In 1989, a dam was built in the small valley in the small mountain community of Pigniu / Panix in the Grisons Rhine Valley. Since September 1999, the sober wall has shown the hiker a completely different side. Already at the first turns to Pigniu towards the reservoir you can see white and black squares. Then suddenly a huge bright blue tower flashes out between the fir trees, behind it pawns from a chess game, lying and standing. The image disappears as you continue walking. But then heads appear, an entire army, with huge caps on their heads, surmounted by just as many pointed bayonets. And then you see: From right to left, Russian soldiers, who are 12 meters tall, march in a long column over the dam to the tower.
This is exactly what the native Engadine artist Martin Valär wanted to achieve with his monumental work. For a long time, he had dreamed of turning a dam into a painting - despite the particular difficulties that arise from the dimensions and the design alone. The Panix Wall was almost ideal in this regard. Built as a weight wall with a height of 50 m and a crown length of 240 m, it offered a huge concrete screen.