August 1 is celebrated as Switzerland's national holiday. After a heavy evening thunderstorm, the day in 2017, which was as hot as 35 degrees, was bid farewell with lots of fireworks. The Föhn wind blew all day long in the canton of Uri, but this did not impress the 120 or so classic car fans gathered at the "Diavolo Motor Classic". And so they drove along the historically significant Devil's Path from Altdorf through the famous Schöllenen Gorge to Andermatt.
At nine o'clock on the dot, the column set off from Altdorf, lined up behind the Romeo 2 "minivan" of organizer Karl Bissig, in the direction of the Devil's Bridge. How did this bridge get such a name?
A gruesome story with a good twist
As early as the 13th century, the people of Uri repeatedly tried to build a bridge over the wild Reuss, but all too often the muleteers and their mules fell into the depths along with their belongings. Legend has it that the people of Uri kept puzzling over how the deep and dangerous Schöllenen Gorge could be crossed. In the end, the then Landamman shouted in despair: "Let the devil build a bridge!"
No sooner said than the horned man stood before the people of Uri in the flesh and made a pact: he would build the bridge, but the first soul to cross the new bridge would belong to him. Once this deal had been made, the new, strong bridge soon spanned the gorge.
But then the people of Uri disagreed as to who they should send across first, until a clever farmer had the brilliant idea of chasing his billy goat across the new bridge to the other side.
Wild with rage, the devil took a huge boulder and threatened to destroy his work. An old woman strode boldly towards the bridge and carved a cross into a stone. When the devil saw this, he threw the boulder over the target and it landed near Göschenen. The so-called Devil's Stone has been there for centuries. And so, according to legend, the bridge got its famous name.
Without thunder and doria
This time, however, the devil had no claim on the Alfa "minivan", which was the first of the long "Diavolo Motor Classic" convoy to cross the bridge.
Once again, it was shown that it doesn't always have to be grandiose big rallies to have fun with the old cars. Even a small one-day event immediately creates a cheerful atmosphere among like-minded people.
Thanks to the great summer weather, many mountain tourists were out and about in Andermatt and they too enjoyed the sight of the well-filled Gemsstockbahn parking lot. Andermatt is immediately associated with a famous car from the sixties. This is because this is where 007 (Sean Connery) filled up his then futuristic DB5 equipped by "Mr. Q" in the James Bond film "Goldfinger" in 1964.
Andermatt is also home to one of the most famous Swiss license plates: "UR 5000"! This Subaru is known to be driven by none other than two-time world champion and Olympic downhill skiing champion Bernhard Russi.
Entertainment for the tourists
The cab rides from Andermatt to Hospental and back in an old car of their choice were enthusiastically accepted by many interested tourists, but also by a whole group of disabled people. When the driver hears the joy of the passengers - "That was certainly the best day of my life!" - is a wonderful moment for the driver too.
And nobody got upset about the often rather noisy and smelly (legally clean, without manipulation software) vehicles, even if they lost a drop of oil here and there. Old cars are simply a lot of fun!
