Discovering the underground world of Sasso San Gottardo

http://www.sasso-sangottardo.ch/en/

Last Tuesday, 8 September a group of 14 ZIWA Discoverers set off on one of the most unexpected discoveries yet: a journey inside the Alps into a secret underground world which until recently was unavailable to members of the public. We visited the fortress of Sasso San Gottardo, a warren of tunnels and rooms built to provide wartime security in case of attack. Rowena Woollard was the instigator of this fascinating journey.

The day trip started in Zurich with the train to Arth Goldau via Zug, where some on the group members joined the tour. On the connecting train from Arth-Goldau to Airolo via the Gotthard rail tunnel, we had to fight for our seats with three other groups in our reserved carriage. But all was well and we arrived in time to catch the post bus to the Gottard- Passhöhe, at an altitude of 2091 metres. Overnight the temperature had caused the museum toilets to freeze, so we were relieved to find a cosy cafeteria inside the bleak mountains. Our guide Marina was happy to serve us coffee and gipfeli while we waited to use the single convenience!

A mountain retreat

Then we were kitted out and ready to take the 500 metre walk through a damp, cold tunnel into the heart of the fortress, known as the Swiss Redoubt. Snug fleeces were the order of the day. At the end of this tunnel we climbed aboard a tiny train to lift us up to the accommodation level where 480 soldiers could be housed. But why bring anyone into this dark, secret world? General Guisan, Switzerland’s wartime army commander, wanted to build not one but 67 such fortresses to provide a safe retreat from the Italian and German forces surrounding the country. The topography of this particular location was suitable strategically and was well protected. But workers were hard to find and keep, and the project took from 1941 to 1945 to complete, by which time the war was over.

Inside the fortress

We saw the Firing Control Centre where calculations were made to determine the angle and range of the projected cannon fire. Four artillery guns were directed through the rock at two angles towards Italy. The soldiers would be shooting blind from within so the calculations had to be accurate. Observers on the outside were in contact by telephone.

We saw a movie, ‘Sasso da Pigna’, about the construction of this twilight world. When Germany invaded Belgium and Holland in 1940, and then France capitulated, Switzerland felt extremely vulnerable. The Alpine passes had to be maintained to allow transport of needed coal and arms. In July 1940, Guisan decided on the redoubt plan which was announced at Rütli in August 1940. He started to build three fortresses inside the Gotthard. The one we visited was facing towards the San Giacomo Pass on the Italian side. The work took four years to complete and cost CHF 900 million.

Still a well-kept secret

In 1944, the threat receded, troops were sent to guard the borders and no more building was done after 1946. During the Cold War, the redoubt became out-dated, but the myth persisted. The underground warren containing dormitories, showers and officer quarters, was used by soldiers on training exercises. On a balcony outside, we could see the cannons poking through the blind rock face. We also saw a small museum with artefacts saved from the war years, including unusual mementoes of General Guisan, the Swiss wartime hero. We also saw the secret plans, which a traitor copied and was later shot.

Lunch in another surprising tunnel!

After viewing more of the warren of tunnels in the fortress, we saw an exhibition of huge, clear crystals brought up from the mining. Then we emerged into daylight briefly to descend to an adjacent tunnel into our lunch venue at La Claustra, a unique hotel complex underground.

Fourteen lucky ZIWA ladies enjoyed an apero and four-course lunch in Ristorante Tremola, delivered to us by our genial host, Rainer Geissmann. Afterwards he very kindly deliver us one by one to the bus stop in his sports car; just in time for the descent via Andermatt to Göschenen and hence Zurich. Unfortunately the SBB service that afternoon was compromised by a broken down train outside Bellizona so the return journey took rather longer than anticipated. However it didn't detract in any way from the fabulous experience.

You can discover more about La Claustra, which is also a hotel, on Facebook.

Julia Newton. 12 September 2015