Alois Zgraggen
Alois Zgraggen (* 1822 in Erstfeld , † 1888 ) was the last post conductor to accompany a stagecoach over the Gotthard Pass .
Life
Contrary to popular belief, Zgraggen was not the postillon , but the conductor. Horses and postilons were changed several times during the journey, but the conductor accompanied the entire journey from Flüelen to Camerlata near Como and was responsible for the post office and the travelers.
Zgraggen was born in Erstfeld in the canton of Uri in 1822 . His father was Ambros Zgraggen, the landlord of the Kreuz inn in Erstfeld, who held numerous offices in the community. As was customary at the time, Zgraggen rarely went to school. In the military, the young Alois made it to lieutenant with the snipers; later he became an artillery instructor until he transferred to the postal service. In self-study he taught himself to read and write and was also Uri's professional at times .
As the conductor of the Gotthard Post, Zgraggen seemed to have been popular, as there were travelers who waited a few days in Lucerne to be able to travel with him over the Gotthard. Zgraggen made the tour from Lucerne over the Gotthard to Camerlata near Como and back about twice a week.
Zgraggen lived on the Kornmarkt in Lucerne, where his sister took care of the house for him, because in this job he had preferred to remain a bachelor. Richard Wagner's favorite pub during his stay in Lucerne around 1859 was just around the corner . Zgraggen and Wagner knew each other well and the composer listened for hours to the tales of the "galloping Uri".
In an obituary for the "Last Postillon" of the Gotthard, as the Zgraggen was and is repeatedly referred to, it says:
“Today we can hardly imagine what demands were placed on the horse mail officials via the Gotthard and what ambition they showed in fulfilling their duties with very low wages. Zgraggen, a man cast out of ore, defied all dangers. Whether the storms howl or the snow as high as a house might stand against him - he overcame all difficulties and led the mail across the wild gorges for three decades. If the treacherous avalanche had blocked his way, he created a tunnel through it, and away the sleigh caravan went to the hospice. In Siberian cold up to 40 degrees we find the weatherproof man defying the rigors of nature, and when the starry sky shone on such cold nights, he told his friends in the valley below not about the horrors of the mountain, but about the glory of such a winter night up up in the eternal snow. And when storms and storms got so strong that human strength could not get the mail sledge any further, he would take the mailbag on his back and often take it for hours over snow and ice to the next place. "
The last stagecoach drove in the fall of 1881, before the switch to sledge operation. After the Gotthard Tunnel opened in 1882, Zgraggen had the honor of being the first to carry the bag with the mail inside through the tunnel to Airolo.
Zgraggen was employed by the Post for 30 years. He died in 1888, six years after the tunnel was opened.
literature
- Lüönd: Our Gotthard , Ringier, Zurich 1980
- Nething: Der Gotthard , Ott Verlag, Thun
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zgraggen, Alois |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | last postal conductor who accompanied a stagecoach over the Gotthard |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1822 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Erstfeld |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1888 |