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The Tuxer Joch 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
Zillertal Alps The Zillertal Alps (; ) are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps on the border of Austria and Italy. Name The range is named after the Zillertal (Ziller river valley) on its north. Geography The range is bounded by the ''Tuxerjoch'' m ...
at a height of that links the lower
Zillertal The Ziller Valley () is a valley in Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Austria that is drained by the Ziller River. It is the widest valley south of the Inn (river), Inn Valley () and lends its name to the Zillertal Alps, the strongly Glacier, glaciated sectio ...
valley with the Brenner route just north of the
Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass ( , shortly ; ) is a mountain pass over the Alps which forms the Austria-Italy border, border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Alps, major passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has the lowes ...
. To the northeast just below the summit lies the Tuxer Joch-Haus.


History

In early times there was a busy
bridle path A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now serve a wider ...
over the Tuxer Joch from the Brenner route into the Zillertal valley. As early as prehistoric times the saddle was known to humans. Finds of tools made of hornstein and south Alpine flints indicate that the Tuxer Joch was crossed by
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
peoples. A decorative pin from the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
was found at the pass. Farmers drove their cattle over the saddle, and farmers and traders also crossed the pass bearing local products. Occasionally funeral processions also passed this way, because the village of Tux once belonged to the parish of
Schmirn Schmirn is a municipality in the District Innsbruck-Land in the Austrian state of Tyrol. Geography Schmirn is located southeast of Innsbruck, situated in the homonymous valley that branches off from Wipptal The Wipp Valley () is an Alpine v ...
on the other side of the saddle, so the dead had to be carried there. Later this parochial structure was changed, but the secular administrative arrangement was not altered until 1926. But the Tuxer Tal had long been oriented towards the
Zillertal The Ziller Valley () is a valley in Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Austria that is drained by the Ziller River. It is the widest valley south of the Inn (river), Inn Valley () and lends its name to the Zillertal Alps, the strongly Glacier, glaciated sectio ...
and when it was subsequently linked by a road in the 19th century, the Tuxer Joch lost its importance for local traffic and has since acted merely as a transit path for walkers. In 1940/41 a plan emerged to build a tourist road over the Tuxer Joch, and a full-blown project was developed. This project was not just set up for tourist purposes, because a side road to the Brenner Pass was of considerable military-strategic importance to the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
.


See also

*
List of highest paved roads in Europe This is a list of the highest paved roads in Europe. It includes roads that are at least long and whose culminating point is at least above sea level. This height approximately corresponds to that of the highest settlements in Europe and to th ...
*
List of mountain passes This is a list of mountain passes. Africa Egypt * Halfaya Pass (near Libya) Lesotho * Moteng Pass * Mahlasela pass * Sani Pass Morocco * Tizi n'Tichka South Africa * Eastern Cape Passes * Western Cape Passes * Northern Cape Passes * K ...


References

{{reflist Zillertal Alps Mountain passes of the Alps Mountain passes of Tyrol (federal state)