Pass Lueg

Pass Lueg stands above the Salzachöfen Gorge in Salzburg State, where the Salzach river cuts its narrowest gap through the Northern Limestone Alps. The pass is part of the Tennen Mountains and rises about 100 metres above the river at its tightest point. Highway B159 climbs to 552 metres here and passes through a 150-metre tunnel beside the gorge. A hotel now occupies the crest above this tunnel. Both the A10 motorway and the Salzburg–Tyrol railway use parallel tunnels under the Hagen Mountains to avoid the bottleneck. The route through Pass Lueg has carried travellers since prehistoric times, when a Roman road crossed the Alps here. By the 12th century medieval tollbooths stood at the summit to charge merchants passing through the narrow gorge. Records from 1160 show the first toll collection, and similar posts remained until the 1930s. By the 1970s summer traffic on the Gastarbeiterroute caused severe congestion before the A10 motorway opened in 1974. Visitors reach the pass by following the Salzach valley road from Golling an der Salzach, three kilometres to the north. The gorge walls rise steeply on either side of the river, forcing the road high above the water. The hotel at the summit offers views down into the gorge and across to the Hagen Mountains. The site marks a historic crossing point where centuries of travellers paused before continuing south into the Alps.