St Gotthard

Cantons: Uri (UR) and Ticino (TI)

Height of pass: 2,108 m/6,916ft

The St Gotthard massif in central Switzerland is one of Europe's most important watersheds, with the sources of the Rhine, the Rhône, the Reuss and the Ticino (Tessin). This rugged mass of crystalline schists and granite was for many centuries an obstacle to transit through the Alps, and it was only the bold road-building operations of the 18th and 19th C. and the construction of the St Gotthard railroad that opened up this shortest route from north to south for modern traffic. In 1980 after 11 years' work the St Gotthard road tunnel was completed. There was already a bridle-path over the St Gotthard pass in the 13th C. The first section of the modern road, between Andermatt and Airolo, was constructed in 1819-30, and this was later extended farther south. The construction of the St Gotthard railroad (Gotthardbahn) in 1874-82 was an outstanding technical achievement for its day, costing the lives of 177 men, including the engineer in charge, Louis Favre.