The majestic and massive Mount Pilatus is a nature’s gem of a mountain, which is located in Central Switzerland and overlooks Lucerne. Best known for its mystical dragon legends and stories of Pontius Pilate’s soul, this mountain offers more than just its mesmerising view to any of its curious visitors. Composed of several summits (such as Esel and Tomlishorn), it is easy to access at any time of the area and a definite must-see for anyone in the region, even more so to any legend and history enthusiasts.
The top of Mount Pilatus can be reached through the Pilatus railway, which also happens to be the world’s steepest railway, which operates (depending on snow conditions) from May to November. For the remaining duration of the year, the top is accessible via aerial panorama gondolas and cableways from the municipality of Kriens.
Despite there not being a confirmed story for the origin of Mount Pilatus’ name, several different local legends exist which try to justify it. One of the most famous claims is that Pontius Pilate, the fifth prefect of the Roman province of Judea from AD 26-36 was buried there. History shows that he served under Roman Emperor Tiberius, but he is best known for being involved in the trial of Jesus and later, his crucifixion. According to religious history, Pilate always stood firm in his lobbies for Jesus to be spared execution, and only changes his mind when the crowds refuse to spare Jesus. As such, his main preoccupation then becomes to avoid personal responsibility for the death of Jesus and, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Pontius Pilate goes on to wash his hands from the blood of Jesus as a form to show that he is not responsible for his death. The legend according to locals goes that people feared the restless ghost of Pilate, who was supposedly buried in the area, and was said to rise from the waters every Good Friday to wash the blood of Jesus from his hands.
Another story goes that the mountain got its name due to its resemblance to the belly of a large man, supposedly named Pilate, which is lying on his back. More scientific based research suggests that the name derives from “pileatus” which stands for “cloud-topped” due to the peaks of this mountain being commonly covered by clouds.
Mount Pilatus, however, gains its majestic status mainly through the countless dragon legends that are believed to have originated in medieval times, which feature dragons with powerful healing powers, which are claimed to have lived in the crevices of this Mount. A chronicle from 1619 illustrates the story of a man who even saw one of these dragons himself, stating that “as I was contemplating the serene sky by night, I saw a very bright dragon with flapping wings go from a cave in a great rock in the mount called Pilatus toward another cave, known as Flue, on the opposite side of the lake” and it was this same legend and chronicle that inspired Steven Reinecke’s famous piece: Pilatus: Mountain of Dragons.
There are countless other stories and tales of how locals have spotted dragons over the years. One story states that in the summer of 1421, a dragon caused a farmer named Stempflin to faint because he flew so close to him. Upon waking up, the farmer found a dragon stone and a lump of coagulated blood, which served as evidence of the tale having actually taken place.
Whether or not you choose to believe these legends, Mount Pilatus is mesmerising in all its glory, and worth a visit from all the adventurous travelers, legend enthusiasts, and history lovers.
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