Somport

The former border checkpoint at Somportpass

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The Col du Somport / Puerto de Somport (height 1632 m ) is one of the oldest Pyrenees crossings and border crossing between France and Spain. Celts, Carthaginians, Romans and Moors used this pass. His name is the abraded form of Latin summus portus = highest ( Pyrenees ) transition, what he was actually for centuries. In Jacob book, he is referred to as Portus Asperi, probably with reference to the Aspe valley on the French side.

Pass road

The importance of Somport road for traffic has fallen considerably since the opening of the Somport road tunnel in January 2003.

Railway tunnel

The Franco-Spanish agreement on the construction of a Trans- Pyrenean railway was closed in 1880. On the Spanish side, the line was completed in 1883 to the valley of Canfranc and taken the train service.

The construction of the pipeline from the north was delayed. The railway tunnel under the pass was dug in 1908 to 1915. In 1928, the French railway Pau - Canfranc was opened. In Canfranc Station ( Estación internacional de Canfranc ) the trains were umgespurt and completed border formalities. 1970, the train service was discontinued through the tunnel after an accident. The now non-functional station building in Canfranc is considered the largest in Spain.

The old railway tunnel was used in the construction of the road tunnel as a laboratory and workshop space. The south entrance to the station is served daily only two pairs of trains to and from Huesca.

Road tunnel

The road tunnel under the Somport was built primarily from 1999 to 2002 and opened to traffic on 17 January 2003.

In the planning phase of the tunnel leading to the expressway is supported by a European environmental groups protest movement developed from the year 1992. The directed against the construction of argumentation was mainly related to the additional fragmentation of the last Western European brown bear areas at the same time avoiding the reactivation of the disused railway line. In the environment of the former railway station Cette Eygun on the French side were several international protest camps involving va held from Belgium, Germany, France, Great Britain and Spain. The site was repeatedly occupied briefly in the episode. In 1994, the protests against the Somport tunnel culminated in a demonstration of 8,000 environmentalists.

Pilgrimage

Is in the context of the pilgrimage and it was important for the pilgrims who went over Toulouse to Santiago de Compostela.

Just below the pass you will find the ruins of the old pilgrim hospital of Santa Cristina de Somport from the 11th century. There is the view that it was erected in 1078 on the initiative of King Sancho Ramírez of Aragon, another says that it could build two knights in gratitude for the survival of a snow storm on Somport. Probably complement both versions because the promotion of the pilgrimage from private and State resources was common. Perhaps the origins of the monastery rich but to the 7th century, in the reign of the Visigoth King Wamba back and in the activities described above, then it is extensions. 1623 was transferred to the Order of Preachers of Jaca, where some time later moved the last monks. Already in 1661 the monastery was according to the report of a canon of Roncesvalles in ruins.

The importance of the hospice gives a measure of Bernhard as pillars of Christianity in the Jacob book from the joint nomination with the hospices in Jerusalem and the Great Santa. A visit to the wintry Somports in bad weather (close to the ski resorts Astún and Candanchú ) makes this assignment understandable.