Griespass

View over the Griessee south to Griespass and Griesgletscher

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The Gries Pass ( Italian Passo del Gries ) is a Saumpass that crosses the Southern Alps main ridge. The pass is at 2'479 m.

There, near the Nufenenpass, runs the border between Italy and Switzerland. The Griespass represents a transition from the Valais Äginental to Italian Val Formazza ( German Pomatt ) and thus connects the Goms with the Valle d' Ossola ( German Ashenvale ). It is flanked to the west by Bättelmatthorn (Italian Punta dei Camosci, 3'044 m) and to the east by Gries Horn (Italian Corno Gries ).

Only a little below the summit is located on the Swiss side of the pent-up Griessee, fed by the Gries glacier. The glacier reached down to about 2001 until well into the Griessee. There is also the 2011 created the highest wind power plant in Europe. At the southern foot pass in Italy Lago di Morasco is ( German Muraschgsee ).

Since the Gries Pass on both sides does not topographically related difficulties, he was already known in the Bronze Age and was heavily used in Roman times. In the 13th century, the Walser migrated from the Upper Valais over the pass Pomatt and founded villages where the Walser German is still spoken today. The Griespass forms the straight southern continuation of the Grimsel Pass and therefore one of the few easily accessible and direct routes from north of the Alps to Italy. After 1397 the mule track was built as a transalpine trade. The old federal possessions in Ashenvale went but already in 1422 to the Duchy of Milan lost, so that the trade declined rapidly again, and in the following centuries possessed only of regional importance. With the opening of the Gotthard Railway in 1882 he finally came to a complete standstill. From ancient times bears witness to a chapel on the Italian side of the pass.

On the Italian side of the pass is also a simple ( verschlossenes! ) is old Notbiwak where Richard Wagner is said to have stayed on July 18, 1852 on his trip to Italy.

International significance of the (invisible ) gas line to the gas transit AG, which at the beginning of the 1970s, was built under the Griespass and expanded in capacity in the years 1997 to 2003. The gas line carries gas from the Netherlands to Italy.