin __NOTOC__ Lac de Mauvoisin is a reservoir in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. The reservoir is formed by the Mauvoisin Dam, which is high. The dam is the 11th highest in the world, and the 6th highest arch dam. It was built in 1951–1957, and ...

, before reaching its source at the Brenay Glacier.

Gallery

Dranse de Bagnes.jpg, Dranse de Bagnes Lac de mauvoisin, dranse - ch.jpg, The Dranse de Bagnes at Lac de Mauvoisin with

fluvial A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

sediment Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...

build-up Dranse d'Entremont.jpg, Dranse d'Entremont Dranse de Ferret.jpg, Dranse de Ferret

References

External links

* {{Authority control

Drance The Drance (, ) is a river in Valais, Switzerland with a length of to the confluence with the Rhône, a maximum length of . It has a drainage basin of . The river is formed from the confluence of the ''Dranse d'Entremont'' and the ''Dranse de Ba ...