Switzerland's Umbrail Pass Celebrates 125 Years, Recalling WWI Neutrality Defense

The Umbrail Pass, the highest drivable mountain pass in Switzerland, is celebrating its 125th anniversary. Located in the Münstertal valley, the pass road winds up to 2,500 meters above sea level, serving as a popular route for cyclists, motorcyclists, and tourists heading towards Italy's Stelvio Pass.

David Accola, a retired Swiss army colonel and president of the Stelvio-Umbrail 14/18 association, is dedicated to preserving the unique military history associated with the Umbrail Pass. He highlights the pass's most formative period from 1914 to 1918, when Switzerland defended its neutrality during World War I. During this conflict, the pass served as the first defense line for the Swiss army.

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The Umbrail, that is Swiss history.

In the adjacent high mountains, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy engaged in artillery battles at altitudes exceeding 3,000 meters, amidst challenging conditions of rock, snow, and ice. Swiss soldiers maintained the neutral border in this tri-border region. Today, the remnants of troop camps from Swiss, Austrian, and Italian soldiers, along with trenches and rusted barbed wire, still mark the landscape on the peaks and ridges, serving as silent witnesses to the mountain warfare of that era.

Accola, who grew up in Flims, spent 35 years as a professional officer in the Swiss Army, eventually serving as a colonel in the general staff and heading ground troop deployments at the World Economic Forum in Davos. His passion for the Umbrail Pass stems from its deep connection to Swiss history, particularly its role during the Great War.

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In the First World War, from 1914 to 1918, the first defense line of the Swiss army ran here.