Mountain pass

As a mountain pass or short pass is called from the perspective of Talbewohners the transition to the valley lying beyond the mountains - where the term 'pass' ( Passage) originates. The most suitable is the deepest viable place of a ridge, ridge or Gratverlaufs between two mountain ranges.

Thus, a pass is more than the actual pass in the basic terrain of the anticline. Rather, a pass also includes the transport connection, resp access. the access roads there. Apart from the term pass is also used to indicate the absolute level of a pass over the sea level in meters or feet.

Passports as a link

When a path or a road uses the lowest point of a ridge as a transition between two valleys, then pass road or street pass a synonym for the term pass.

The history of many passports as points of concentration of people and countries, connecting trails over thousands of years is evidenced by excavations. For this purpose, like the references to the ancient Roman roads that meet their encampment, for example, on Septimer or the discovery of the glacier corpse "Ötzi". The importance of such concentration points changed the course of history by the increasing technical possibilities. Thus, the Gotthard Pass could play to its shortness of connection only after a walk for horses hanging bridge construction ( Twärrenbrücke ) had made the rock walls of the Schöllenenschlucht in the northern access passable. This place had so geographically not much to do with the cheap low point of transition over the Alps, but was traffic- critical. On the other hand, had been converted into a small road in the Grisons the Septimerpass already in 1400 and still lost all meaning after other roads could be built.

The number of real mountain passes will not increase through the increasingly dense network of roads in the mountains. Thus, although roads have been linked in the Alps, which were present as ways to Alper closure or for the construction of recreational facilities, power plants and power lines, and were created for military reasons. In many places it more horizontal connections were built; on such roads, it is possible to connect two valley communities through a culmination of a passport still can hardly speak. In non-Alpine regions the current paths and road network is so dense, well developed and motorized easily navigable that the term pass for mountain roads is not used very often.

On the road passes in the Alps is usually a sign giving the height, usually a guest house (" Hospice " ) and often a chapel.

Other names for cuts between surveys

Not every pass carries the pass in the name, there are several place names, many of which reflect the landscape form of an incision. In some areas, such Grateinschnitt is also called a yoke, or at very sharp profile as a saddle. With gentle forms one speaks of the "saddle " ( ital: bocchetta ). In any case, each of these landforms a watershed dar. goes without saying that the reverse is not any place with such a field name, the definition of a passport, because each saddle could not be also a way of connecting people.

Other names for mountain passes in the Alps and Central German Uplands are

• Berg, Unterbichl ( Bühel ): eg Praebichl, Arlberg
• Corner (corner, Egg ): eg Great Scheidegg, Stieglitz corner ( resin )
• Furrow ( Furgge, Italian: FORCOLA, advises: Fuorcia ) a mountain incision: eg Furka Pass, Furkajoch
• Neck, height: eg neck, Bielerhoehe
• Yoke ( Jöchl, Jöchle, Jöchli ): eg Stelvio, Timmelsjoch
• Gap, Tor ( Törl ): eg Birnlücke, high door, Fuscher Törl; Low German: Döhre ( Low German door ), for example, in the Teutoburg Forest
• Gate, Porta, Gate ( Porta Westfalica or the Iron Gate ): down to the foot of the mountains reaching breakthrough - a Talpass, no watershed!
• Saddle: For example: Kreuzbergsattel, Perchauer saddle, Seebergsattel
• Forcella (usually accessible only on foot ): for example, Glocknerscharte, Windlegerscharte am Dachstein
• Scheid ( Gscheid ) eg Preiner Gscheid, Große Scheidegg; see watershed

By the end of the 18th century, mountains were climbed only in exceptional cases and were mainly an obstacle on the way to the other side, the one dealt prefer. " Go over the hill or mountain " referred to until then always in the most efficient passage, the pass. Prominent examples of this are the Arlberg and Lötschberg. In the language of Walser mountain is still a mountain pass, and the territory on both sides. In extensive and accessible from both sides was high valleys of the Alpine area eponymous ( Oberalp Pass, Schwägalp ).

In Scotland many passes have the old Gaelic name Bealach, the Bealach na Ba, for example.

Geomorphology

In the geoscience theory and geomorphology depressions are generally referred to as a saddle within a mountain ridge; the geometry used this term for hyperbolic curved surfaces that resemble a horse saddle.

From a geological point of view such a deep depression by local weathering differences, for example, if the rocks have on both sides of the later pass a different hardness. Even by regional tectonics or According rock mechanical and geological fault lines may result in a mountain cleft, while the so-called Transfluenzsattel back to Gletscherschliff.

Passes and yokes as weather divides

Passes and yokes are not just for the road, the mountains, with climbers of importance, but also for meteorology. Because often fall mountain ranges together with weather divides, so that one when crossing the pass - can come from the sun directly into a heavy rain or even snow storm - especially on the main Alpine ridge.

Under mountaineers many such high alpine localities are known; some of them have distinctive names such as " gap " (eg, by Birnlücke in the Hohe Tauern ). In the Dachstein massif there are because of turbulent weather changes the " Windlegerscharte " and the " Maloja wind " west of St. Moritz is feared to glider pilots or desirable, depending on which side of the Alps crossing takes place.

Extended definition

A qualifying pass would correspond to the majority of the following criteria:

• The pass overcomes a watershed between the two starting points.
• A traffic route crosses the ridgeline of a mountain or ridge at the lowest practicable point and the shortest route for the relevant starting points in the area (concentration point).
• The passport has a historical significance and may, in the case of a navigable expansion are characterized in that it was developed by public transport or will.
• Due to its importance, the transition is kept open as long as possible, for example by intensive snow removal.
• The pass crossing is on both sides of premises in the amount of at least one-twentieth of the summit towers above above sea level ( in analogy with the definition of a mountain peak ).

There are also passes with only a minor watershed, such as the Kunkelspass, which again leads from the Rhine via the Tamina valley to the Rhine or the Khyber Pass, the road impassable ravines which bypasses south of the Kabul River spacious. In these cases, nevertheless a gain exists for the ( historic foot - ) travelers, namely the gain of time or convenience and safety.

With the acceleration of the construction of roadways lost all the valleys of many, for mule trains often shorter routes such as the Septimerpass or at Scalettapass, their livelihood. But also important passes with driving roads like the Splügenpass were from sinking into insignificance not immune, as the transalpine railways were built - including the Lötschberg where a pass through the construction of a summit tunnel lost its role in long-distance transport and today a perception as a historical trade route is hard to imagine.