Gotthard Pass

The Gotthard is not the highest Alpine pass nor the easiest, but it is the most direct line from the Rhine basin to the Po plain, and its history turns on one obstacle: the Schollenen gorge north of the summit was impassable until a route was engineered through it in the thirteenth century, with the Devil's Bridge as the emblem of that work. Once open, the pass became the main north-south corridor and reshaped the region's politics and economy. The summit at 2,106 metres holds a hospice, a lake and the Sasso San Gottardo museum inside a former artillery fortress cut into the rock. Old cobbled sections of the historic road survive and can be walked, and rail and road tunnels now carry the traffic below.

History

The pass came into general use only in the early 13th century, after the first wooden bridge across the Schöllenen Gorge was built around 1220, and a chapel to Saint Gotthard of Hildesheim was consecrated on the southern slope in 1230. The Urnerloch, the first road tunnel in the Alps, was cut in 1707, the first carriage crossed in 1775, and a new road was built in 1830 (Wikipedia, Gotthard Pass).

What to look for

• The Schollenen gorge - the obstacle whose crossing opened the route.
• A summit at 2,106 metres - hospice, lake and the old road buildings.
• Sasso San Gottardo - a museum inside a fortress cut into the mountain.
• Cobbled sections of the old road - walkable stretches of the historic route.

When to go

Late May to October, while the pass road is open. A day.

Before you go

The pass closes for winter - only the tunnels run then, and they bypass everything described here. Weather at the summit turns fast and it snows in any month. Summer weekends bring heavy motorcycle traffic. The fortress museum keeps seasonal hours.

Nearby

Andermatt and the Devil's Bridge are north; Airolo and Ticino are south.

Key facts