The Vršič Pass (; sl, prelaz Vršič, it, passo della Moistrocca, german: Werschetzpass), with an elevation of , is a high

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 ...

across the

Julian Alps The Julian Alps ( sl, Julijske Alpe, it, Alpi Giulie, , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large pa ...

in northwestern

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. It is the highest pass in Slovenia, as well as the highest in the Eastern Julian Alps. It connects

Upper Carniola Upper Carniola ( sl, Gorenjska; it, Alta Carniola; german: Oberkrain) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jeseni ...

with the Trenta Valley in the

Slovene Littoral The Slovene Littoral ( sl, Primorska, ; it, Litorale; german: Küstenland) is one of the five traditional regions of Slovenia. Its name recalls the former Austrian Littoral (''Avstrijsko Primorje''), the Habsburg possessions on the upper Adria ...

. The road across the pass, now known as Russian Road (), was originally built for military purposes in the early 19th century and followed an earlier trade route.Pavšič, Gregor. 2016. Zgodba slovenskega prelaza, kjer so umirali Rusi. Siol.net (July 29).
/ref> The Vršič Pass is considered an excellent starting point for excursions to surrounding peaks.

Name

The Slovene common noun literally means 'little peak', a diminutive form of the word 'peak'. The name originally referred to Mount Vršič (), located about east of the Vršič Pass. The name was not applied to the pass until 1911. The name of the peak was first attested in written sources as ''Werschez'' in 1763–87. Locally, the pass is known as (first attested in 1763–87 as ''Muschizach'' or ''Mushizhach'').Snoj, Marko. 2009. ''Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen''. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, p. 470. The

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

name of the pass was ''Moistrocca''.

History

After World War I, from 1918 to World War II, the Vršič Pass was on the border between Italy and Yugoslavia. Since 1945, together with the Upper Isonzo Valley north of Gorizia, it was incorporated in Yugoslavia, and then in Slovenia.

Hiking

The Vršič Pass is considered an excellent starting point for excursions to surrounding peaks, including Mala Mojstrovka (), Velika Mojstrovka (), Planja (), Prisojnik (Prisank) (), Razor (), Šitna Glava (), Slemenova Špica (), Sovna Glava (), and Suhi Vrh (), or shorter hikes in the immediate area. Several mountain lodges are located near the pass: the Erjavec Lodge (; ), the Tičar Lodge (; ), Mike's Lodge (), the Forest Lodge (; ), and the Postman's Lodge (; ).

Road

The road through the pass rises from

Kranjska Gora Kranjska Gora (; german: Kronau) is a town in northwestern Slovenia, on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region, close to the Austrian and Italian borders. It is the seat of the Municipality of Kranjska Gora. Name Kranjska Gora wa ...

in a series of 50

hairpin bend A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hai ...

s, traverses the top of the Vršič Pass, and descends into the Soča Valley. The upper elevations of the road are rendered impassable by heavy snowfall during much of winter. The road was greatly improved in late 1915 to supply the

Isonzo Front The Battles of the Isonzo (known as the Isonzo Front by historians, sl, soška fronta) were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I mostly on the territory of present-day Slovenia, and the remaind ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and it was originally named after Archduke Eugen of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. The current name, Russian Road (), refers to the approximately ten thousand Russian prisoners of war used as laborers in the 1915 construction.

Monuments

Just off the main road, on the north side of the pass, at an elevation of around , there is a Russian Orthodox chapel, built by the Russian

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

s to commemorate their comrades who died during the road construction. On the south side of the pass there is a bronze monument in honor of the mountaineer and writer

Julius Kugy Julius Kugy (19 July 1858 – 5 February 1944) was a mountaineer, writer, botanist, humanist, lawyer and officer of Slovenian descent. He wrote mostly in German. He is renowned for his travelogues from opening up the Julian Alps, in which he refle ...

, work by the architect

Boris Kobe Boris Kobe (9 October 1905 – 3 May 1981) was a Slovene architect, painter, and designer. Kobe was born in Ljubljana in 1905. He studied art at the Department of Architecture at what was then the University of Ljubljana Technical Faculty under ...

and the sculptor

Jakob Savinšek Jakob Savinšek (4 February 1922 – 17 August 1961) was a Slovene sculptor, illustrator, and poet. Life Savinšek was born in the Upper Carniolan town of Kamnik, then part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (now in Slovenia ...

. It was erected in 1953.

Gallery

Image:Prelaz Vršič.JPG, The Vršič Pass Image:View_from_the_Vršič_Pass,_Slovenia.JPG, View from the Vršič Pass File:Road_to_Vršič_pass.jpg, Ascending the road to the Vršič Pass, view of the 23rd switchback at 1,539 m above sea level File:Prelaz Vršič.jpg, The Russian Road; the switchbacks are paved with

setts A sett, also known as a block or Belgian block, is a broadly rectangular quarried stone used in paving roads and walkways. Formerly in widespread use, particularly on steeper streets because setts provided horses' hooves with better grip tha ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vrsic Pass Mountain passes of Slovenia Mountain passes of the Julian Alps Municipality of Bovec Municipality of Kranjska Gora