Loibl Pass
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2013) |
Loibl Pass | ||
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Elevation 1,367 m (4,485 ft) | | |
Traversed by | road | |
Location | Austrian–Slovenian border | |
Range | Karawanks | |
Coordinates | 46°26′30″N 14°15′19″E / 46.44167°N 14.25528°E | |
The Loibl Pass (German: Loiblpass) or Ljubelj Pass (Slovene: prelaz Ljubelj) is a high mountain pass in the Karawanks chain of the Southern Limestone Alps, linking Austria with Slovenia. The Loibl Pass road is the shortest connection between the Carinthian town of Ferlach and Tržič in Upper Carniola and part of the European route E652 from Klagenfurt to Naklo.
Geography
The mountain pass is located just on the Austrian-Slovenian border at 1,367 metres above the Adriatic (4,485 ft), east of the Stol massif. The mountain road (Loiblpass Straße, B 91), one of the steepest in the Eastern Alps, winds up from the broad Drava valley in numerous hairpin curves to the top of the pass, parallel to the Loiblbach brook and the picturesque Tscheppa (Čepa) gorge with several waterfalls. From the Kleiner Loibl (Sapotnica) pass, a small road branches off to the remote Bodental valley. Since 1963-64 the traffic passes through a two-lane tunnel at 1,069 m (3,507 ft) underneath the mountain crest. South of the pass, the road (No. 101) runs down via Podljubelj to Tržič in the Sava valley and further to the A2 motorway. Nearby mountain passes are Wurzen Pass in the west and Seeberg Saddle in the east.
Formerly one of the most important road connections between the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt and
History
Different trails were used since ancient times, connecting Virunum in the Roman province of Noricum with Emona (at present-day Ljubljana). In medieval times, the strategic importance of Loibl Pass increased again, when in the 11th century Emperor Henry III separated the southeastern March of Carniola from the Carinthia. The Patriarchs of Aquileia, governing the margraviate from 1077, entrusted the maintenance of the pass road to the Cistercian monks of newly established Viktring Abbey, who had a hospitium and a chapel dedicated to Saint Leonard erected. Nevertheless, the monks had to rival with claims raised by the local Lords of Hollenburg (Humberk) Castle, who took over the possessions by 1488. Since 1335, both the Carinthian and Carniolan Imperial estates in the north and south were ruled by the Habsburg dukes of Austria.
The pass became an important trade route after the City of Trieste went under the umbrella of the Habsburg archdukes in the late 14th century. From about 1560 the Carinthian estates had the former bridle path extended and a 150 m (500 ft) long tunnel built underneath the Karawanks ridge, an early example of modern engineering that later had to be removed due to lack of safety. Another attempt was planned in the 17th century; however, when in 1728 Emperor Charles VI toured the lands of the Habsburg monarchy, he still had to travel over the Loibl summit, stopping by the Deutscher Peter tavern north of the pass. Thereafter he ordered the expansion of the mountain road as part of the long-distance route from the Austrian capital Vienna to the Port of Trieste. Two obelisks were erected at the top of the pass to commemorate his stay.
Loibl Tunnel
This section relies largely or entirely on a single source. (December 2017) |
During
The breakthrough of the tunnel happened in December 1943. Rainer and several high-ranking SS members came to inspect the project. The first
An American
The tunnel reopened as a border crossing between Austria and the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia in 1950 and expanded in the early 1960s to two lanes in November 1963.[1] The old road over the summit of the mountain pass has been closed for motorised traffic since 1967.
Recreation
In summer, the old road pass provides access to hiking routes along the main ridge of Karawank Mountains. Almost every winter a sled run set up on the southern (Slovenian) side of the pass.
See also
References
- ^ "Der Loibltunnel ist befahrbar. Offizielle Eröffnung erst am 1. Juli 1964" [Loibltunnel is passable. Official opening on 1 July 1964] (in German). Arbeiter-Zeitung. 16 November 1963. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
External links
- Media related to Loibl Pass at Wikimedia Commons
- Profile on climbbybike.com
- Loibl Pass. Information about Loibl Pass (German)