Established in 1888 as a Joint Stock company with registered capital of 600,000 Swiss francs, divided into 1,200 shares of 500 francs each.
History Click here to download the history in PDF
The landmark mountain in this region, Mount San Salvatore’s fame extends far and wide. Its renown was boosted by pilgrimages by the faithful, which began as early as the 13th century. Pilgrims would make their way to the summit in order to pay homage to the Son of God who, according to ancient legend, stopped there briefly during his ascension to Heaven. But now, as in the past, what draws people to the summit of this mountain so dear to the people of Lugano is above all the unrivalled views it affords over the breathtaking lake Lugano and its environs, taking in the Lombard plain and the magnificent mountain ranges of the Swiss and the Savoy Alps.
It is therefore no surprise that at the end of the 19th century someone had the idea of capitalizing on the popularity of San Salvatore. That person was Stefano Siccoli, an enterprising Florentine who in 1870 launched the idea of building a carriageway, a funicular railway and a large hotel on the mountain. Unfortunately, donations to finance the building project failed to pour in and the plan had to be abandoned
The initiative promoted by Lugano-born lawyer Antonio Battaglini, however, enjoyed greater success. On 10th August 1885, he applied to the Federal Council for building permission for a geared funicular railway from Lugano to the summit of Mount San Salvatore. On 12th December, the federal assembly approved his application and, after successfully raising the necessary funds with the help of the city of Lugano itself as a shareholder, work on the funicular railway was able to begin.
Work got underway on 24th July 1888 and was scheduled to be completed by 1st August 1889, as confirmed by the company Bucher and Durrer of Kägiswil, appointed to carry out the work along with the companies Bell of Kriens and Maschinenfabrik of Oerlikon. However, unrelenting summer rains caused a delay in the schedule.
The inauguration of the funicular had been planned for 19th March 1890, with services beginning the following day. Invitations had already been sent out, but at the last minute the ceremony had to be postponed since no federal authorization had as yet been granted.
The official testing and inspection of the funicular was carried out on 20th March 1890, while the celebratory inauguration banquet was held on Wednesday 26th March 1890, attended by around eighty guests.
On the morning of 27th March 1890, the San Salvatore funicular began operating a regular service for the public to coincide with boat sailing times.
The shareholders of the Lugano-Monte San Salvatore Railway Company held their first annual shareholders’ meeting on 28th March 1890. In order to offer all those visiting San Salvatore a convenient restaurant (repair or renovation of the existing building being unfeasible), the board of directors decided to erect a building with a large dining room and terrace, for use as a restaurant, near the funicular station. The building was subsequently extended in 1896.
In the winter of 1925/26, the funicular traction system was completely overhauled, replaced with new machinery which increased speed to 1.8 metres per second. The journey time was thus reduced from 26 to 18 minutes. The old cars were replaced with two new ones, accommodating 65 passengers against the previous 32.
In 1938 the companies Bell & Ci. Of Kriens, Maschinenfabrik of Oerlikon and Kabelwerke of Brugg supplied traction machinery designed to ensure greater operating safety, although the improvements also made it necessary to change the cable, the pinion, drive wheels, brake pulleys and other related components. Traction speed was increased from 1.8 metres per second to 2.5 metres per second, cutting journey time to 14 minutes.
In 1943, as the result of an initiative by the commission for research and study into high voltage electricity of the Swiss Electrotechnical Association and the Swiss power plant union, a lightning study centre was set up on the summit of San Salvatore, directed by Dr. Karl Berger of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
Near the small church, the scientists erected a 70-metre tall wooden tower topped with a 10-metre steel rod.
The centre, equipped with the most sophisticated technology available for measuring lightning, quickly gained renown throughout the world’s scientific community. The scientific studies carried out over approximately thirty years yielded highly useful and important results in the field of prevention and protection of electrical appliances. The centre was decommissioned in June-July 1982 and in subsequent years the new PTT/Swisscom station was built.
Renovation and improvements were carried out to make good the funicular track, which towards 1960 had to switch over to the new voltage regime adopted by the electricity distribution company in Lugano. Major works entailing huge investments were undertaken to install new cars, renew the electrical and braking system, the latter switching from a mechanical to a hydraulic system.
Work completed included the total refacing of the south terrace with views over the Melide bridge dam. The waiting room at Paradiso was also given a facelift and a new ticket office built.
The funicular celebrated its centenary in 1990.
Further investments were made in the years that followed, with the areas above the restaurant turned into modern multi-purpose rooms and access provided for the disabled, those with impaired mobility and the partially sighted.
Through the restoration project and the transformation of the old hospice into the San Salvatore Museum, complete with an exhibition documenting the history of Lugano’s Archfraternity of Good Death and Prayer (Arciconfraternita della Buona Morte ed Orazione) and another dedicated to geology, the Company gave further proof of its dynamism and hospitality.
During 2000-2001, the Company proceeded to renew the entire plant as well as the cars. This bold, forward-thinking and essential step thrust the centenarian company forward towards a meaningful future with many exciting challenges ahead.
In 2002, the first “via ferrata”, which translates literally as “iron way” and is a fixed protection climbing trail, was opened on Mount San Salvatore.
The following year, several panoramic beauty spots were enhanced, with the addition of seven coloured benches and the introduction of a series of educational summary charts designed to enable visitors to get the most out of the summit and the surrounding area.
In 2005, the San Salvatore Museum gained an additional exhibition space dedicated to speleology and a few years later set up an exhibition on the history of the lightning research centre.
After 116 years of operation, on 28th April 2006, the funicular celebrated a great milestone, carrying its sixteen millionth passenger to the summit of the mountain.
In 2008, eager to further boost the tourist facilities on offer, a permanent exhibition trail of Swiss tourist posters was set up, winding from the arrival station on the mountain up the path that leads to the very mountain top.
On Tuesday 19 April 2011 after 121 years, the prestigious target of 17 million passengers taken to the summit by funicular was reached.
While on the one hand Mount San Salvatore has retained its attraction as a much-loved beauty spot, today, thanks to the Vetta Restaurant, congress opportunities, recreational events, a wide range of increasingly market-oriented proposals and attention to offering superb services, this most famous of Lugano’s mountains has also become a valued reference point for locals and tourists who come here from all over the world.
San Salvatore Funicular, working for 122 years to enhance a place of outstanding natural beauty on our own doorstep!
