The exhibition opens with a multimedia show explicitly aimed at a tourist audience. A filmic collage, an ambiguous portrait of the Gotthard, is created from engravings, paintings, photographs and video recordings.
The Gotthard Pass is one of the most symbolic Alpine crossings in Switzerland. The Gotthard Museum is dedicated to its history from its opening around 1200 to the present. This history is marked by contrasts. The pass divides and connects cultural areas, it stands for military control, but also for an open and networked Switzerland, for top achievements in engineering and for the violence of nature. By juxtaposing different perspectives on selected objects, the permanent exhibition draws a complex picture of the pass.
