Semmering Pass
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| Semmering | |
|---|---|
 Satellite photo of the Semmering |
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| Elevation | 965 m (3,166 ft) |
| Location |  Austria |
| Range | Alps |
| Coordinates | |
For the town of the same name, see Semmering, Austria.
Semmering (el. 965 m) is a mountain pass in the Eastern Northern Limestone Alps connecting Lower Austria and Styria between which it forms a natural border.
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[edit] Location
Semmering Pass is located west of Sonnwendstein and Hirschenkogel and east of the Pinkenkogel.
Beside the Wechsel Pass, the Semmering is the most important connection between Lower Austria and Styria. It can be crossed by road (via an Autobahn with a tunnel) and with the Semmering Railway.
A village also bearing the name Semmering is located on the pass. The villages of Maria Schutz and Spital am Semmering are located slightly below the pass on the Lower Austrian and the Styrian side respectively. Schottwien and Mürzzuschlag are the closest sizeable towns on each side.
[edit] Rail transportation
As the Semmering is a major bottleneck in the Austrian railway network, the Semmering Railway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, is to be supplemented by a tunnel located at the base of the mountains. The project is supported by the Austrian Federal Government and the governments of Styria and Carinthia, but heavily opposed by the government of Lower Austria, which persists in blocking the project by issuing negative environmental impact statements. The project has now been stalled for several years, even though the administrative acts issued by the Lower Austrian government have been repeatedly declared invalid by the Austrian Administrative Court. The main argument against the tunnel are possible negative effects on ground water, which, strangely, seems not to apply to the Autobahn tunnel already finished.
[edit] Skiing
The Semmering ski resort, which also hosts World Cup events, is located at the pass and extends on the Hirschenkogel mountain. It is mainly used by skiers from Vienna, from where it can be reached within one hour, and increasingly by people from Hungary and Slovakia.
[edit] The Semmering Pass in numismatics
The Semmering Pass is so popular, that it was the main motive of one of the most famous commemorative coins: the 25 euro 150 Years Semmering Alpine Railway Coin. The reverse of the coin shows a typical Semmering view. A steam engine just emerged from a tunnel crossing one of the distinctive viaducts.
[edit] External links
