Creation of the museum
In 1989 with the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the mobilization and 100 years of the first courses of the fortification troops carried out at Airolo it was possible to inaugurate a small museum thanks to the energy and the will of the then commander of the Region Guard Corps of fortifications 24, Colonel Arnoldo Moriggia. The museum that today occupies about half of the fort has expanded several times.
What can you see in the museum?
First the architecture of the fort with its labyrinth of tunnels and casemates. It is a true masterpiece of military architecture, for example, the roof entirely covered with Lavorgo granite blocks pays tribute to the exceptional work of the stonemasons of the time. It is certainly one of the best preserved forts of this kind in Europe.
Then the original armament still largely present made up of cannons, turrets, observation posts. Several rooms display the weapons installed during the various stages of modernization such as machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, etc.
But it is also possible to see the elements of the everyday life of the garrison as, for example, the tableware of the officers’ canteen. The fort, very modern for its time, was equipped with electricity and, being perfectly autonomous, had its own bakery!
Finally, a rich documentation on the Gotthard fortress and its development with the famous national reduit of the General Guisan can be studied in a specially equipped room.
