Passo di Falzarego

Passo Falzarego (Passo di Falzàrego)
	View of the Falzarego pass from the ascent of the Little Lagazuoi
Pass height	2105 m slm
province	Belluno ( Veneto Region , Italy )
expansion	Strada Statale 48 delle Dolomiti ( Great Dolomites Road )
Built	1909
Mountains	Dolomites
	map
Coordinates	46 ° 31 '8 " N , 12 ° 0' 34" E Coordinates: 46 ° 31 '8 " N , 12 ° 0' 34" E

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The Passo di Falzàrego (also Passo Falzarego , Falzarego , German Falzarego pass; Beech Stone- Ladin Jou de Fauzare , Ampezzan-Ladin Fouzargo ) is a 2105 m slm high mountain pass in the Italian province of Belluno . It connects both the Fodom ( Eng . Buchenstein) and the lower Cordevole Valley with Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Valle del Boite and (via the Valparola Pass ) with the Abbey (South Tyrol) . It is therefore within the Ladin area . If the weather conditions allow, the pass road is also open in winter.

location

The pass is a wide saddle covered with boulders southwest of the main Tofane massif in the Dolomites ; In front of this is the rock of the Little Lagazuoi (2,762 m), which obscures the view of it. In the west the glaciated Marmolada can be seen, and in the south the Monte Averau (2,649 m) in the Nuvolau group and the five peaks of the Cinque Torri group rise .

Name etymology / history

The name Falza Rego means "false king" and refers to the king of the kingdom of the Fanes , who, according to legend, turned to stone because of his betrayal and can still be seen from the pass at Lagazuoi . Outside of this legend, nothing certain is known about the significance of the pass in the Middle Ages and in the early modern period.

In 1909 the pass road was built, completing the last, technically most difficult section of the Great Dolomite Road between Bolzano and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The Passo Falzarego hit the headlines during the First World War . In the mountain war of 1915–1918 , the front ran over the Passo Valparola, the Hexenstein , the Little Lagazuoi and the Passo Falzarego. The Hexenstein and the Austrian position ( Tre Sassi plant ) blocked the Great Dolomite Road from the north-west towards the Val Badia . After several attempts by the Italians failed to take the position, they holed up on the east face of the Lagazuoi, where the mine war began in 1916. After three Austrian blasts on January 1, 1916, January 14, 1917 and May 22, 1917, the Italians drove a more than 1000 m long tunnel from the foot of the mountain to under the Austrian position and blew it up on June 20 with more than 33 t of explosives in the air. A fifth and final Austrian demolition followed on September 16. The blasting did not gain ground for either side of the front.

Since the end of the First World War, the pass has belonged to the province of Belluno . The memorial holds the Alpini - Battalion Belluno with the Latin motto of beads rupes virtutis iter ( "rocks are the path of virtue").

As part of the tourist development of the area since the middle of the 20th century, the tunnel was made accessible again. Smaller positions, trenches, artillery sites and bunkers can also be entered and some are provided with explanations. In this respect, the Lagazuoi today has the character of a historical open-air museum.

Infrastructure, tourism and sport

A main attraction for tourists is a ride on the Lagazuoi cable car to the Little Lagazuoi; An ascent on foot is also possible, either with a torch through the tunnel or on the easier route along the ski slope. The Tofane stands east over the Lagazuoi, and a wide panoramic view of the peaks of the Dolomites opens up from Sella and Marmolada in the west via Civetta and Monte Pelmo in the south to Monte Cristallo , Sorapiss and Antelao in the east and southeast.

To the south of the Falzarego pass is the Andraz Castle , which was built around 1027.

Via ferratas lead into the Tofane ; Easier paths go to Lake Lagazuoi, to the Lagazuoi Alm and down to Passo Valparola and into the upper Abteital . A circumnavigation of Monte Averau is also possible.

In winter is the Lagazuoi ski area. The terrain is developed throughout the Dolomiti Superski cooperative with slopes and lifts similar to the Sellaronda .

photos

Pass summit, view from Hexenstein
Sign at the top of the pass
Stele at the top of the pass
Chapel on the top of the pass, in the background the Hexenstein
West ramp
Former Italian military hospital from World War I at the foot of the Falzàrego towers west of the Passo di Falzàrego

literature

Franz Hauleitner: Dolomites 6, around Cortina d'Ampezzo. 2nd Edition. Rother-Verlag, 2002, ISBN 3-7633-4063-7 .
Walther Schaumann : Scenes of the Mountain War 1915/18 . Past and present in 39 routes and 447 tour suggestions. Ghedina & Tassotti-Verlag, Cortina d'Ampezzo 1989.

Web links

Commons : Passo di Falzarego - Collection of images, videos and audio files