The mountains
Pack animals on the ''Sbrinz Route'', from the film ''Hufschlag''. The route linked Lucerne with Domodossola in northern Italy via the Brunig, Grimsel and Griess passes, and was used for nearly 500 years from the end of the 14th century.© www.sbrinzroute.ch
Much of the country is mountainous - apparently inhospitable terrain for human habitation. And yet the routes across the mountain passes have from prehistoric times brought in people and goods and ideas.
To a considerable extent Swiss history has been shaped by the determination of different powers to control vital communications routes, of which the passes are a key component.
At the same time, the inaccessibility of mountain areas made it difficult for outsiders to impose their rule there. The Swiss were able to develop their own traditions and forms of government.
Links to other website
- The Simplon pass from the Stone Age to the present Bellinzona Turismo (English translation at the bottom of each section)