Image collection »Scharnitzpass«

The Scharnitz Klause is a kind of entrance gate to Tyrol. Claudia of Medici had the Porta Claudia, a mighty fortress, built at this narrow stretch of the valley during the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648). In times of danger the narrow pass could be completely closed off and specially dug ditches were filled with water from the River Isar. What is more, the gorge is also partly responsible for the weather in Innsbruck. Warm air comes from the flat land into the Inntal valley. The Mittenwald railway runs through the pass.