Jablunkov Pass from the old fortifications

Jablunkov Pass (, ) is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

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

Mosty u Jablunkova Mosty u Jablunkova (until 1949 Mosty; , ) is a municipality and village in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. The municipality has a significant Polish minority in the Cze ...

in the

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

, near the border with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, 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 west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

Geography

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

Transport

The pass is one of the most important transport routes in the Western Carpathians. The E75 road from

Žilina Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, 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 List of cities ...

Český Těšín Český Těšín (; ; ) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. Český Těšín lies on the west bank of the Olza (river), Olza river, in the heart of the historical ...

runs here. The Košice–Bohumín Railway 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 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, connecting

Upper Hungary Upper Hungary (, "Upland"), is the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia. The region has also been called ''Felső-Magyarország'' ( literally: "Upper Hungary"; ). During the ...

with

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...

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

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. After war it was renovated and new larger one were built nearby by Duchess Elizabeth Lucretia. 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 Trans-Olza area, including this mountain pass, was captured by Poland. On the night of 25–26 August 1939, the

Jabłonków Incident Jabłonków incident (, ) refers to the events of the night of 25–26 August 1939, along the Polish- Slovak border, when a group of German ''Abwehr'' agents attacked a rail station in Mosty. The main purpose of the attack was to capture the ...

occurred here, when a group of armed German

Abwehr The (German language, German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', though the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context) ) was the German military intelligence , military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ...

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

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.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 Operation Himmler