Saint Gotthard, << GOT uhrd, >> Pass is a famous mountain pass in the Alps in south-central Switzerland. It is a level depression, surrounded by a number of small lakes. The Rhine, Rhone, and Ticino rivers begin near the pass. A road with many hairpin turns crosses the pass at 6,916 feet (2,108 meters) above sea level. The rich farming and industrial valley of the Po River in northern Italy lies south of the pass.
The pass became an important trade route in the 1200’s. The League of Three Cantons, the first three “states” of early Switzerland, guarded approaches to the pass during these early years. A hospice was founded in St. Gotthard Pass in the 1300’s to give aid to travelers.
