Erstfeld

With the opening of the Gotthard Railway, the farming village of Erstfeld was transformed into a railroad center and became the gateway to the Gotthard panoramic route.

In the mountains, the strength of the railroad becomes its weakness: its strength is its low rolling resistance, thanks to which large quantities of goods and passengers can be transported with little energy. In the mountains, however, the low rolling resistance is also a disadvantage: despite a maximum gradient of only 26 o/oo, heavy trains require a second or even a third locomotive to haul them up the mountain. For this reason, the Gotthard Railway Company built a depot in Erstfeld, where the additional locomotives were kept and minor repairs were carried out. The steam locomotives were also supplied with coal and water, as the stokers had to shovel 50 kilos of coal per minute - a total of almost two tons - into the firebox to provide the necessary steam for the demanding journey.

With the depot and the station, a new part of the village was built to the right of the Reuss, and the steep slope above had to be secured at great expense to ensure its safety. Sometimes such work brought surprising things to light: in 1962, Italian workers found 2,500-year-old gold arm and neck rings under a boulder while shoring up a stream. Was it a Celtic votive offering or private jewelry that had been hidden because of illness or imminent danger? No one knows. All that is certain is that the unique and mysterious treasure is now in the National Museum in Zurich, where it is one of the exhibition highlights.

Newcomers bring new ideas

The railroad created many new jobs and employed hundreds of people who worked as train drivers, stokers, brakemen or station staff. It was also good for the situation of tailors, shoemakers, bakers and innkeepers, who found a livelihood in Erstfeld thanks to the railway workers. The railroad company also built accommodation, school buildings, bathing facilities and the so-called Casino with a large hall for cultural events for its employees and their families. In 1910, thirty years after the opening of the railroad, the population of Erstfeld had risen from 1100 to over 3100. This made the village one of the towns with the highest percentage growth in Switzerland. The relationship between locals and immigrants was tense in the first few decades; the new arrivals brought social democratic ideas to the Catholic-conservative village, founded a section of the SP Switzerland in Uri and opened the first reformed church in the canton of Uri in 1899.

Technical marvel as a tourist magnet

The Gotthard Railway was a great success. As early as 1883, the railroad transported half a million tons of goods; by 1980, the figure had risen to 13 million tons. During the same period, passenger numbers also grew from one million to almost eight million. Until the First World War, the Gotthard Railway was Switzerland's most important tourist attraction. A third of foreign tourists traveling to Switzerland traveled from Lucerne on the technical marvel past the cradle of Switzerland through the wild Alps to the south. The Gotthard Railway Company advertised diligently, especially abroad, with posters, travel guides and brochures. It extolled the virtues of rail travel over the Gotthard at national and international exhibitions and in 1897 ordered the travel guide “The Gotthard” from Nobel Prize winner Carl Spitteler. Of the total print run of 4000 copies, the railroad distributed 500 copies throughout Europe to the larger hotels in health resorts and seaside resorts, as well as 100 copies to the libraries of the most important passenger steamships.

The nation's packhorse

With the expansion of the Gotthard fortifications, the canton of Uri gained further new jobs in the army, but lost some of its tourist appeal. Who wants to spend their vacation in a place where people shoot and drill? In addition, the increasing number of freight trains turned the highly profitable route into a dirty and noisy burden on the nation.

Economically, the focus on the army and railroads was a success for a long time. However, with the withdrawal of the army, the automation of the railroad and, above all, the opening of the base tunnel in 2016, Erstfeld lost its function as an active railroad center. The town is now being transformed into a historic railroad village that is positioning itself as an attractive place to live as well as an industrial and commercial location. Tourism is also on the rise again, as the village has an attractive history that is increasingly being marketed. The Treno Gottardo now offers the opportunity for the Gotthard mountain route to become a panoramic route and for Erstfeld to once again become a tourist highlight.

Experience

Discovering Erstfeld: On the “Erstfeld explosive!” mystery scavenger hunt, you will discover all kinds of hidden corners as well as the exciting and sometimes bizarre history of the railroad village (find out more here).

Fascination Gotthard Railway

Immerse yourself in the fascination of the Gotthard railroad at the Gotthard Tunnel Experience, be it with depot tours, train driver tours, cab rides or other offers (Click here for more information).

Arrival: with the Treno Gottardo to Erstfeld