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Revision as of 09:59, 31 December 2024 by Toadspike (talk | contribs) (My first sfn)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Mountain pass in Switzerland| Julier Pass | |
|---|---|
 View of the Julier Pass from Piz Polaschin | |
| Elevation | 2,284 m (7,493 ft) |
| Traversed by | Paved road |
| Location | Graubünden, Switzerland |
| Range | Albula Alps |
| Coordinates | 46°28.32′N 09°43.74′E / 46.47200°N 9.72900°E / 46.47200; 9.72900 |
  Julier PassLocation in Switzerland | |
The Julier Pass (Romansh: Pass dal Güglia, German: Julierpass, Italian Passo del Giulia) (el. 2284 m) is a mountain pass in the Albula Alps of Switzerland. It connects the Engadin valley with central Graubünden. At its summit, the pass crosses the drainage divide between the basins of the rivers Rhine and Danube.
The Julier Pass lies between the towns of Bivio to the west andSilvaplana to the east. It is numbered as part of the Swiss N29 motorway and the H3 main road. The Pass was heavily used in the Roman era and contains the most artifacts of Roman roads of any location in Graubünden. The Julier Pass lies between Piz Lagrev and Piz Julier. A few metres south of the summit is the small lake Lej da las Culuonnas.
The road constructed in the 1820s to replace the old Septimer Pass was well built and is still easily passable after moderate widening for normal cars and trucks. In some parts, areas were rebuilt in 2009 to reduce the number of serpentine turns. Winter use requires winter tires, as well as snow chains in extremely poor weather.
The Julier Pass is one of the three paved road passes connecting the Engadin with the northern Grisons, the two other being the Albula Pass and the Flüela Pass.
History
The Julier Pass was in heavy use during the Bronze Age and the Roman era, evidenced by the countless coins and remains of Roman roads discovered in the region. Two monumental soapstone columns flank the modern pass road at its summit; excavations in the 1930s revealed that the columns were part of a Roman sanctuary.
Historically, the Julier Pass was in competition with the shorter but steeper Septimer Pass. Together, the two passes made up the Obere Strasse (lit. 'upper road'), which continued northwards via Lenzerheide to Chur, and southwards via the Maloja Pass. During the Roman era, two-wheeled carts, the largest vehicles able to negotiate the steep slopes, may have been sent over the Julier Pass when loaded and over the Septimer Pass when empty.
The Julier Pass lost importance in 1387, when a small road over the Septimer Pass was built. In 1473, the path through the Viamala was expanded, and the Obere Strasse was no longer preferred for transalpine travel. The Viamala was part of the Untere Strasse (lit. 'lower road'), which ran via the Splügen Pass and San Bernardino Pass. This shift led the Bishop of Chur, who controlled the Obere Strasse, to acquire Thusis and Heinzenberg from the Counts of Werdenberg, giving him control of the Untere Strasse and a monopoly over the passes of the Three Leagues. The Julier Pass retained its importance only in providing access to the upper Engadin and Bernina Pass.
Route
| Place | Elevation | Distance | Diff. elevation |
Total distance |
Total elevation diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiefencastel | 851 m | - | - | - | - |
| Savognin | 1207 m | 9 km | 356 m | 9 km | 356 m |
| Rona | 1408 m | 5 km | 201 m | 14 km | 557 m |
| Mulegns-Sur | 1538 m | 4.5 km | 130 m | 18.5 km | 687 m |
| Marmorera | 1680 m | 2.5 km | 142 m | 21 km | 829 m |
| Bivio | 1769 m | 5 km | 89 m | 27 km | 918 m |
| pass | 2284 m | 9 km | 515 m | 36 km | 1'433 m |
| Silvaplana | 1815 m | 7 km | - 469 m | 43 km | 964 m |
See also
- Maloja Pass and Septimer Pass, two passes in close proximity of the Julier Pass
- List of highest paved roads in Switzerland
- List of highest road passes in Switzerland
Notes
- "Kantonales Strassennetz" (PDF). Tiefbauamt Graubünden. 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
- "Strassenverzeichnis" (PDF). Tiefebauamt Graubünden. 2024-11-20. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
- IVS 2007, p. 10 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFIVS2007 (help)
- ^ Topographic map of the Grisons, Swisstopo. Retrieved 16 March 2022
- ^ Simonett, Jürg (30 January 2018). "Julierpass". Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (in German). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
- IVS 2007, p. 14 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFIVS2007 (help)
- IVS 2007, p. 15 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFIVS2007 (help)
References
- Historische Verkehrswege im Kanton Graubünden (PDF) (in German). Bundesinventar der historischen Verkehrswege der Schweiz (IVS). 2007.
External links
Media related to Julierpass at Wikimedia Commons- Profile on climbbybike.com
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