Reschen Pass

The Reschen Pass is a high mountain crossing in the Alps. It links the Upper Inn Valley in the northwest with the Vinschgau region in the southeast. At 1,504 metres, the summit sits entirely within Italian territory. The pass forms part of the watershed between rivers flowing north to the Danube and those flowing south to the Adige. Nearby villages include Reschen and Graun, both on the shore of the Reschensee reservoir. The pass has been used since before Roman times. The Via Claudia Augusta once ran this way, opened around 50 AD. Later, Emperor Septimius Severus built the Via Raetia across the Brenner Pass in the 2nd century. In the 14th century, the Brenner route grew more important, but Reschen remained an alternative. Archduke Sigismund of Austria had a fortress built at Finstermünz in 1472. The Austrian engineer Carl Ritter von Ghega helped design a new road here in the 19th century. Today, the Reschensee reservoir is famous for its submerged bell tower. The tower rises from the water near Graun, marking the spot where the old village church once stood. The reservoir was created in 1950 when the valley was flooded. The pass itself offers views of alpine landscapes and historic routes. The border with Austria lies about two kilometres north of the summit. The area remains a quiet crossing, far from modern traffic.