Materialising Identity: The Co-construction of the Gotthard Railway and Swiss National IdentitySince 1882, the Gotthard Railway, with its fifteen-kilometerlong tunnel under the Gotthard Mountains, has provided a crucialinternational link through the Swiss Alps, between North-WesternEurope and Italy. Its symbolic meaning has never sunk into oblivion.In Swiss society today, references to the railway evoke images of atechnological railway project, with allusions to Swiss history, alpinenature, and national identity. Reading this book helps us understandcontemporary discussions about the future of the Gotthard Railway,the region in which it lies, and the Swiss national identity.To illustrate to what extent historical actors co-constructedthe railway and Swiss identity, the book starts with an engineeringdiscussion about tunneling methods. Then it examinesreactions in Switerland to the inauguration of the railway line.Subsequently, it describes how the railway line was portrayedin travel guides of the belle poque. The last chapter capturesthe glory days of the Gotthard myth, before and during the SecondWorld War, with a focus on novels and plays in which theGotthard Tunnel construction occurs. This historical overviewoffers insight into the multiple roles that technology plays in theconstruction of a sense of national identity. |
Contents
Introduction The Gotthard as a national image | 9 |
Chapter 1 National building practices at stake | 35 |
Chapter 2 Celebrating the Gotthard Railway | 59 |
Chapter 3 Travelling the Gotthard | 83 |
Chapter 4 Rewriting history | 115 |
Conclusion | 139 |
Epilogue | 151 |
Endnotes | 157 |
| 185 | |
Summary | 195 |
Common terms and phrases
Airolo Alfred Escher Alpine Alps argues Arlberg Tunnel Austrian Berlepsch Bern Brosi canton celebrated civilisation cultural developed discourses drilling Eisenbahn Erfundene Schweiz Europe European example Favre’s French German Gerwig Geschichte Göschenen Gottardo Gotthard image Gotthard Mountains Gotthard myth Gotthard Pass Gotthard Railway Company Gotthard Railway construction Gotthard region Gotthard Tunnel construction Gotthardbahn Hardmeyer Heimat historians Italian Italy Journal de Genève Kohle Kuoni literature louis Favre lucerne mail coach Marchal metaphor Mont Cenis tunnel Moreover national image nationalist newspapers nineteenth century novels political presented the Gotthard published railway line realise réduit national reference role Ržiha SBB Historic Schweizer Sebastien speeches Spitteler storylines Strom und Schienen studies Suisse Swiss engineering Swiss Federal Railway Swiss Francs Swiss identity Swiss national identity Swiss railway Swiss society Switzerland symbolic technological projects themes Thürer Ticino tion tourist train travel guide writers travelling the Gotthard tunnelling method Wassen workers Zürich