Semmering pass road
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The Semmering Passstrasse (also known as the Alte Reichsstrasse) connects the federal states of Lower Austria and Styria . It leads from Schottwien via Maria Schutz , the Semmering Pass (with the village of the same name ) and Steinhaus am Semmering to Spital am Semmering . Starting from Mürzzuschlag in Styria, the 17-kilometer-long road winds steadily northeast to the 984 meter high pass and then continues as a well-developed serpentine route to Gloggnitz in Lower Austria. Although the road has some sharp hairpin bends and significant inclines, it is very easy to drive on overall. Since the opening of the Semmering tunnel chain in 2004, it has been used very little - except in the winter months. Today it serves primarily as a replacement road for the S6 and, if necessary, as a parking lot for major alpine events on Semmering.
development
Finds or fragments of stone holey axes in Schottwien, Gloggnitz and Payerbach indicate that prehistoric hikers from the Gloggnitz Bay and the Mürz Valley sometimes passed the heights of the then deserted mountain forest on narrow paths. Only a few finds also testify to an apparently temporary inspection of the Semmering in Celtic and Roman times. A hoard of Celtic silver coins from Schottwien, from the time when the Boier colonized the area around Vienna (around 60 BC), and another deposit of Roman cult objects from Steinhaus am Semmering are known. The main Roman traffic route, however, led from the Styrian Kapellen on the Mürz over the Preiner Gscheid (Tattermann) into the Prein and Schwarzatal. In Mürzzuschlag and Neuberg an der Mürz two hoards of Roman coins were discovered, which must have been buried there between 245–250 and 350 AD. For a long time the Semmering Passage did not play a prominent role in national traffic, this only changed from the Middle Ages.
Venice or Italienstraße
In the early Middle Ages , goods and goods traffic from the Vienna Basin to the south and southeast and back again ran almost entirely via the Pittental , along the old Roman road via the Wechsel . The heyday of the Semmering crossing (also known at the time because of the attacks by robbers and highwaymen known as "Cerwald") began in the 12th century, when Vienna developed into a staging area for German merchants who did lively trade with the south. Many pilgrims from the Orient also increasingly chose the route over the Semmering. Since the 2nd crusade , the traffic of goods with the port cities on the Adriatic coast had increased significantly. On the existing mule track, the horses could usually be packed with a load of approx. 150–170 kg - on level stretches - but in the difficult terrain of the Semmering they had to be reduced to approx. 120–130 kg for safety reasons.
Around 1160, Margrave Ottokar III. Therefore, to facilitate trade and travel, widen the mule track over the pass to a road that can also be passed by smaller handcarts (" ex semita publica via fieret ") and build a hospice at its southwestern end point for those passing through , the nucleus of today's town Spital am Semmering . The mule traffic surely also outlasted the construction of this first pass road, as the goods did not have to be reloaded in a time-consuming manner and the light trucks of that time, which usually only had one horse harnessed, could not transport very large quantities of goods. In addition to the transport with horses, the use of load carriers, which could cope with a weight of approx. 50 kg, also held up. In particular, due to the rise of Venice in the course of oriental trade, traffic over the Semmering increased steadily, so that around 1244 one can speak of a new international trade route. This Semmering Passage, also known as the “sloping Alpine passage” because of its steep incline, was one of the busiest connections across the foothills of the Alps and was soon known as the “Venice” or “Italienstraße” route from Villach via Bruck an der Mur to the Babenbergerresidenz Vienna . In the "oppidum Shadwin" ( gorge ) and "ad Murzze" (Pernreit?), Fortresses were built around which new settlements quickly developed. Mainly bulk goods like wine, salt, hides, wax, copper and pig iron were transported over the Semmering at that time. One of the first people to conquer the Semmering by name is the minstrel Ulrich von Liechtenstein , who passed the pass on the occasion of his "Venusfahrt" in 1227: "... then I moved over the Semernic to Glokeniz alzehant, since I like to jostle whom sehs ritter vant zimirt : the thing man me there snelle whom ". On his "Arthurian Journey", 1240, he traveled over the pass again and was relieved when he had it behind him again: "... over the Semernic we went there and you were happy!" . In 1386, Duke Albrecht III. that the cities in Styria , Carinthia and Carniola would now have to lead the goods brought in from Venice and Hungary - in order to increase their toll income - exclusively via the Semmering and thus via Vienna. The merchants from Bohemia , Silesia and Poland were also forced onto this street. Those who violated this had to expect either their goods to be confiscated or other penalties imposed on them. With this regulation, the route over the Semmering became a "privileged road". The so-called "Weinweg", another mule track that led from Neunkirchen over the Bucklige Welt, the Schanz, Kummerbauerstadl, the heights between Wechsel and Stuhleck, past the Großer Pfaffen, down into the Feistritztal and further into Eastern Styria, could be opposite the new Semmering route, which was becoming more and more important, could not be maintained for long. In the 15th century, the Semmeringstrasse lost some of its importance in the Italian trade in favor of the road over the Radstädter Tauern and the Brenner Pass . After the victory over the Ottomans near Vienna (1683), trade (especially with "tree oil" = olive oil ) via the Semmering increased again.
On the Styrian side, the road from Mürzzuschlag led up the Fröschnitztal to Spital, the hamlet of Jauern and Steinhaus to the junction in the Dürrgraben. From there it rose steeply to the Semmering Pass. Beyond the top of the pass, in Lower Austria, the road turned sharply in a large bend ("Reih") to the bridge over the "Mörten- or Myrthengraben", which was named after a wayside shrine of Saint Martin (at that time the patron saint of the parish of Klamm). The route led past a fountain below the Sonnwendstein through the "Haarpoint" to the hamlet of Göstritz and then through the steep Göstrizgraben or on the banks of the Greisbach down to Schottwien. From here on, the pass was only accessible for trucks with an additional lead consisting of oxen or horses, which was by far the most important source of income for the local innkeepers, lead servants , path-makers, merchants, blacksmiths, wagons and saddlers . The quality of such medieval streets, however, lagged far behind that of Roman times due to the lack of investment and regular maintenance. The kings and, since the late Middle Ages, also the sovereigns had lucrative sovereign rights such as the road and escort shelves as well as tolls and customs duties, but only a very small part of the profits were used for the construction of roads and bridges. At first the hospice in Spital was responsible for the expansion and maintenance of the new street. Later, the local landlords and hammer lords , owners of larger farms and the abbot of Neuberg were responsible for this. The less affluent had for 4 days in year Frondienst afford. However, the state had to provide money for major renovation work. For this purpose, patents for a so-called "land robot" were tendered.
Triesterstrasse or Carolusstrasse
The road connection from Trieste to Vienna became one of the most important transport axes of the monarchy after the city of Trieste was recognized as a free port in 1719. In 1726, the engineer and court mathematician Jakob Marioni was therefore commissioned to redefine the route for the Semmering and to record this in writing. On this occasion, a commission traveled to Semmering for the purpose of "appraising and determining the new road to be developed with a milder gradient". She soon realized that the route had to be led away from the Greisbach and in bends along the northern slope to the Bärensattel. Similar to the road on the Styrian side, the path had to be filled by day laborers, covered with a gravel cover, the “Kayser-Pruckhn” built and ditches and passages dug for mountain rivers, rainwater and meltwater. A new path patent was issued for financing. When construction began in 1728, a new era began for pass traffic as well. The ancient methods of transporting goods were now obsolete, because the new road layout offered completely new opportunities for commercial traffic, but above all an enormous increase in capacity. The street was on the occasion of the trip of Charles VI. on the Adriatic coast, to Trieste and Fiume , in just 48 days. After a six-day stay in the Posthof zu Schottwien, the emperor and his wife Elisabeth Christine, his daughter Maria Theresia and his entourage were able to cross the Semmering on June 21, 1728 without incident. The event was also honored with a monumental monument on the top of the pass, donated by the stands of Inner Austria . The route leads past the top of the pass immediately north of the Carolus monument and is known today as "Alte Semmeringstraße" on the Lower Austrian side and as "Alte Reichsstraße" on the Styrian side. The local economy once again experienced a marked upswing, because the steadily increasing through traffic resulted in many new accommodation and transport companies, these mainly in Schottwien. In 1730 the "Ordinaripost" brought travelers to Venice and Trieste every week. Under Emperor Josef II , who ordered further improvements to the infrastructure, the people of Klagenfurt, Graz, Trieste used the Carolusstraße every week "Diligence" (express mail) and daily mounted messengers for Graz ("Styrian Journalpost"). With the opening of the new Post and Commercial Road in 1841, it lost its importance again. From then on only hikers, riders and light wagons moved on it. Today it is still used in parts as a walk. On long stretches it is now completely overgrown by vegetation, but its course can still be followed.
Post and main commercial street
From 1818 the court chancellery in Vienna planned a new route in order to finally defuse the last dangerous spots in the Semmering Passage. The final building decision was made on December 12th, 1837, the project management lay with the kk Hofbaurat Hermengild Francesconi and his engineer Dlauhy, the execution was entrusted to the Italian entrepreneur Felix Tallachini. This had already laid out the roads over the Splügen Pass and the Wormserjoch. Between 1839 and 1841, 2500 workers, mostly Czechs, were used for the construction work. The new "Imperial and Royal Italian Post and Main Commercial Road" was officially opened by Emperor Ferdinand I, who then drove it with his wife Anna Karolina in his six-horse court carriage. What was new about it was the serpentine route, where it overcomes a difference in altitude of 400 meters, bridges the Myrthengraben at a height of 39 meters and climbs up to the pass in a total of seven hairpin bends. Its maximum incline was therefore only 5%, even in the places where it had previously led directly upwards. Above all, this meant that the expensive and cumbersome leader was no longer necessary, and when going downhill, there was no need to put on bike shoes on the carts to brake. On the other hand, on the Styrian side, it was relatively straight but moderate down into the Mürz Valley. The total cost was 475,844 guilders. This includes: the basic redemption fee of 50,000 guilders, a surcharge of 20,000 guilders for the new Myrthen Bridge, which was constructed larger than originally planned, and an amount of 6,000 guilders for a regulation of the Weißenbach near Schottwien that became necessary during construction. Around the same time, two sections of the southern railway were completed, one from Vienna to Gloggnitz and the other from Mürzzuschlag to Bruck an der Mur. Both were able to go into full operation in 1844. However, since it was still largely unclear whether the railway line over the Semmering would ever be realized, the Poststrasse retained its old significance for the next 10 years, as it was also used by couriers and postchildren. A direct transit by stagecoach between the train station in Mürzzuschlag and Gloggnitz (Malle-Post) was set up on it for passengers ; each trip over the pass took around three hours. Franz Seiser, Imperial and Royal Postmaster in Wiener Neustadt and country coach in Gloggnitz, mainly drove the traffic between Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag with his coachmen and carters. As early as 1844, 26,000 people and 28,000 tons of freight were carried by it. A travel guide published in 1852 reports that every day through Schottwien many heavily loaded, wide-rimmed freight wagons, drawn by 12 horses, rolled onto the Semmering. Shortly after the opening of the Semmering Railway , on May 16, 1854, the last post car drove over the pass.
Car road
From 1899 to 1933 Schottwien was the starting point for the automobile races of the Austrian Automobile Club on the 10 km long Semmering route (Triester Straße, 79th to 89th kilometer stone) up to the top of the pass at the Hotel Erzherzog Johann, which often attracted up to 60,000 spectators. On September 8, 1900, the first car race in Austria was held at Semmering. From 1909 it was canceled due to popular protests. In 1921 the German-Austrian Motor Drivers Association organized the first race after the First World War, and from 1922 the Austrian Automobile Club again. After an interruption due to inflation in 1925, the Semmering hill climb continued until 1933. No competitions were held between 1931 and 1932 due to the Great Depression. After the end of the Second World War, the number of car trips across the Semmering grew rapidly. In the 1950s, the Triester Straße was the most popular route for those who wanted to vacation on the Adriatic . Truck traffic also increased from year to year. As a result, the route soon had to be adapted to the new requirements and was re-routed as Federal Highway 17 between 1956 and 1958. It referred to the section of the former Triester Straße and its further course, which led over the Semmering Pass (today: nö. L 4168 former Semmering replacement road and steir. L 118 Semmering accompanying road) The 10 km long route was where it was possible , considerably widened and provided with a third lane uphill, a so-called "crawl lane", which was mainly used by heavy trucks with trailers. The hairpin bends were also made much wider and less curved. Immediately before the top of the pass, a high double wall had to be built in the "Wagner curve" to support the slope. On the mountain side of the former "Maierreit", today the "Felsnerkurve", a 4-chamber sand silo was built in 1958 at kilometer stone 85.7, which could be filled from above and whose walls were made of reinforced concrete. A separate heating system ensured that the sand did not clump together.
With the opening of the 3.5 kilometer long Semmering summit tunnel of expressway 6 in 2004, the federal highway and thus also the villages of Schottwien, Semmering and Spital am Semmering as stages in transit traffic lost a lot of their importance. The route through the chain of tunnels of the Semmering - which can be driven without a special toll - is much more comfortable than the old pass road and optimally adapted to the requirements of modern road traffic. The Semmering health resort is now spared the majority of heavy goods traffic, on the other hand it also eliminates important sources of income for local businesses. This allows a different road design for what is now state road 4168, although it must remain as an alternative route to the S6 and access to the Semmering community. A redesign of the pass height in the near future is also being considered.
Structures along the road
- Parish church Schottwien
- Schottwien valley crossing
- Pilgrimage Church of Maria Schutz
- Myrtle Bridge
- Semmering tourist office
- Carolus monument
- Hotel Zauberberg
Data
- Route length: 16.50 km
- Lowest point: 642 m
- Highest point: 1,041 m
literature
- Othmar Pickl: The trade route over the Semmering. The importance of Semmeringstrasse in the Middle Ages and in the early modern period . In: Wolfgang Kos (ed.): The conquest of the landscape. Semmering, Rax, Schneeberg . Falter, Vienna 1992, ISBN 3-85460-062-3 , p. 403-411 .
- Hans Stix, Winfried Kallinger: Racing time. The epoch of the Semmering races from 1899 to 1933. Vienna 1996.
- Beppo Beyerl: The Triester Straße. A history of the traffic route from Vienna to Trieste in pictures. Edition Winkler-Hermaden, 2020.
- Franz Preitler: What the Semmering tells, sagas and legends between Mürzzuschlag and Südbahnhof. Sutton story, 2017.