On the summit of the Semmering pass, which separates the Vienna basin from the Mürztal and marks the boundary between Lower Austria and Styria, lies the hotel and villa colony of Semmering, a popular health and winter sports resort. The scattered settlement is surrounded by forest covered plateaus and sunny hillsides. There was a bridleway over
the Semmering pass as early as the 12th C. The first road was constructed in 1728, during the reign of Charles VI, improved in 1839-42 and further improved and modernized in 1956-58.