Stilfser Joch

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Stilfser Joch
The east ramp seen from the Payerhütte (3029 m)

The east ramp seen from the Payerhütte (3029 m)

Compass direction Northeast southwest
Pass height 2757  m slm
province Vinschgau ( South Tyrol ) Valtellina ( Province of Sondrio )
Watershed Trafoier Bach → Etsch Braulio → Adda
Valley locations Prad am Stilfserjoch Bormio
expansion Strada Statale 38 Italia.svg Strada Statale 38 dello Stelvio
Built 1820-1826
Winter closure November - May
Mountains Ortler Alps
profile
Denzel scale SG 3 SG 3
Ø pitch 7.2% (1972 m / 27.5 km) 7% (1536 m / 22 km)
Max. Incline 15% 12%
map
Stilfser Joch (Ortler Alps)
Stilfser Joch
Coordinates 46 ° 31 '42 "  N , 10 ° 27' 12"  E Coordinates: 46 ° 31 '42 "  N , 10 ° 27' 12"  E
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The Stilfser Joch (also Stilfserjoch , Italian Passo dello Stelvio ) is a mountain pass in the Ortler Alps . With a height of 2757  m slm , the Stilfser Joch is the highest mountain pass in Italy and after the Col de l'Iseran the second highest asphalted mountain pass in the Alps . It connects Bormio in Veltlin ( Lombardy ) with Prad in Vinschgau ( South Tyrol ). The road from Santa Maria, which comes over the Umbrailpass , joins on the west side at 2503  m . Also on this side you drive through several short tunnels a little lower down. At the east ramp, which leads down into the Trafoital , you can branch off in Gomagoi at 1260  m into the inner Suldental . The mountain hotel Franzenshöhe is located at 2188  m on the east side.

The pass road, part of Strada Statale 38 dello Stelvio , is paved throughout and is usually open to traffic between the end of May and November. The west ramp of Bormio is usually opened to traffic a little earlier. During the short opening times, there is heavy traffic on this street, mainly from tourism and leisure trips. Hundreds of motorcyclists gather there every year at the “International Meeting” in the first week of July.

The area around the pass has been part of the Stilfserjoch National Park since 1935 .

A study decided on in 2015 aims to clarify whether a future rail or car tunnel under the Stilfser Joch is feasible. It is also planned to have the Stilfser Joch recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

history

Prehistoric times and antiquity

The Stilfser Joch, named after the village of Stilfs east of the pass, never belonged to the nationally significant passes - on the contrary, it was always in the shadow of the Umbrail Pass until the Stilfser Joch road was built . In earlier times this was called "Wormser Joch", after the village of Bormio, in German Worms. The Stilfser Joch was once called the “Wormser Steig”. Even if the pass traffic over the Stilfser Joch at that time was certainly not brisk, the pass was surely crossed over and over again. Finds suggest a use in the Bronze Age .

Archaeological evidence of traffic over the Stilfser Joch seems to be a place of worship at the hot springs of Bormio. A fragment of a stone relief was found there showing a larger than life figure of a god with a horned helmet, a shield and a standard. A man in a short skirt and a knife on his belt who blows a horn approaches her. He too seems to be holding a lance with a shield attached, perhaps a dedication to the god. The stone frieze was dated to the 5th to 4th century BC. BC, i.e. the Iron Age .

At the time of the Romans led a mule track over the pass, which had a certain importance since it fast access and edge protection for over the Reschenpass leading Via Claudia Augusta offered.

Modern times

The Stilfser Joch was also used to a certain extent throughout the Middle Ages, so that in modern times it was hardly used as a pass even by locals. During the Thirty Years War , in which almost all of Europe was involved, but which raged mainly on German soil, the Stilfser Joch was used several times by the military. In 1632, Milanese troops crossed the Stilfser Joch to assist the Austrian Archduke Leopold . In the following year, another Milanese army with 12,000 soldiers and 1,600 horses crossed the Stilfser Joch, while the Duke of Milan and his entourage chose the route over the Wormser Joch. And again a year later, the Spanish cardinal-infant Don Fernando , the brother of the Spanish king, moved with 21,000 Spanish soldiers over the Stilfser Joch into the Vinschgau.

Stagecoach on the Stilfser Joch, 1881

In order to improve the pass connections to the north, in 1795 Bormio wanted to convert one of the old paths that led over the Wormser or Stilfser Joch into a cart path (mostly single-lane rural road). But the envy of the Engadins, who feared that this would divert the previous trade through the Engadin to Reschen , prevented expansion. When Bavaria concluded a trade agreement with Italian territories in 1808 , there were renewed studies on the construction of a pass road leading north from Bormio. In addition to the Fraèlepass and the Wormser Joch, they mainly affected the Stilfser Joch. The planning of another road that would lead over the Gaviapass and through the Val di Forno into the Martell Valley was abandoned because it would have led too much through glaciated area. The decision fell on the Stilfser Joch, a first project of a 2.70 m wide road between Bormio and the top of the pass was developed. Before the planning could continue over the top of the pass or the construction could begin, the political situation in Europe changed so much that there were more important things than the construction of a trade route.

The modern street

West ramp of the Stilfser Joch with the Braulio Gorge

The approximately 50 km long road over the Stilfser Joch was built from 1820 to 1825 by the Austrian Empire under the direction of Carlo Donegani (1775–1845) to connect Lombardy , which was part of the Austrian Empire, with the other parts of the empire as quickly as possible.

Up to 2,000 workers worked on the road every day during the summer months. The pass road was inaugurated in October 1825 after 5 years and 3 months of construction. In 1832 Emperor Franz I officially inspected the road engineering masterpiece himself. It has 48 hairpin bends on the 27.5 km long South Tyrolean side, while the 21.7 km long west ramp in Lombardy has 34 hairpin bends. The six tunnels on the driveway of Bormio between Bagni Vecchio and the second caretaker's house in the Braulio Gorge, which have a total length of almost 700 m, represented the greatest structural difficulties.

Soon after its inauguration, the east ramp, which was particularly at risk of avalanches, required the construction of wooden avalanche protection tunnels with a total length of around 3,500 m. Until 1848 the pass road was also open in winter and could be driven on by horse-drawn sleigh. For the almost 50 km long route between Bormio and Prad, including several horse changes, 9 hours were needed.

During the revolution of 1848 , the pass road was made impassable by a few Lombard insurgents by setting fire to several wooden avalanche protection tunnels above Trafoi. The ease with which the road could be blocked prompted Radetzky to have the pass roads over the Tonale and Aprica expanded as alternative routes . As a result, the road over the Stilfser Joch quickly lost its military importance, to which it owed its creation just a few years earlier. In the Italian Wars of Independence of 1859 and 1866 it only played a subordinate role, so that after the Peace of Vienna the Austrian side was asked to keep the pass road open for at least the summer - since 1859 the state border ran between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy over the Stelvio Pass.

During the First World War , the Italian front ran over the Stelvio Pass between 1915 and 1918 . The only major military action took place in June 1915 a few weeks after the start of the war, when the Austrians succeeded in occupying the pass- dominating Monte Scorluzzo southwest of the pass summit . Remains of fortifications from the war period can still be seen around the pass.

The road layout has hardly changed since it was built. To this day, the winding north-east ramp of Prad ( 915  m ) consists of 48 numbered hairpin bends.

Infrastructure on the pass

Public bus on the Stilfserjoch

In addition to several hotels, cafes and kiosks, one of the highest chapels in the Alps and a branch of Banca Popolare di Sondrio, which claims to have the highest bank counter in Europe, are on the pass. There are also regular buses on the Stilfserjochstraße. The Swiss postbus line Müstair - Tirano , which is operated once a day in the summer months , leads from Müstair and Santa Maria Val Müstair to the Umbrail Pass and the Stilfser Joch. From there the line continues to Bormio and Tirano.

Surroundings

Eastern ramp of the Stilfser Joch taken from the Tibet hut

The Ortler massif begins south of the Stilfser Joch , with the Ortler main summit ( 3905  m slm ) as the highest elevation. The first summit of this massif are the 3095  m high, easy to climb, but rarely committed Monte Scorluzzo with comprehensive view of the pass, the Ortler Alps , the Umbrailpass and the onset of Sondrio and the already in the summer ski area located 3174  meters high Monte Livrio .

The Dreisprachenspitze ( 2843  m ) connects to the north of the Stilfser Joch . It is where the Italian-speaking Lombardy meet , the formerly exclusively German-speaking South Tyrol and the Rhaeto-Romanic Graubünden . A hike is worthwhile starting from the top of the pass on the northern side of the valley, parallel above the pass road on a marked mountain trail to Trafoi .

Sports

Cycling

The Stilfser Joch attracts thousands of sporty cyclists every year because of its winding roads. Cyclists can take a tour starting in Prad am Stilfserjoch (at the foot of the pass road) or the town of Glurns . The usual route leads over the Stilfser Joch to shortly after the top of the pass, then over the Umbrailpass and Santa Maria Val Müstair through Switzerland back to Glurns or Prad. The famous Giro d'Italia cycle race also often leads over the Stelvio Pass. At the top of the pass, a memorial commemorates the legendary Italian cyclist Fausto Coppi , who won the Giro d'Italia five times.

For a number of years, the Stelvio Cycling Day has been held on the first Saturday in September or the last Saturday in August, during which the road (from Trafoi to Bormio) is closed to motorized traffic from morning until late afternoon and only for thousands of cyclists and is reserved for (a few) hikers or runners. Since 2007, the road from Santa Maria in the Münstertal over the Umbrailpass has also been closed to traffic on this day.

Every year in mid-July, the Vinschgau amateur cycling club organizes a cycling race with start in Prad and finish on the top of the Stelvio Pass. The annual “Dreiländergiro” race for everyone at the end of June, starting in Nauders, Tyrol, also leads over the pass.

Skiing

One of the last summer ski areas in the Alps is located on the Stilfser Joch. Skiing takes place on the Ebenferner below the Geisterspitze . Since the pass road is the only access option that is closed from November to the end of May (the small settlement is uninhabited at this time), the ski area is the only one in the Alps, apart from that at Rifugio 3A in Val Formazza , that is operated exclusively in summer. Many national ski teams from all over Europe train regularly in the Stilfser Joch ski area. It begins at an altitude of 2760  m and, according to the brochure, extends to an altitude of 3450  m . In fact, the highest lift ends a little lower, and the descent to the pass is usually only possible in the first and last days of the season in spring or autumn due to lack of snow. There are three trails available for cross-country skiers .

There are still six cable cars and lifts left in terms of lifts, in addition to the two feeder lifts from the pass to the “Trincerone” and from there to the “Livrio”, these are the Geister I and II, Payer and Cristallo tow lifts. All other lifts have been shut down and / or dismantled in recent years. From a cable car point of view, the Funifor type cable car is interesting here , which connects the “Trincerone” with the “Livrio” and was a “world first” in terms of the system (two carrying cables at a distance greater than the cabin width, two pulling cables).

The summer ski area generally opens at Whitsun and closes together with the pass road in November. In 2017, the summer ski season had to end early at the beginning of August. The previous winters with little snow and the extremely warm summer with a zero degree limit of over 4000  m caused the thin layer of snow to melt away almost completely and made any further skiing impossible.

Marathon run

On June 17, 2017, a marathon took place on the Stelvio Pass for the first time , which has been held annually in June since then. The route leads over 42.195 km from Prad am Stilfserjoch over the Furkelhütte to the top of the pass, in addition to which competitions are offered in shorter distances.

toll

Eastern ramp of the Stelvio Pass

The reintroduction of a toll has been publicly discussed for years , but no toll has yet been levied.

As early as 1900, a toll was levied to refinance the construction costs. From July 2006 the South Tyrolean provincial government planned to collect a toll for driving on the Stilfser Joch. This measure was intended to reduce traffic on the one hand and to finance investments in traffic safety on the other. The planned introduction of a toll on May 13, 2013 was canceled shortly beforehand. Since 2015, an overarching working group with representatives from the Vinschgau, Bormio, Val Müstair and the Stilfserjoch National Park has been developing various proposals for upgrading the Stilfser Joch. In this context, a kind of “entry fee” is planned from 2019.

Top gear

In the first episode of the tenth season of the Top Gear car magazine (first broadcast on October 7, 2007), the road to the Stilfser Joch was presented as the “ world's greatest driving road ”. The focus here was on the route, which enables a sporty driving style in a spectacular setting - these criteria were met by the moderators at the Stelvio Pass. For the filming, heavily motorized, weight-optimized sports cars from Porsche , Lamborghini and Aston Martin with road approval were used, the route was closed to traffic and helicopters were used.

documentary

In 2014 the Stilfser Joch became its own documentary called “Stilfser Joch. Way of the Cross of Peace ”.

literature

Web links

Commons : Stilfser Joch  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikivoyage: Stelvio Pass  - travel guide

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ stol.it Südtirol Online, Italy: Kompatscher zu Stilfser Joch: Prefer train connection. In: stol.it. July 27, 2015, archived from the original on July 30, 2015 ; accessed on August 3, 2015 (de_DE).
  2. ↑ Steffan Bruns: Alpine passes - history of the alpine pass crossings . 1st edition. tape 3 : From the Inn to Lake Garda . L. Staackmann Verlag, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-88675-273-7 , p. 94 .
  3. ↑ a b History of the Stilfserjochstraße in the Tecneum Technology Museum
  4. ↑ Luciano Viazzi: Guerre sulle vette. Ortles - Cevedale: 1915-1918 . 1st edition. Mursia, Milan 1976, p. 17-18 .
  5. ↑ a b Luciano Viazzi: Guerre sulle vette. Ortles - Cevedale: 1915-1918 . 1st edition. Mursia, Milan 1976, p. 18 .
  6. ↑ http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/fileadmin/fap_pdf_fields/2017/90.821.pdf
  7. ↑ https://www.postauto.ch/de/ausflugstipps/stelvio-linie
  8. ↑ Stelvio Cycling Day
  9. ↑ Bike race on the Stilfserjoch
  10. ↑ Andrea Selva: Allo Stelvio c'era una volta lo sci d'estate: la resa dell'ultimo ghiacciaio. In: repubblica.it. August 22, 2017, accessed July 20, 2018 (Italian).
  11. ↑ Stelvio Marathon
  12. ↑ Andrea Girardello, andrea dot girardello at gmail dot com: Tecneum: museo della tecnica. Retrieved March 20, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Also this year no toll on the Stilfser Joch. In: stol.it. July 24, 2014, archived from the original on October 9, 2015 ; Retrieved August 3, 2015 .
  14. ↑ "Maut" on the Stilfserjoch - The New South Tyrolean Daily Newspaper. Retrieved March 20, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Alois Kronbichler: Stilfserjoch - upgrading of the pass road "Erlebnisraum Stilfserjoch". May 31, 2016, accessed March 20, 2017 .
  16. ^ The boys find the world's best driving road , BBC Top Gear
  17. ^ Documentary about the Stilfser Joch , Alpenway

Remarks

  1. ↑ Donegani, adjunct at the kk building management in Milan, was raised in 1840 as Carl Donegani with the predicate of Stilfserberg to the knighthood of the Austrian imperial state . - See: Vienna. In:  Wiener Zeitung , No. 324/1840, November 22, 1840, p. 1, top left. (Online at ANNO ). Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wrz.