Gschütt Pass

The Pass Gschütt is a mountain pass in the Alps that straddles the border between Salzburg and Upper Austria. It sits at 957 metres above sea level and links Rußbach am Paß Gschütt in the Lammer valley with Gosau in the Inner Salzkammergut. The route divides the Salzkammergut range to the north from the Dachstein range to the south. The B166 road crosses the summit, and to the south lies the Dachstein-West ski area. The pass has been a crossing point since the 16th century. Between 1564 and 1583 a treaty fixed the border between the Archbishopric of Salzburg and Upper Austria, and a boundary stone was set up in 1567. A guardhouse built on the pass was granted as a farm lease by the archbishop. Its keeper had to keep the barrier closed, record movements of wine, livestock and lard, and surrender the house when troops were needed. In 1731 the old building was torn down and rebuilt on higher ground. By 1777 smuggling had grown so bad that the garrison was strengthened, and in 1791 two gates on pillars were installed at the entrance and exit. The road was so poor that salt carts could use it only in winter, yet the people of Rußbach still walked to Protestant Gosau every Sunday for church services. After the secularisation of church lands the guardhouse passed into private hands. Today the pass remains a quiet crossing in the high Alps. The B166 climbs steadily through forests and meadows to the summit, where a small parking area sits beside the road. Views open across the Dachstein peaks and down into the Gosau valley. The old guardhouse site is now a private dwelling, but the boundary stone of 1567 still marks the historic line between Salzburg and Upper Austria. Walkers and skiers use the pass in winter, while in summer the road is a favourite route for cyclists and motorists heading between the Lammer valley and the Salzkammergut lakes.