Daniel Schnyder

The Devil's Bridge

For centuries, the St. Gotthard has been one of the most important transalpine routes. For the people who built the pass road, the crossing of the “Schöllenenschlucht” gorge in particular represented an almost insurmountable obstacle. According to the legend, the people of Uri made a pact with the devil: He was supposed to build a bridge for them, and in return, they promised him the soul of the first one to cross it. As soon as the bridge was built, the clever people of Uri sent a billy goat over it. This angered the deceived devil so much that he wanted to smash the bridge with a large boulder. But thanks to a nun, who had carved a cross into the stone, the boulder missed its target and remained lying at the bottom of the valley, where it can still be seen today as the 'devil’s stone'.