San Giacomo (Pass)
From the Bedrettotal
K
The San Giacomo Pass (Italian Passo San Giacomo ) connects to the Italian province of Verbano -Cusio -Ossola belonging Formazza with the Bedrettotal in the Swiss canton of Ticino. To the west of the pass at 2313 m above sea level. M. is the Helge Horn ( 2837 m), east of the March Horn ( 2962 m). About the Nufenenpass there is also a connection to the Valais.
The Formazza is the northern part of the long Tocetales, where this opening into the Lago Maggiore river rises. The Alpine valleys to the longer counted, described in the upper part in dialect as Pomatt valley divides the Swiss cantons of Valais and Ticino each other, but forms a linguistic bridge between the Valais Goms and the Ticino Walser village of Bosco / Gurin. The Pomatt was only accessible on foot or donkey to 1920.
As the Thoroughfare Pass especially between the late 13th and the late 15th century was significant. Säumergenossenschaften transported goods over the San Giacomo and further via the Gotthard. The hospice Val d' Olgia was first mentioned in 1405; he has the chapel of SS Nicolao, half a mile northeast of the pass altitude obtained.
With the opening of the Gotthard Railway in 1882 the volume of traffic on the San Giacomo fell further. The same time, Switzerland looked at the borders over the pass as a military threat, as the pass was only twelve miles from the southern portal of the Gotthard Tunnel near Airolo. This was one of the reasons why were from 1886, built in the space Airolo fixtures, such as the Forte Airolo.
On 15 August, opened in 1929, on the Italian side a road to the pass. It should serve to open up the area for the construction of power plants and for tourism. The Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi built in 1930 just two kilometers south of the pass with his project Wagristoratore a restaurant business for automobile tourists, consisting of a bedroom and a dining car. The plant was destroyed in 1943 by Italian partisans. The transport of the two rail cars highlighted the performance of the 4.5 -meter-wide road. On the part of Switzerland the road was perceived as an additional threat, as the road could be used for military purposes, for example for transport of guns to the pass, making the Gotthard region was in the range of the Italian artillery. The requested from the Italian side continued construction of the road was rejected by Switzerland.
From 1935 arose on the Swiss Pass page fortifications which were especially expanded during the Second World War. Last comprised the dam site San Giacomo 30 individual objects whose care the military ran a cable car. The fortifications were classified according to their task in the 1990s as a dam site of national importance.