![The first real railway tunnel in Switzerland ran through the Jura and was opened in 1858. Illustration by Marco Heer.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/titelbild-6-300x225.jpg)
Through the Jura
In 1853 efforts got under way to ‘break the stone’ that stood between the cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Solothurn. Five years later the Hauenstein, Switzerland’s first real railway tunnel, was opened.
![The Hauenstein tunnel in a print dating from 1857.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/hauenstein-druckgrafik-300x203.jpg)
![Illustration of the disaster in the German magazine ‘Die Gartenlaube’, 1857.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/illustration-der-toten-240x300.jpg)
![Invitation from the ‘Schweizerische Centralbahn’ to the Federal Council to attend the official opening of the Hauenstein Tunnel, 1858.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/einladung-an-den-bundesrat-193x300.jpg)
![Letter from the Federal Council declining the invitation to officially attend the opening of the Hauenstein Tunnel, 1858. But that’s another story, coming up soon…](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/absage-einladung-264x300.jpg)
![](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/pioda-235x300.jpg)
![Federal Councillor Wilhelm Mathias Naeff was the superior of Postmaster General Benedikt La Roche.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/bundesrat-naeff-191x300.jpg)
Unofficial guests of honour: Federal Councillors Giovanni Battista Pioda (left) and Wilhelm Matthias Naeff. Swiss National Museum
The first time…
There’s always a first time. In this series, we will be looking at historic Swiss firsts. The topics covered are very diverse: from the first zebra crossing to the first ever popular initiative. The articles have been produced in cooperation with the Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv (Swiss Federal Archives).