The history of the Gotthard pass has its beginnings in the Middle Ages. The Romans are not likely to have used it. When the Lombards in the year 569 invaded the land via the pass from the South, they built a suspension bridge over the Reuss river. In times of Charlemagne, the path was set for sumpter-mules. The Lombardic bridge was replaced by the safe (old) devil's bridge in the Schöllenen canyon on the north ramp in 1198 The resulting increase of traffic was the triggering moment for the foundation of the Swiss Confederation in 1291. The oldest building on the pass is the chapel, which was consecrated between 1160 and 1176 by the archbishop Saint Galdinus from Milan in honour of the shortly prior canonized Saint Gotthard.
