Splügen Pass (Alpine crossing (2113 m)
Alpine crossing (2113 m) on the border between the Rheinwald in the Hinterrhein valley and the Italian Val San Giacomo (St. Jakobstal). The village of Splügen at the northern starting point, mentioned around 840 as cella in speluca, gave the pass its name. Italian Passo dello Spluga, Romanesque Pass dal Spleia. In the Middle Ages, the Splügen Pass was also known as Colmen d'Orso and Urschler.
At the same time as the San Bernardino, the first road that was open to freight wagons and carriages was built between 1818 and 1823. After the Simplon and before the Gotthard, the Lower Road was thus the second Swiss "artificial road" across the Alps. For the route from Chur over the San Bernardino to Bellinzona, the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont was responsible for a large part of the costs, in addition to the canton of Graubünden. The The Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom saw this as a threat to the volume of traffic over the Splügen Pass and in return had a road built at its own expense across the national border to the village of Splügen. This road essentially corresponded to the route still used at the beginning of the 21st century. On the north side, according to the plans of engineer Carlo Donegani, the road no longer led through the avalanche slope of the Altberg. On the south side, an almost completely new route was chosen below Monte Spluga to Campodolcino, bypassing the Cardinell Gorge. Many galleries and refuge houses were built at regular intervals, especially on the south side. After the devastating flood damage of 1834, the road was rebuilt in some places. In 1841, the first mountain house with the customs station was built on the north side (2022 m).
Text / Source: Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (HLS)
hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/008823/2013-01-10

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alvento – italian cycling magazine

October 28, 2022

Known since ancient times because it allowed a peaceful transit, the current Spluga was built in the 1820s. It was climbed for the first time in 1965 by the Giro d'Italia and Vittorio Adorni was the first to pass up here.

Translated by Google •

Paul

August 16, 2024

Splügen Pass / Passo dello Spluga
The Splügen Pass has been proven to have been used since prehistoric times. There are also references to this in Roman times, e.g. the Itinerarium Antonini, a Roman road map from around 300 AD. The very close connections between the bishoprics of Chur and Como ran over the Splügen Pass. As early as 1396, there was evidence of significant customs revenues at Splügen. The expansion of the Viamala Gorge promoted its boom. The movement of goods was carried almost exclusively by packhorses, which meant frequent reloading.
Transit traffic formed an important part of the flourishing economy. As late as 1798, the Austrian Field Marshal von Bellegarde wrote: "The largest train of goods from Milan to Germany goes over this pass, but mostly on horses and mules." Between 1818 and 1823, the first road that was passable for freight wagons and stagecoaches was built at the same time as the San Bernardino, and to a large extent it still follows the same route as it was then. After that, freight volumes and international passenger traffic over the Splügen increased several times over and reached their peak in the mid-1850s.
The opening of the Alpine railways (1867 Brenner, 1872 Mont Cenis) had already reduced transit traffic over the Splügen. The opening of the Gotthard Railway in 1882 brought Graubünden transit traffic to a virtual standstill. A large wave of emigration was a direct result. The decades-long efforts to build a Splügen railway ultimately failed. The construction of the national road with a car tunnel at the San Bernardino opened up new perspectives. The Splügen Pass has been closed in winter since World War II.
Text / Source: Interest Group for Alpine Passes IAP, PO Box 11, 6491 Realp
alpen-paesse.ch/de/alpenpaesse/spluegenpass

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