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3 unusual facts about Germain Sommeiller


Fréjus Rail Tunnel

The construction, directed by Germain Sommeiller, was scheduled to take 25 years, but was completed in only 14 years thanks to technical innovations such as pneumatic drilling machines and electrical ignition of explosive charges.

Germain Sommeiller

Pointe Sommeiller, a 3332-meter-high peak in the Cottian Alps, and Col Sommeiller, the nearby mountain pass linking Bramans, France to Bardonecchia, Italy, were named in his honour.

He was noticed for outstanding technical skills, so when king Vittorio Emanuele II decided to build the Mont Cenis Tunnel between Bardonecchia and Modane in 1857, Sommeiller was appointed head of design and construction.



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