Museum Stockalperschloss

About this place

Built from 1649 by Kaspar Stockalper vom Thurm on the old Simplon Pass road, Stockalperschloss is the largest secular Baroque building in present-day Switzerland. In this monumental complex, the massive main block, the defensive granite towers and the splendid arcaded courtyard come together to form a building full of contrasts. The castle museum’s holdings include collections on the Stockalper family, the history of the Simplon Pass and the route taken by the railway lines, as well as exhibits on the folklore and cultural history of Upper Valais. On the ground floor, the exhibition «Passage Simplon» sheds light on the eventful history of the Simplon Pass. Transport engineering achievements, such as the construction of the Simplon Tunnel or the operation of the national road over the pass, are presented vividly, as is the first crossing of the Alps by plane from Brig to Domodossola or the far-reaching invention of the first tar surface for road construction by the Brigue doctor Guglielminetti. A special room is dedicated to the building’s patron.

Location