Jablunkov Pass from the old fortifications

Jablunkov Pass ( cs, , pl, ) is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

in the

Western Beskids The Western Beskids ( cs, Západní Beskydy; sk, Západné Beskydy; pl, Beskidy Zachodnie; german: Westbeskiden) are a set of mountain ranges spanning the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. Geologically the Western Beskids are part of the Out ...

at above sea level. It is located in the municipality of

Mosty u Jablunkova (until 1949 Mosty; pl, , german: Mosty bei Jablunkau) is a municipality and village in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,700 inhabitants. Polish minority makes up 13.3% of the popula ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, near the border with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

Geography

The pass separates the

Moravian-Silesian Beskids The Moravian-Silesian Beskids (Czech: , sk, Moravsko-sliezske Beskydy) is a mountain range in the Czech Republic with a small part reaching to Slovakia. It lies on the historical division between Moravia and Silesia, hence the name. It is part o ...

and the

Jablunkov Intermontane Jablunkov (; pl, , german: Jablunkau) is a town in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,300 inhabitants. Polish minority makes up 16.4% of the population. It is inhabited by a large amou ...

mountain ranges. In a broader sense, it separates the Moravian-Silesian Beskids and the

Silesian Beskids Silesian Beskids (Polish: , Czech: , german: Schlesische Beskiden) is one of the Beskids mountain ranges in Outer Western Carpathians in southern Silesian Voivodeship, Poland and the eastern Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. Most of the ...

Transport

The pass is one of the most important transport routes in the

Western Carpathians The Western Carpathians are a mountain range and geomorphological province that forms the western part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountain belt stretches from the Low Beskids range of the Eastern Carpathians along the border of Poland wi ...

. The E75 road from

Žilina Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Sl ...

Český Těšín Český Těšín (; pl, Czeski Cieszyn ; german: Tschechisch-Teschen) is a town in the Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. Český Těšín lies on the west bank of the Olza r ...

runs here. The

Košice–Bohumín Railway The Košice–Bohumín Railway ( cs, Košicko-bohumínská dráha, sk, Košicko-bohumínska železnica, pl, Kolej koszycko-bogumińska, german: Kaschau-Oderberger Bahn, hu, Kassa-Oderbergi Vasút) can refer to: *originally: A private railway com ...

also runs here. It was an important route from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, connecting

Upper Hungary Upper Hungary is the usual English translation of ''Felvidék'' (literally: "Upland"), the Hungarian term for the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia. The region has also been ...

with

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( pl, Śląsk Cieszyński ; cs, Těšínské Slezsko or ; german: Teschener Schlesien or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Tě ...

History

Archaeological researches suggest it was an important route long before the Middle Ages. Travelling caravans were frequently attacked by bandits, so some fortifications were built in the place of today's

. Archaeologists presume they were built in the 13th century. Importance of this trade route grew over time and in 1529 in the fear of

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

attack, new fortifications were built. It played an important role during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. After war it was renovated and new larger one were built nearby by

Elizabeth Lucretia, Duchess of Cieszyn Elizabeth Lucretia of Cieszyn (german: Elisabeth Lukretia von Teschen; pl, Elżbieta Lukrecja Cieszyńska; cs, Alžběta Lukrécie Těšínská; 1 June 1599 – 19 May 1653), was a reigning Duchess of Cieszyn (Teschen, Těšín) from 1625 until ...

. It eventually became a station with permanent garrison. Fortifications were last time renovated in 1808. It dilapidated from that time and locals picked up its parts as a construction material. Remains of this fortifications are today a popular tourist spot. In October 1938 the whole

Zaolzie Trans-Olza ( pl, Zaolzie, ; cs, Záolží, ''Záolší''; german: Olsa-Gebiet; Cieszyn Silesian: ''Zaolzi''), also known as Trans-Olza Silesia (Polish: ''Śląsk Zaolziański''), is a territory in the Czech Republic, which was disputed betwee ...

area, including this mountain pass, was captured by Poland. On the night of 25–26 August 1939, the Jabłonków Incident occurred here, when a group of armed

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Abwehr The ''Abwehr'' (German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ''Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. A ...

agents of the Brandenburg Regiment attacked the rail station in Mosty. The Jabłonków Incident has been named the first commando operation of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.Canaris, by Michael Mueller, Geoffrey Brooks, page 136
...who one year later would lead the first commando operation of the Second World War...

References

{{Authority control Moravian-Silesian Beskids Silesian Beskids Mountain passes of the Czech Republic Cieszyn Silesia