Walserweg Gottardo

The Gotthard Pass is a symbol of the connection between northern and southern Europe and is an important traffic artery. Various buildings at the top of the pass bear witness to an eventful history: you leave the top of the pass heading north past the National Gotthard Museum and the historic hospice. The traces of energy use are visible on the old paved pass road along dammed lakes: wind turbines turn, high-voltage lines extend overhead and the nearby Lucendro dam is an impressive sight. There was a shortage of cement when it was built during World War II. The wall was therefore built from hollow concrete columns, using the pile construction method. The narrow path runs upwards via the modern pass road and then downwards to the first valley floor, following the Gotthard-Reuss. In the next sections, you can see the old mule track with the original stone slabs and the stone base. The Gotthard Pass crossing became important when the Schöllenen Gorge was made accessible via two wooden bridges in around 1200. The technical skills for this probably came from the Walsers.

Below the Mätteli alpine farm you pass a huge mushroom-shaped structure. It serves as a ventilation system for the Gotthard road tunnel. You reach two flat valley floors with the sonorous names ”Blumenhüttenboden” and “Gamsboden” via open pastures. On a pleasant new path below the pass road and high above the roaring river, you come to the old Gotthard road, which now leads down to the Hospen Valley via long bends. The most striking building here is the Hospental tower, former residence of the lords of the Hospen Valley. It stands clearly visible on a hill and shapes the landscape of the valley. With the advent of pack mule traffic, the Hospen Valley became an important transshipment point for goods and passenger traffic across the Gotthard. Today, it is a popular place for tourists to stop and take a break. You leave the village via the cobbled street, past stately wooden and stone houses, and you follow the course of the Reuss.

Soon the well-kept lawns of the golf course spread out to the left, and numerous art objects line the trail towards Andermatt. The view across the wide Urseren Valley with its steep valley sides is also impressive. Since 2009, Andermatt Swiss Alps AG has created completely new districts with impressive building complexes, including the luxury hotel Chedi. The buildings of the Waffenplatz, which was constructed in 1885, also shape the townscape. Andermatt has plenty to offer in terms of tourism: located on the longest continuous railway line in the Alps between Tirano and Zermatt and connected to the SBB network through the Schöllenen in Göschenen, it has good traffic conditions. In the old village centre, you can still find original wooden houses with a brick substructure, and a number of stately houses in rococo style. The name Andermatt (An der Matte) goes back to the year 1200 when Upper Valais people crossed the Furka, settled among the Romanesque population of the Urseren Valley and founded settlements like Andermatt. From here, individual Walser clans advanced over the Oberalp Pass into the headwaters of the Rhine and downstream to Obersaxen. This is also in line with the further stages of the Walserweg Gottardo trail.