| Wurzenpass | |
|---|---|
 Austria–Slovenia border with stone marker bearing "XXVII St. Germain 10. Sept. 1919" | |
| Elevation | 1,073 m (3,520 ft) |
| Traversed by | road |
| Location | Austria–Slovenia border |
| Range | Karawanks |
| Coordinates | 46°31′19″N13°45′9″E / 46.52194°N 13.75250°E /46.52194; 13.75250 |
  Wurzen Pass Location of Wurzen Pass | |
TheWurzen Pass (German:Wurzenpass,Slovene:Korensko sedlo) is amountain pass in a col of theKarawanks mountain range in theSouthern Limestone Alps, on the border between Radendorf in theAustrian state ofCarinthia andKranjska Gora inSlovenia. It is named after the nearby village ofPodkoren (Wurzen).
The pass connects the Austrian B109 Wurzenpass Straße fromVillach with the Slovenian highway No. 201 to theA2 motorway andLjubljana. Though its elevation of 1,073 m (3,520 ft) is relatively moderate, the road contains numerous curves and includes several steep ascents with a maximum grade of 18 percent.
The Wurzenpass has been a historic crossing of the Karawanks, though the main trade route from theDuchy of Carinthia toTrieste, theAustrian Littoral andCarniola ran fromTarvisio along thePredil Pass and the high valley ofRateče that was much easier to traverse. Its importance increased with the lay out of a first paved road finished in 1734. During theCold War theAustrian Armed Forces built several defence works and bunkers along theWurzenpass Straße which today are open to the public in the context of a documentation centre.
Until the opening of theKarawanks Motorway Tunnel in 1991, the Wurzenpass along with the easternLoibl(Ljubelj) was one of the main arteries for traffic from Austria through formerYugoslavia, starting point of the notoriousautoput highway toGreece andTurkey. When Slovenia joined theEuropean Union on 1 May 2004, customs controls were removed from the border. As Slovenia entered theSchengen Area in 2007, passport controls with police checkpoints were consequently abolished on 21 December 2007.[1]
Media related toWurzen Pass at Wikimedia Commons| Settlements | Administrative seat:Kranjska Gora
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