To print this page, select "Print" from the File menu of your browser salon.com > Travel Feb. 9, 2000 URL: http://www.salon.com/travel/food/col/wolf/2000/02/09/swiss Swiss secrets Our roving connoisseur uncovers the truth about the dragons of Mount Pilatus and the original Swiss Army knife. - - - - - - - - - - - - By Burt Wolf Modern package tourism got started in 1893 when Thomas Cook organized a group trip from England to Switzerland. That first tour and much of Swiss tourism since has been based on the beauty of the Alps and everyone's desire to see what's happening on their peaks. Mountains have always fascinated people. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods lived on Mount Olympus and most of the Greek city-states built their temples on mountains, as did ancient cultures in Asia and South America. Mountains were also a good spot for meteorological and geological observations, and to check out your neighbors. A 20-minute paddle-boat trip along the lake from the Swiss city of Lucerne will put you in the town of Kriens at the foot of Mount Pilatus, one of Switzerland's most-visited mountains. The steepest rack railway in the world will take you to the top, which is 7,000 feet above sea level. Pilatus is a major tourist attraction, but that has not always been the case. For centuries local residents believed that Pilatus was inhabited by dragons and that if disturbed, they would send down storms and great floods. Visits to the top were forbidden. Fireballs and flame-throwing dragons made regular appearances on Pilatus and were described in great detail by leading physicians and scientists -- which gives you some idea of what medicine was like at the time. Even shepherds were placed under oath not to approach the dark waters of the lake that sits just below the peak. There were rumors that the Roman governor Pontius Pilate was buried in the lake and his tormented spirit would surface every year on Good Friday, in a vain attempt to wash Christ's blood from his hands. But not everything that came from the dragons was evil. A stone called Draconite was believed to be formed in a dragon's brain and to pop out of its mouth during flight. There were nine types of dragon stones, ranging from the Draconites carbunculus, about the size of a peanut, to the Draconius lapis lucenenis, which was as big as a goose egg. Drawings from the 1600s indicate that these were all extremely heavy for their size, with gold-colored flecks interconnected with filigreed veins. Dragon stones were thought to have the power to protect against plague, revive tired blood and under certain conditions, inspire individuals much like Viagra. The dragons themselves also appear to have had a hospitable side -- witness the following account: One autumn, a cooper (barrel-maker) was foraging on Pilatus for tree branches, to make hoops for his barrels. He stumbled and fell headlong into a deep cave, coming to rest between two female dragons, who were pleased by his arrival and offered him a dragon stone. He soon became hungry. Observing how the dragons repeatedly licked at a particular boulder in the cave, he did likewise and so nourished himself throughout the winter. When spring arrived, one dragon flew away from her winter lair. The other circled cajolingly around the cooper, as if to persuade him that it was time to depart. She crept to the mouth of the cave and hoisted the cooper out by the tip of her tail. Thus rescued, the cooper returned home to his family. He showed his gratitude by having the story of his rescue embroidered onto a cloth -- which to this day remains in St. Leodegar's Church in Lucerne. Sigmund Freud would have loved that story, and you've got to hand it to the cooper for one of the all-time great excuses for not coming home on time. In 1585 a parish priest from Lucerne and a courageous group of parishioners ascended Pilatus and challenged every pond and cave where the dragons were thought to dwell. They threw rocks into the lake, and churned its surface with a cross. The expected counter-offensive by the dragons failed to materialize. The priest and the courageous citizens returned to Lucerne and announced that the spell had been broken, the spirits were at peace and tourist trips to the peak (at a modest fee) could begin. The dragons were Swiss and knew a good business when they saw one. Pilatus can be reached year-round from the town of Kriens by panoramic gondolas and an aerial tramway. The cogwheel railway runs from May through mid-December. For additional information, visit the Pilatus Web site. The Swiss Path A 30-minute drive south from the base of Mount Pilatus is the town of Brunnen, which is the starting point for the Swiss Path, a hiking trail that was built to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the founding of Switzerland. Each of the 26 states that make up modern Switzerland was given part of the 23-mile path. The length of each stretch was set in proportion to the number of people who lived in that state during 1991. In fact, every Swiss person was represented by 5 millimeters. Switzerland is a very precise democracy. The path is also divided into six sections, each beginning and ending in a small town. Boats connect each of the towns and Lucerne and run throughout the day. When you are tired, you can stop and get on a paddle steamboat, which will bring you back to your starting point. The path forms a continuous symbolic chain linking the states with each other, and the past with the future. It's a wonderful walk. The original Swiss Army knife Slightly off the Swiss Path is the town of Ibach. Which may not mean much -- until you find out that this is the home of the company that makes the Swiss Army knife. Ibach is also home to the only shop in the world that carries every model of the knife. The founder of the company, Charles Elsener, was born in 1860 and studied in both France and Germany until he became a master knife-maker, specializing in razor edges and surgical instruments. When he returned to Switzerland, he opened a small workroom in his hometown and sold his knives in his mother's hat shop. When he was 30, he organized the Association of Swiss Master Cutlers, with the prime objective of cooperating in the development of a pocketknife for the Swiss military. The army already had knives, but they were being purchased in Germany. In 1891 the first Swiss-made knives were delivered to the Swiss Army. The original version had a blade, a screwdriver, a reamer for punching holes and a can opener. That was it. Elsener's descendants are still delivering Swiss Army knives to the Swiss Army. However, a regulation issue Swiss Army knife is not that little red number that has become world famous. Regulation Swiss Army knives are made of a dull silver lightweight aluminum alloy; they have one large blade, a reamer for punching holes, a can opener with a small screwdriver (it will work with a Phillips screw), a cap lifter, a big screwdriver and a wire stripper. What everyone who is not in the Swiss Army calls a Swiss Army knife (the shiny red version with a Swiss Cross imbedded in the handle) is actually the Swiss Army officer's knife. Elsener developed the early version of this knife in 1897, but the Swiss Army never accepted it. Maybe the corkscrew and the nail cleaner were too much. Nevertheless, it was immediately accepted by the troops, both officers and enlisted men, who purchased them with their own money, and still do. When Charles' mother, Victoria, died, he changed the name of the company to honor her. Victoria knives soon became famous for their quality. When stainless steel was developed in 1921, it was called INOX. The Elseners added that word to the company name, to become what it still is today: Victorinox. From the beginning, Elsener was developing pocketknives for different groups. During the 1890s he introduced the schoolboy model, a farmer's knife and a cadet knife; specialty knives are still being added. Today the company produces more than 400 versions of the Swiss Army officer's knife, including the soon to be introduced inline skater's knife and the cyber knife. During my visit, I heard unconfirmed rumors about a "Clinton Blade" that would contain a cigar cutter, stain-remover stick, magnifying glass and an extended selection of screwdrivers. salon.com | Feb. 9, 2000   - - - - - - - - - - - - About the writer Burt Wolf's column appears every Thursday in Salon Travel & Food. Wolf's television reports on travel, food and cultural history are broadcast worldwide via PBS, CNN and the Discovery Network. He also writes regularly about food and cooking equipment for Cooking.com.