The capital of the Holiday Region Andermatt is situated in the Ursern valley at 1444 m above sea level and has about the same number of inhabitants. The mobility around the Gotthard massif can be excellently demonstrated by the history of the Ursern valley: its central location in the middle of Alpine passes was known and actively used since Roman times. The connection between north and south was most easily mastered via the Gotthard, as only one alpine pass had to be crossed.
In the 13th century, the Walser people, who at that time inhabited the Ursern valley, made it possible to build the first bridge, later the devil's bridge, through the Schöllenen gorge. Thus, the boom of trade was preprogrammed and Andermatt established itself as a strategically important place. The muleteer period lasted several centuries and trade flourished. In 1649 the village gained independence from the Disentis monastery, to which it had previously belonged.
Andermatt became interesting for tourists thanks to none other than Goethe, who travelled through Switzerland in the 18th century and raved about the mountain village. The Russian military general Suworow made the region even more famous during the war of 1799 against the French forces of Napoleon. When the connection from Göschenen to Ticino via the Gotthard was made passable in 1840, the era of stagecoaches began. Today, the Historical Stagecoach reminds of this time as an exclusive way to get to Ticino.
The world wars in the 20th century drew the military to Andermatt, where it had stationed a large number of staff until the 1990s. The Sasso San Gottardo Fortress inside the mountain is now open to the public and offers a unique insight into this part of history. In the new millennium, one of the largest tourist projects in Switzerland has been realised in Andermatt - Andermatt Swiss Alps. The Egyptian investor Samih Sawiris is building a new resort next to the existing village centre. The ski area is also being continuously modernised and, thanks to the connection to Sedrun, is also being expanded.
