The Susten pass is listed as a road of national importance in Switzerland's official inventory of historic routes. Built between 1938 and 1946, it links Innertkirchen in canton Bern with Wassen in canton Uri.
With its 26 bridges and tunnels it was regarded at the time as one of the most beautiful roads in Europe. It is integrated perfectly into the landscape, with few curves and many lay-bys where motorists can stop and admire the stunning views.
The 17th century mule track, the old pass road of 1817 and the tourist road of 1946 give the Susten pass a special place in transport history. Enough to include it as a must-see site for the 2012 European Heritage Days focusing on stone and concrete.
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Discovering Switzerland’s history on foot
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It’s not really a mass phenomenon like the exodus to the ski resorts every winter. Yet during the summer hundreds of thousands of people set out along the many historic trails which crisscross Switzerland. A few figures suffice to establish the significance of hiking for tourism in Switzerland. The network of mule-tracks, paths and trails…
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He recommended the route from Grindelwald over the Grosse Scheidegg pass and down to Meiringen as a trip “full of magnificent objects which can be done quite comfortably and with no danger”. His advice still stands today, and the route has remained very popular. swissinfo.ch retraced the walk, history books in hand, and speaking to…
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Routes used by traders, pilgrims, armies, tourists, … Routes winding over mountain passes, routes painstakingly cut through rock, tunnels, bridges, waterways – all bear witness to Switzerland’s history. They could all have disappeared, had it not been for a team of geographers and historians who spent 20 years researching and drawing up an inventory of…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.