Things to see and do Airolo

After two years of renovation work on this imposing 1834 building, once a customs post and inn, the Gotthard National Museum has reopened its doors with a new offering: a permanent exhibition and multimedia show on the Gotthard, retracing the history of this strategic communication route through the Southern Alps, an information point and a restaurant. Another new feature is the presence of the Swiss Alpine Museum, with temporary exhibitions.

The fortress was built between 1886 and 1890 to protect the St Gotthard railway tunnel, which opened in 1885, and to prevent an invasion of the country from the south, at a time when the state of international relations and the Triple Entente were causing concern among the Swiss authorities. The fort, which is buried, is reminiscent of the buried fortifications developed in the 16th century to escape low-lying cannon fire (Salses Castle). It is now used to house recruits. A museum occupying half the site was opened in 1898.

The site was originally an artillery work dug into the rock. Built in 1943, it was abandoned by the army in 1998 and the Sasso San Gottardo Museum was established there in 2012. The visit allows the visitor to see the remains of the fortification and its tunnels, including a funicular railway, and to explore issues related to climate, meteorology, water management, mobility, housing and energy.