The Simplon Pass (; ; ; ; ; ) is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig in the canton of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont (Italy). The pass itself and the villages on each side of it, such as Gondo, are in Switzerland. The Simplon Tunnel was built beneath the vicinity of the pass in the early 20th century to carry rail traffic between the two countries.

The lowest point of the col, and the lowest point on the watershed between the basins of the Rhone and the Po in Switzerland lies in marshland about west of the Simplon Pass settlement at an altitude of .

Rotelsee is a lake located near the pass at an elevation of .

There are several high peaks around that can be climbed directly from the pass. These include Wasenhorn, Hubschhorn, Breithorn (Simplon), and Monte Leone.

History

thumb|left|[[Simplon Hospice|The hospice in 1914]]

thumb|left|[[PostBus Switzerland|Post bus at the hospice]]

There had been a locally used passage through the mountains here for several centuries, but the pass acquired international significance during the Napoleonic occupation. Between 1801 and 1805 the Simplon Road was constructed by the engineer Nicolas Céard at the direction of the emperor in order to transport artillery pieces through the pass between the Rhône valley and Italy. Since then, the pass has been usable by road vehicles: first post carriages, replaced early in the twentieth century by post buses.

The road was periodically improved and in 1950 the cantonal authorities created a plan whereby the pass could be kept open all through the year, and not closed to traffic between October and late April, like most Alpine passes at this altitude. The improvements included several lengthy avalanche shelters along the more exposed stretches of road and the expansion of certain road tunnels to accommodate full size tourist coaches which were significantly taller than the post buses used for local passengers.

The Hospice du Simplon, at the top of the pass, is owned by the Congregation of Canons Regular at Grand-Saint-Bernard.

Monuments

thumb|The Simplon Eagle

During the Second World War, officers of the 11th Alpine Brigade of the Swiss Army, based in Zwischbergen, proposed the construction of the stone monument depicting an eagle, the symbol of the brigade. The Bernese architect Erwin Friedrich Baumann designed the monument based on the use of granite blocks from the old fortification of Gondo (a town near the pass) to build a statue about nine meters high. The monument was inaugurated in September 1944.

In 2005, a memorial was built representing the 200th anniversary of the construction of the "Napoleon Road".

See also

  • Val Divedro
  • List of highest paved roads in Europe
  • List of mountain passes
  • List of the highest Swiss passes

Picture

<gallery>

Säumer am Simplonpass 2020.jpg|Pack animal on Simplon pass 2020

Fletschhorn Mai 2020.jpg|Mount Fletschhorn seen from Simplon pass

Rotelsee im Sommer.jpg|Rotelsee on Simplon Pass

Simplonpass im Wallis (Schweiz).jpg|Col du Simplon

20130817165 Simplon Pass - Simplon Dorf IMG 4574.JPG |Scenery of the area

Napoleon Stützmauer und Hotel Simplon-Blick, Simplonpass (Schweiz).jpg|Retaining wall from Napoleon Road on summit of pass

</gallery>

Maps

center|thumb|900x900px|[[National Maps of Switzerland|Swisstopo map of the Simplon Pass and Tunnel, connecting Brig in Valais with Domdossola in Piedmont. The thick red line demarks the Swiss-Italian border. Monte Leone is visible in the centre, the Simplon pass separates it in the Lepontine Alps in the east from the Pennine Alps in the west. ]]

Bibliography

  • Nicola Pfund, Sui passi in bicicletta - Swiss Alpine passes by bicycle, Fontana Edizioni, 2012, p.&nbsp;122-127.

References

  • Profile on climbbybike.com