Julier Pass

The Julier Pass (Romansh: Pass dal Güglia, German: Julierpass, Italian Passo del Giulia) (elev. 2284 m) is a mountain pass in the Albula Alps of Switzerland. It connects the Engadin valley with central Graubünden. At its summit, the pass crosses the drainage divide between the basins of the rivers Rhine and Danube.

The Julier Pass lies between the towns of Bivio to the west and Silvaplana to the east. It is part of the Swiss N29 national road, but does not require a vignette (road tax sticker). The pass was heavily used in the Roman era and contains the most artifacts of Roman roads of any location in Graubünden. The modern road was built between 1820 and 1828. Between 1935 and 1940, the Julier Pass became the first Swiss alpine road paved with asphalt.

The Julier Pass is the most important northern entrance to the Engadin valley and one of three such paved road passes, the others being the Albula Pass and the Flüela Pass.

The highest point of the Julier Pass is 2284 meters above sea level. The Julier Pass lies south of Piz Bardella, Piz Lagrev, and Piz Julier, and north of Piz da las Coluonnas and Piz Polaschin. A few metres south of the summit is a small lake, Lej da las Culuonnas.

The two-lane road over the Julier Pass is generally open to trucks with four-wheel drive even when covered with snow. Cars are required to have snow tires in the winter, and snow chains may be required, depending on the conditions.

Originally a cantonal road, the Julier Pass was adopted into the Swiss federal highway system on 1 January 2020 as part of the new N29 from Thusis via Tiefencastel to Silvaplana. The N29 highway is 56.25 km (34.95 mi) long and connects to the N13 highway at Thusis-Süd. Previously, the stretch from Thusis to Tiefencastle was designated as the H417 main road and the stretch from Tiefencastel to Silvaplana was the H3a main road. Since the N29 is a 3rd class national road, vehicles using it are not required to display a vignette.

The Julier Pass was home to a temporary theater tower from 31 July 2017 to 31 August 2023. The 30-meter-high wooden tower was built by Nova Fundaziun Origen, a cultural foundation started in 2005. The theater tower cost 2.5 million Swiss francs and was ceremonially opened by Federal Councillor Alain Berset. As of 2023, Origen is planning a permanent replacement costing CHF 25 million.

The Julier Pass was in regular use during the Bronze and Iron Ages. It saw heavy traffic in the Roman era, evidenced by the countless coins and remains of Roman roads discovered in the region; it has the most artifacts of the Roman roads of any location in the canton. Two monumental soapstone columns flank the modern pass road at its summit; excavations in the 1930s revealed that the columns were part of a Roman sanctuary.