Erstfeld

History

In 1962 a collection of four gold torques and three gold arm rings were discovered near Erstfeld. While the exact origin date is unknown, they are likely from the 4th century BC. The nearly pure gold rings were discovered under of land slide debris. The rings show Celtic motifs and designs and display a high level of skill. While their purpose is unknown, one theory is that they were offerings made to celebrate safely crossing the Alps. Erstfeld is first mentioned in 1258 as Ourzcvelt. In 1638, it was listed under the Latin name in Protocampis. In 1831, it was known as Hirschfelden.

Geography

Erstfeld has an area, , of . Of this area, 11.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 29.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (56.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). The municipality consists of the linear village of Erstfeld and scattered farm houses along the valley floor and up the mountain sides. Erstfeld is at the base of the northern ramp of the Gotthard railway and houses all the rolling stock needed for the rail line.

Most-observed species

• Meadow Brown

  Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  2,053
• Small Tortoiseshell

  Aglais urticae (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  1,860
• Ringlet

  Aphantopus hyperantus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  1,261
• Butterfly-bush

  Buddleja davidii Franch. · Magnoliopsida
  1,111
• Large Wall

  Lasiommata maera (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  1,021
• Arran Brown

  Erebia ligea (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  900
• Scotch Argus

  Erebia aethiops Esper, 1777 · Insecta
  887
• Marbled White

  Melanargia galathea Linnaeus, 1758 · Insecta
  781

Most recent

• M 3.7 — 2026-04-26
  4 km N of Quarten, Switzerland
• M 4.1 — 2025-07-21
  4 km E of Frutigen, Switzerland
• M 4.2 — 2024-06-04
  2 km NNW of Unteriberg, Switzerland
• M 3.8 — 2022-09-01
  2 km WSW of Sevelen, Switzerland
• M 2.7 — 2022-08-23
  4 km S of Turtmann, Switzerland
• M 4 — 2020-10-25
  5 km ESE of Ennenda, Switzerland