| Simplon Pass | |
|---|---|
 View of the Simplon Pass from above with theRotelsee (left) andLake Hopschu (right). Note the slightly lower marshland behind the road. | |
| Elevation | 2,006 m (6,581 ft)[1] |
| Traversed by | Road |
| Location | Valais,Switzerland |
| Range | Alps |
| Coordinates | 46°15′6″N8°2′0″E / 46.25167°N 8.03333°E /46.25167; 8.03333 |
  Location in Switzerland | |
TheSimplon Pass (French:Col du Simplon;German:Simplonpass;Italian:Passo del Sempione;Lombard:Pass del Sempion; 2,006 m or 6,581 ft;Romansh:Pass dal Simplon) is a highmountain pass between thePennine Alps and theLepontine Alps inSwitzerland. It connectsBrig in the canton ofValais withDomodossola inPiedmont (Italy). The pass itself and the villages on each side of it, such asGondo, are in Switzerland. TheSimplon 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 thecol, and the lowest point on the watershed between the basins of theRhone and thePo in Switzerland lies in marshland about 500 m (1,640 ft) west of the Simplon Pass settlement at an altitude of 1,995 m or 6,545 ft.[2]
Rotelsee is a lake located near the pass at an elevation of 2,028 m (6,654 ft).
There are several high peaks around that can be climbed directly from the pass. These includeWasenhorn,Hubschhorn,Breithorn (Simplon), andMonte Leone.
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 engineerNicolas Céard at the direction ofthe emperor in order to transport artillery pieces through the pass between theRhône valley andItaly. Since then, the pass has been usable by road vehicles: firstpost carriages, replaced early in the twentieth century bypost 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.[3] 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 thepost buses used for local passengers.[3] In October 1970, a party of journalists was invited to inspect the improvements and it was announced that the necessary improvements had been implemented on 37 km (23 mi) of the 42.5 km (26.4 mi) betweenBrig inValais and the Italian frontier atGondo, that 110 of the 180 million Swiss francs budgeted to the project had been spent and that, while a further five years would be needed to complete all the projected improvements, the Simplon Pass could now be used safely all through the year.[3] The formerSimplon département (the Swiss cantonValais) was named after the pass.
The Simplon Pass was also outfitted with rails for train service. The 20 km (12 mi)-longSimplon Tunnel was opened in 1906. The historicOrient Express used the Simplon route intermittently during the twentieth century, as it carried passengers betweenIstanbul andParis.[4]
TheHospice du Simplon, at the top of the pass, is owned by the Congregation of Canons Regular at Grand-Saint-Bernard.
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During theSecond World War, officers of the 11th Alpine Brigade of theSwiss Army, based in Zwischbergen, proposed the construction of the stone monumentdepicting an eagle, the symbol of the brigade. The Bernese architectErwin Friedrich Baumann designed the monument based on the use of granite blocks from the old fortification ofGondo (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".
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