Until now, the special exhibitions at the Pantheon in Basel have mostly been dedicated to car brands or, in a few cases, to a specific type of vehicle or collection. With the new special exhibition, the museum is venturing into new themes and presenting a truly museum-like approach. To mark the current occasion - the opening of the NRLA in summer 2016 - the focus is on the Gotthard, Switzerland's most important Alpine crossing.
Without cars for a long time
Long before the first car was able to drive over the Gotthard, mountain nomads, traders and travelers used the Alpine crossing to get from the north to the south. However, the journey was always dangerous and, until the construction of the Devil's Bridge, truly arduous. But in the 19th century, roads were built on both sides of the Gotthard and from 1842 the stagecoach was able to travel from Chiasso to Flüelen. The journey took 23 hours, including several changes of coachmen and horses.
In 1882, a new era opened with the Gotthard Tunnel: instead of using horses, it was now possible to travel south (or north) by train.
Then the triumphal march of the automobile began
The first car to conquer the Gotthard in 1907 was a Peugeot Type 3, carrying a countess, a mechanic and a guard dog, as well as 75 kg of luggage. That was quite a lot for the 2 hp car in which they sat opposite each other.
Other Alpine crossings soon followed, of course, one for example with an 8 hp Adler, which made the journey from Bellinzona to Brunnen in nine hours.
Until 1967, all pass crossers had to conquer the cobblestone Tremola with its many hairpins, something that a Beetle could still manage relatively easily, but a Citroën 2 CV already had its work cut out for it. From 1967, there was a new, more comfortable pass road, which significantly shortened the journey time for sporty saloons such as the Renault 16 TS.
Finally, in 1980, the highway tunnel marked the beginning of the era of fast and straight passage and also the slow end of the pass road. Since then, only fans or those avoiding traffic jams have used the pass road or even the Tremola to experience real cornering.
Then and now
Once again, Stephan Musfeld has managed to create a very dense atmosphere with vehicles and historical images that interweave the past with the present. He has succeeded in finding many cars that can also be found in the old pictures. It is obvious that bread-and-butter cars are among them. After all, the majority of tourists did not drive over the pass in a Ferrari or a specially-bodied Delahaye, but in a Peugeot 404, an Auto Union 1000 S or a Chevrolet. And it is precisely these vehicles that can now be seen again in the exhibition.
The fact that bicycles and motorcycles, carriages and sledges from the history of the Gotthard are also on display demonstrates the versatility of the pass.
The new special exhibition is informative, interesting and entertaining. And up-to-date too. It is definitely worth a trip to the Pantheon Basel in Muttenz. It's best to arrive in a vintage car and take the opportunity to have lunch or dinner in the museum restaurant.
The exhibition can be viewed until October 16, 2016. Further information and opening times can be found on the Pantheon website.
