Grossglockner Road

(Local Name: Grossglockner-Hochalpenstrasse) The Grossglockner Road (Grossglockner-Hochalpenstrasse) from Bruck in the Pinzgau to Heiligenblut at the foot of the Grossglockner was constructed between 1930 and 1935, and has been steadily improved and developed since then. It is one of the most magnificent mountain roads in Europe, and although its importance as a north-south route through the Alps has declined since the opening of the Felber-Tauern Road and the Tauern motorway, both are which are open in winter (tunnels), it is still a splendid highway through the Hohe Tauern, Austria's highest mountain massif and one of the country's outstanding attractions. Although this route through the Alps was used by the Romans it was thereafter forgotten for many centuries, and it was only in the 20th C., when the automobile came into its own, that the decision was made to build a panoramic road. Constructed by Fritz Wallack (1887-1966), it runs for 22km/13.5mi through the mountains at an altitude of over 2,000m/6,500ft. A long succession of turns lead up to the summit tunnel on the Hochtor (2,506m/8,222ft) and down into the valley on the far side. The total distance from Bruck to Heiligenblut is 48km/30mi, with a maximum gradient of 12% (1 in 8). A toll road, it is normally open throughout its entire length during the summer months, continuing into October (the period varying according to snow conditions).