Wurzenpass
Encyclopedia
The Wurzen Pass or Korensko sedlo or simply Koren (Slovene) is a high mountain pass
in a col of the Karawanken
mountain range in the Southern Limestone Alps
, at the border between Arnoldstein
in the Austria
n state of Carinthia
and Kranjska Gora
in Slovenia
. It is named after the nearby village of Podkoren
(Wurzen).
It connects the Austrian B109 Wurzenpass Straße from Villach
with the Slovenian highway No. 201 to the A2 motorway
and Ljubljana
. Though its elevation of 1073 m (3,520.3 ft) is relatively moderate, the road is very curvy and includes several steep ascents with a maximum grade of 18 percent.
The Wurzenpass has been a historic crossing of the Karawanken, though the main trade route from the Duchy of Carinthia
to Trieste
, the Austrian Littoral
and Carniola
ran from Tarvisio
along the Predil Pass and the high valley of Rateče
that was much easier to traverse. Its importance increased with the lay out of a first paved road finished in 1734. During the Cold War
the Austrian Armed Forces built several defence works and bunkers along the Wurzenpass Straße which today are open to the public in the context of a documentation centre.
Until the opening of the Karawanken Motorway Tunnel
in 1991, the Wurzenpass along with the eastern Loibl (Ljubelj) was one of the main arteries for traffic from Austria through former Yugoslavia
, starting point of the notorious autoput highway to Greece
and Turkey
. As Slovenia joined the Schengen Area
in 2004, border controls were abolished on 21 December 2007.
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
in a col of the Karawanken
Karawanken
Karavanke or Karawanken is an Alpine mountain range on the border between Slovenia and Austria. With a total length of 120 km, the Karavanke chain is one of the longest ranges in Europe....
mountain range in the Southern Limestone Alps
Southern Limestone Alps
The Southern Limestone Alps are the ranges of the Eastern Alps south of the Central Eastern Alps mainly located in northern Italy and the adjacent lands of Austria and Slovenia. The distinction from the Central Alps, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological...
, at the border between Arnoldstein
Arnoldstein
Arnoldstein is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia.-Location:Arnoldstein is located at Austria's southern border between the Carnic Alps and the Karawanken mountain range, near the confluence of the Gailitz and the Gail River...
in the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n state of Carinthia
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
and Kranjska Gora
Kranjska Gora
Kranjska Gora is a town and a municipality on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region of northwest Slovenia, close to the Austrian and Italian borders.Kranjska Gora is best known as a winter sports town, being situated in the Julian Alps...
in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. It is named after the nearby village of Podkoren
Podkoren
Podkoren is a settlement in the Kranjska Gora municipality in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. The village church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and is of late Gothic origin as are many houses in the village, but was largely refurbished in the Baroque style.Podkoren lies immediately below the...
(Wurzen).
It connects the Austrian B109 Wurzenpass Straße from Villach
Villach
Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:...
with the Slovenian highway No. 201 to the A2 motorway
A2 motorway (Slovenia)
The A2 motorway is a motorway in Slovenia, around 175 km long, connecting Karavanke Tunnel via the capital city Ljubljana to Obrežje . It connects several larger Slovenian cities, including Kranj, Ljubljana and Novo Mesto, and is part of the Pan-European corridor X.The motorway was completed...
and Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
. Though its elevation of 1073 m (3,520.3 ft) is relatively moderate, the road is very curvy and includes several steep ascents with a maximum grade of 18 percent.
The Wurzenpass has been a historic crossing of the Karawanken, though the main trade route from the Duchy of Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
to Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, the Austrian Littoral
Austrian Littoral
The Austrian Littoral was established as a crown land of the Austrian Empire in 1849. In 1861 it was divided into the three crown lands of the Imperial Free City of Trieste and its suburbs, the Margraviate of Istria, and the Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca, which each had separate...
and Carniola
Duchy of Carniola
The Duchy of Carniola was an administrative unit of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy from 1364 to 1918. Its capital was Ljubljana...
ran from Tarvisio
Tarvisio
Tarvisio is a town in the Province of Udine, in the northeastern part of the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region in Italy...
along the Predil Pass and the high valley of Rateče
Ratece
-External links:** *...
that was much easier to traverse. Its importance increased with the lay out of a first paved road finished in 1734. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
the Austrian Armed Forces built several defence works and bunkers along the Wurzenpass Straße which today are open to the public in the context of a documentation centre.
Until the opening of the Karawanken Motorway Tunnel
Karawanken Tunnel (motorway)
The Karawanken Tunnel is a motorway tunnel crossing the Alpine Karavanke mountain range between Austria and Slovenia, with a total length of , enclosure between the portals.Its construction began in 1986 and it opened on June 1, 1991...
in 1991, the Wurzenpass along with the eastern Loibl (Ljubelj) was one of the main arteries for traffic from Austria through former Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, starting point of the notorious autoput highway to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. As Slovenia joined the Schengen Area
Schengen Area
The Schengen Area comprises the territories of twenty-five European countries that have implemented the Schengen Agreement signed in the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, in 1985...
in 2004, border controls were abolished on 21 December 2007.
See also
- List of highest paved roads in Europe
- List of mountain passes