Recent studies in the history of technology focus on the important role of large technological projects in the construction of identities of large nation states. Less attention has been paid to similar processes taking place in smaller and less powerful countries.

The construction of the Gotthard tunnel, the major project of the Gotthard railway line, revived Switzerland's hope to maintain its position as a transit country in Europe. Major political and financial support from Germany, Switzerland, and Italy made the construction of the railways possible. In 1869, the involved states signed the treaty. In 1872, the Swiss entrepreneur Louis Favre started the construction of the tunnel, which eventually opened in 1882. Rapidly the Gotthard railways grew out as one of the major transit axes in Europe.

I organized the research thematically and chronologically. Each block answers the question: to what extent were the Gotthard tunnel and the Swiss national identity related? I chose four different actor groups in four different time frames. First, I discuss the engineers' focus on space, identity and the Gotthard tunnel (1872-1882). Second, I analyze the dignitaries' speeches and their reception in Swiss newspapers (1880-1882). Third, I study the tourists' gaze on the Gotthard tunnel (1882-1914). Finally I analyze novels and the popular imagination about the construction of the Gotthard tunnel (1936- 1943).

I conclude that between 1872 and 1943, the Swiss navigated between guarding Switzerland's role in Europe and, simultaneously, legitimising its acclaimed national unity. At several moments, the Gotthard Railways challenged, reinforced or embodied Switzerland's contested position in Europe and its fragile national unity. Historical actor groups mobilized the Gotthard's existing spatial symbolism and created new narratives which included references to technology, national, and regional identities. In this process, the Gotthard's symbolism changed from an icon of international cooperation to an icon of national identity. However, the Gotthard's core symbolism of being both a unifier and divider remained in tact.

This case study shows how people in small, relatively powerless countries, such as Switzerland between 1872 and 1943, felt the need to create a set of national symbols that express a sense of national identity that, at the same time, honor the country's international embeddedness. Infrastructure projects can become a national symbol through the cultural work of historical actors, who appropriate these infrastructures within wider frames of existing and new narratives.