San Bernardino Pass
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| San Bernardino Pass | |
|---|---|
 Summit of St. Bernardino pass |
|
| Elevation | 2063 m. |
| Location |  Switzerland |
| Range | Alps |
| Coordinates | |
San Bernardino Pass (el. 2063 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting the Hinterrhein and the Mesolcina (Misox) valleys between Thusis (Graubünden) and Bellinzona (Ticino). Located at , it is not to be confused with the Great St. Bernard Pass and the Little St. Bernard Pass. The top of the pass represents both the Italo-German language frontier and the watershed (drainage divide) between the Po basin and the Rhine basin.
The route first became important in the fifteenth century when the route between Thusis and Splügen was known as the Via Mala. The modern road was first opened only between 1821 and 1823, financed in part by the Kingdom of Sardinia, keen to improve a trade route connecting Genoa and Piedmont to the Graubunden that was not directly controlled by Austria.
Traffic flow was much facilitated when in 1967, the San Bernardino road tunnel was completed, since when vehicle traffic on the pass has been much reduced, benefiting those taking the time to avoid the tunnel. The pass road is only open in summer.
[edit] External links
- Profile on climbbybike.com
The Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Bernardino Pass.
