Granite in Urner Oberland

9 October 2019

The village of Wassen, situated at the foot of the Gotthard Pass, was quiet in the nineteenth century. The construction of the Gotthard railway (1882) changed life forever.

The Antonini quarry in Wassen changed the landscape. The jobs also attracted many workers, mainly from Italy. There were other granite quarries in Göschenen, Gurtnellen and other communes in the Urner Oberland.

The Antonini quarry in Wassen is a unique witness to the heyday of the quarries in the canton of Uri.  The Antonini quarry is the only remaining quarry. The others have been recaptured by nature.

The stone from Uri was also used in Basel  (Mittlere Rheinbrücke), Lucerne (Gotthard-Bahngebäude), Bern (Federal Palace, Bundeshaus) and many other locations.

(Source: www.wassen.ch).