Gurtnellen, strahlnen, Crystal and the Gotthard Pass
26 September 2024
Many people (including Swiss) have probably never heard of Strahlnen (or Strahlen). Yet strahlnen has made the village of Gurtnellen in the canton of Uri and places in other cantons world-famous. Monarchs from all over Europe had chandeliers and other objects made from crystal from Uri and other cantons.
Strahlnen (or strahlen) is the Swiss German word for looking for crystal in the Alps. Strahl is an ancient German term for rock crystal. Strahlnen (or strahlen) is the Swiss German word for searching for crystals in the Alps.
The village’s history dates back to the early Middle Ages. Gurtnellen is first mentioned in documents of the 13th and 14th centuries. The town lies on the road to the Gotthard Pass, which has brought work and prosperity since the 13th century.
Simple wooden bridges (footbridges, Stege in German), later massive wooden and eventually stone bridges formed the connection across the Reuss and its many streams.
The opening of the Gotthard road in 1826 and the construction and opening of the first Gotthard railway tunnel (1872-1982) also brought strong population growth, employment and prosperity to this village.
The village’s characteristic houses were built during this time. Gurtnellen’s population rose from a few hundred to more than 1,600 by 1920. This was due not only to passenger and goods transport services but also to other industries. Granite, lead, copper and silver mining and Strahlnen were also important pillars of the local economy.
The ‘strahlnen’ of minerals and granite crystal made the village and other places world famous! (See also the book on Strahlnen in Graubünden: Flurin Maissen, Mineralklüfte und Strahler der Surselva, Disentis 1988).
Flurin Maissen (1906-1999) was known as the ‘Green Father’ (Disentis monastery) thanks to his commitment to environmental protection and alternative energies. In 1969, he co-founded the Institut per studis retoromontschs in Rumein, which later became the Fundaziun Retoromana Pader Flurin Maissen in Laax.
As in many places, a hydroelectric plant for white energy was built early on in Gurtnellen, around 1925. Today, the multifaceted and innovative village is a beloved holiday resort and an interesting resting spot in a rural environment.
In a way, Gurtnellen symbolises one of Switzerland’s qualities: preserving old traditions and combining them with new, innovative, and modern knowledge and ways of living.
(Source and further information: Gemeinde Gurtnellen; Schweizer Strahlermuseum)
