Brenner Pass

47°02N 11°32E. Mountain pass in the C Tirol Alps on the border between Italy and Austria; altitude 1371 m/4498 ft; on the main route between Bolzano and Innsbrück; the lowest pass over the main chain of the Alps; open at all seasons of the year.

German: Brennerpass) is a mountain pass through the Alps along the border between Italy and Austria, and is one of the principal passes of the Alps.

Below the pass, high Alpine pastures have been used by dairy cattle for summer grazing, making space available at lower altitudes for cultivating and harvesting hay for winter fodder. The road to the Roman province of Raetia led from Verona and Tridentum (Trento) across the pass down to Oenipons (Innsbruck) following the river Inn and thence to Augusta Vindelicorum (Augsburg). Heading southward through the Brenner Pass the Alamanni crossed into Italy in 268, to be stopped in November at the Battle of Lake Benacus.

Control of the Brenner Pass was wrested from Verona by Venice in 1178, a vital link to the silver from German mines. Since 1918, control of the pass has been shared between Italy and Austria. in Italy A 22, in Austria also called A 13) leading from Innsbruck via Bolzano to Verona uses this pass, and is one of the most important north-south connections in Europe. Even with the removal of customs, the long traffic jams before the Brenner Pass are dreaded by Northern Europeans who want to spend their holidays on the Mediterranean coast.

The Europabrücke (Bridge Europe), a few kilometers north of the Brenner, is a large concrete bridge carrying the six-lane autobahn over the valley of the Sill River at a height of 180 m.

The heavy freight traffic traveling through the Inn Valley to reach the Brenner Pass, polluting this scenic area, causes much debate in regional and European politics.

In order to ease the road traffic, there are plans to upgrade the railroad from Verona to Innsbruck with a series of tunnels, including one Brenner Basistunnel under the Brenner Pass.