Umbrailpass
Pass from the direction of Bormio - Stelvio
The Carolingian ( Italian Giogo di Santa Maria, Romansh: Pass da l' Umbrail, sooner after the German name of Bormio also called Wormser Joch ) is a Swiss mountain pass. It lies at an altitude of 2,501 m above sea level. M., making it the highest road pass in Switzerland. The sign at the pass is a height of 2'503 m above sea level. M., because, however, the reference point for height measurements in Switzerland has changed, according to the current measurement method, the lower altitude is correct. The name derives from the Piz Umbrail was a peak near the pass.
The Umbrailpass lies directly on the border with Italy and connects the Val Müstair ( Munster ) in Santa Maria, Canton Grisons with the Addatal in Bormio. The 13.4 km long road from Santa Maria to the Umbrailpass was completed in 1901, it happened immediately after the pass the border to Italy and then empties into the south-west ramp of the road over the Stelvio Pass. The route across the Umbrailpass is the original connection between the upper Vinschgau and the Valtellina ( Bormio ).
The road is from April to October generally passable. In Switzerland, there are about 2.5 km from a natural rubber with open pasture. The dirt road section is located between 1,800 and 2,000 m above sea level. The pass is now also passable at night. The border post is no longer occupied as a result of the 2008 made accession of Switzerland to the Schengen Agreement, controls can only be found at random instead. As a result, were also related to the previous night lock 22:00 to 6:30 clock.
History
It was once the way across the Umbrailpass as an important mule track the movement of goods Bormio with the North. He was particularly interesting for Venice, he made but a direct continuation of the Venetian way over the Gavia and Mortirolo in the north. Thus, the Wormser Joch in the 15th century was used very lively, at the end of the 15th century resulted in a post- course on the pass which linked Milan with Innsbruck. In 1499 the Duke of Milan sent the Roman-German King Maximilian I. troops to help, which were conducted over the Umbrailpass. When taking in October of the same year French Milan, Ludovico Sforza Duke of Milan was forced to flee over the Wormser Joch to the safety of Tyrol.
The flowering of the Worms yoke in the late Middle Ages ends with the beginning of modern times; This is due to one hand then traffic shifts to east ( burner ) and west (San Marco ) located transitions, on the other hand, let Grisons political reasons forfeited the way across the Wormser Joch from the 16th century. The old mule trail was still often committed in the local traffic. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century there were Austria's plans for a road over the Wormser Joch in Lombardy, but because its north ramp was part of the Confederation, the decision was made for a modern road over the Stelvio Pass. With the construction of the transition now called Umbrailpass finally lost in importance.
Today, highly convoluted and very rich return Umbrailstrasse was only opened in 1901, later it was expanded by the Swiss military on. Along the main road 559, there are several fortifications of the Swiss Army.
Today the pass is almost only used by motorists as a feeder to the Stelvio road. Even with cyclists he enjoys great popularity.
Gallery
Sign with obsolete altitude, still based on the old horizon of Repère Pierre du Niton
The summit overlooking the Stelvio
The restaurant at the pass