The Albula Pass is a Swiss mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden. It lies at the heart of the Albula Alps, on the watershed between the Albula, tributary of the Rhine, and the Ova d'Alvra, a tributary of the Inn. Overlooking the pass are the ranges of Piz Üertsch and Crasta Mora.
The luxurious mountain resort of Saint Moritz in Switzerland can be found at the south end of the alpine pass.
A BIT OF HISTORY. Already during prehistoric and Roman times, the passages were in use as a trading route for different goods, like honey, cheese, and animal skins. The Bishop of Chur later generated a good income from tools to use the pass during the middle ages.
Gunpowder was used in 1695 to blow a tunnel into the Albula Gorge to get easier access to the Bergün valley. Later between 1864 and 1866, the pass was extended to 4.20 metres road width in some sections to allow horse-drawn post coaches on the pass. The journey between Chur and St. Moritz back then was now only fourteen hours, still less than the Julier Route.
Since July 1st, 1903 the Rhaetian Railway connects the two places via a 5.9 km train tunnel as well and the importance of the pass declined considerably.
The railways follows parallel to the Albula Pass for some time and with a bit of luck you can see one of the trains crossing over the Albula Pass on one of the impressive stone viaducts. There is also an interesting railway museum in the town of Bergün to visit.
Since the opening of the railway, the alpine pass lost its importance. The car route to St. Moritz is mainly served by the Julier Pass, which is normally kept open even during the winter.
In 2008 the Rhaetian Railway became only the third railway in the world to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage.
