The Albula Alps are a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...
in the
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
of eastern
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. They are considered to be part of the
Central Eastern Alps, more specifically the
Western Rhaetian Alps. They are named after the river
Albula. According to
AVE
is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...
(see map), the Albula Alps are separated from the
Oberhalbstein Alps in the west by the
Septimer Pass and the valley of the
Sursés; from the
Plessur Alps in the north-west by the
Landwasser valley; from the
Silvretta group in the north-east by the
Flüela Pass
The Flüela Pass (, , elevation ) is a high mountain pass of the Swiss Alps in Graubünden. Traditionally considered the boundary between the Albula and Silvretta Alps, the pass crosses the watershed / drainage divide between the basins of t ...
; from the
Sesvenna Alps in the east by the
Inn valley (
Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine (;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ''Gidegna'' ...
e); from the
Livigno Alps in the south-east by the Inn valley; from the
Bernina Range in the south by the
Maloja Pass
Maloja Pass ( Italian: ''Passo del Maloja'', German: ''Malojapass'') (1815m a.s.l.) is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps in the canton of Graubünden, linking the Engadine with the Val Bregaglia, still in Switzerland and Chiavenna in ...
and the Inn valley.
The chief summit of the Albula Alps is
Piz Kesch, which is also the highest summit of the Eastern Alps north of the
Inn. Other mountains with both a high elevation and a high prominence are
Piz Calderas,
Piz Ela,
Piz Ot and
Piz Vadret. The Albula Alps are drained by the rivers
Albula,
Gelgia,
Landwasser and
Inn and
Mera. Near the
Lunghin Pass is the tripoint between the Gelgia, Inn and Mera.
Swisstopo
Swisstopo is the official name for the Swiss Federal Office of Topography, Switzerland's national mapping agency.
The current name was made official in 2002. It had been used as the domain name for the homepage of the instituteswisstopo.admi ...
topographic maps This is the tripoint between the basins of the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
,
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
and
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
.
The main road passes crossing the Albula Alps (from central Graubünden to
Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine (;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ''Gidegna'' ...
) are the
Julier Pass and the
Albula Pass. On the margin are also the
Flüela Pass
The Flüela Pass (, , elevation ) is a high mountain pass of the Swiss Alps in Graubünden. Traditionally considered the boundary between the Albula and Silvretta Alps, the pass crosses the watershed / drainage divide between the basins of t ...
and the
Septimer Pass (bridle path only). The Albula Pass, in the middle of the range, is also
an important axis of the
Rhaetian Railway
The Rhaetian Railway (; ; ), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the RhB operates all the railway lines of the Cantons of Switzerland, ...
, connecting
Chur
''
Chur (locally) or ; ; ; ; ; ; or ; , and . is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, town of the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of the Grisons and lies in the Alpine Rhine, Grisonian Rhine Valley, where ...
to
St. Moritz through the
Albula Tunnel. Both pass road and railway traverse the locality of
Bergün on the river Albula, the most central town within the Albula Alps.
Peaks
The main peaks of the Albula Alps are:
Passes
The Albula Alps are crossed by one railway tunnel, under the Albula Pass. The main
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 ...
es of the Albula Alps are:
See also
*
Swiss Alps
The Alps, Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main Physica ...
*
List of mountains in Switzerland
References
*
Swisstopo
Swisstopo is the official name for the Swiss Federal Office of Topography, Switzerland's national mapping agency.
The current name was made official in 2002. It had been used as the domain name for the homepage of the instituteswisstopo.admi ...
maps
External links
Albula Alps on kamdoalp.cz - Hikes description, prominent peaks
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of the Alps
Central Alps
Rhaetian Alps
Mountain ranges of Switzerland
Mountain ranges of Graubünden
Limestone Alps