Gotthard Expo idea gathers pace

Calls are mounting for the Swiss Gotthard alpine rail tunnel, set to be the largest worldwide, to be accompanied by a national exhibition when it opens in 2017.

An outline for the event, which would be the first one in the country since the controversial Expo.02, has been drawn up. Organisers are hoping to give a boost to the Gotthard region, as well as attract international visitors.

The 57-kilometre Gotthard tunnel will overtake the 34.6km Lötschberg rail tunnel as the longest rail tunnel in Switzerland and will become the longest tunnel in the world.

Marco Solari, president of tourism in the southern canton of Ticino, believes that this should be properly marked. “It’s not enough to simply cut a ribbon for such a revolutionary event,” he said at a presentation to launch the new Expo plans.

Solari first suggested a national exhibition in the cantons bordering the tunnel two years ago.

Since then a group of experts has been working on a concept. In a report released in Bellinzona in Ticino on April 29, they said that if the Gotthard opened as planned in 2017, the “Gottardo 2020 – in the heart of the Alps” exhibition could take place in summer 2018, lasting between three and five months.

The experts went on to suggest that the Gotthard region could be made accessible through four towns, each with its own topic – Lucerne (mobility), Brig (energy), Chur (nature) and Bellinzona (culture).

The two places at either end of the tunnel, Erstfeld and Biasca, would provide an overview of the Alpine Expo – on the themes “Myths, Stories and Future” and “Intercultural meeting points”. The Swiss army would provide the inspiration for the high Gotthard Pass region.

Army inspiration

Overall, the Gotthard area should offer new experiences for visitors, allowing them to “really get close” to the region, according to project leader Jean-Daniel Mudry.

Solari wants to attract international attention, as well as offer a welcome incentive to the region. All the projects are conceived with the future in mind and would be sustainable, he added.

Concerns have already been raised that the Gotthard region could be pushed to one side when the tunnel finally opens. Leventina in Ticino is already suffering from a rush of people leaving the area. Erstfeld and Biasca could go the same way.

The Ticino cantonal government has already signalled its support for the Gottardo 2020 project. Talks will now be held with the other cantons before the scheme is put before the Swiss government.

This is when the thorny question of funding will be broached. No figures have yet been released.

Memories of 2002

It remains unclear whether the Swiss government will want to commit to another Expo. The last one was held in 2002 around the three lakes of Murten, Biel and Neuchâtel and was a financial flop.

It cost the government seven times more than the original budget of SFr130 million ($114 million) – around SFr1 billion. There was also uncertainty over some of the Expo’s content.

However, the event did attract ten million visitors, including many from abroad.

In addition, the Gottardo 2020 may face some competition from other parts of Switzerland. Eastern Switzerland and the Zurich area are reported to be interested in hosting their own exhibitions.

swissinfo, based on an article in German by Gerhard Lob in Bellinzona

Swiss national exhibitions

The first national exhibition took place in Zurich in 1883.

National exhibitions followed in Geneva (1896), Bern (1914), Zurich (1939), Lausanne (1964) and Biel/Neuchâtel/Yverdon in 2002.

The concept of Gottardo 2002 is not that of a classical exhibition devoted solely to Switzerland; it also has an international dimension.

The idea for the national exhibition of 2020 was launched two years ago in Zurich’s Tages-Anzeiger newspaper by Marc Solari, president of the Ticino tourist association, president of the Locarno film festival and head of events celebrating 700 years of Switzerland in 1991.

The government of canton Ticino in April 2008 gave the local tourist association a mandate to produce a report on the feasibility of an exhibition in 2020.