The modern states of Austria and Switzerland share a border with a length of 180 km (110 mi) [1] in two parts, separated by Liechtenstein, the longer stretch running across the Grison Alps and the shorter one following mostly the Alpine Rhine, except near Diepoldsau and between Lustenau and Lake Constance, where it follows the Old Rhine.
The course of the border ultimately reflects the success of the various rivals of the House of Habsburg (most notably the Old Swiss Confederacy and the Three Leagues) in limiting the influence of the Habsburg Archdukes of Austria in the original Habsburg domains west of the Rhine in the 14th and 15th centuries. Most of the Alpine part of the border had already been the outer border of the Three Leagues since the 15th century (with the exception of the Vinschgau, which was acquired by Austria only in 1499 and remained disputed territory into the 18th century). By contrast, the Alpine Rhine Valley has a complicated feudal history (having been partly acquired by the Counts of Toggenburg during the 14th and 15th centuries), but the territories on its left bank had become subject territories of the Swiss Confederacy by the 17th century.
The current border is a product of the creation of the Helvetic Republic in 1798. During the 19th century it was part of the western border of the Austrian Empire and later Austria-Hungary, and in the 20th century of the First Austrian Republic, the Federal State of Austria, Nazi Germany and Allied-occupied Austria, and eventually of modern Austria since its formation in 1955. Liechtenstein was created as an independent principality under the Peace of Pressburg (1805), although it remained nominally a member of the Confederation of the Rhine until 1866.
Switzerland's accession to the Schengen Area in December 2008 removed all passport checks between the two countries. However, Swiss and Austrian customs officials retain a presence at well-frequented border crossings as they still have the authority to stop travellers to carry out customs checks, as Switzerland is outside the EU Customs Union.
In 2008, the two countries hosted the UEFA Euro football tournament.
As shown on the National Map of Switzerland, the Swiss-Austrian-Italian tripoint is north of Piz Lad, in the Engadin. The border follows the Inn River between Martina and Nauders and then runs west towards Samnaun. It cuts across the High Alps, connecting the peaks of Grübelekopf (2,894 m or 9,495 ft), Bürkelkopf (3,033 m or 9,951 ft), Greitspitz (2,867 m or 9,406 ft), Piz Rots (3,097 m or 10,161 ft), Fluchthorn (3,398 m or 11,148 ft), Augstenberg (3,230 m or 10,600 ft), Piz Buin (3,312 m or 10,866 ft) and Gross Seehorn (3,122 m or 10,243 ft), roughly following the northern watershed of Engadin, and then to Isentällispitz (2,873 m or 9,426 ft) and Schesaplana (2,964 m or 9,724 ft), along the northern watershed of Prättigau valley, meeting the southern tripoint of Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein at Naafkopf (2,570 m or 8,430 ft).
From the northern Swiss-Austrian-Liechtenstein tripoint, the Swiss-Austrian border follows the Alpine Rhine (which also forms the Swiss-Liechtenstein border), passing east of Diepoldsau and reaching Lake Constance at the Rhine delta of the Old Rhine near Rheineck and Gaissau, respectively; the new delta of the straightened Alpine Rhine lies entirely within Austria. The Swiss-Austrian-German tripoint is within Lake Constance.
From the Swiss-Austrian-Italian tripoint to the Dreiländerspitze, between Jamspitze and Piz Buin, the border is between the Austrian state of Tyrol and the Swiss canton of Graubünden (Grisons). From Dreiländerspitze to the Swiss-Austrian-Liechtenstein tripoint, the border lies between the Austrian state of Vorarlberg and the canton of Grisons. North of Liechtenstein, the border separates Vorarlberg from the canton of St. Gallen.
The ski areas Ischgl (of Austria) and Samnaun (of Switzerland) are connected on high altitude and form a combined cross-border ski area. Thanks to the Schengen Agreement it is without border control.
As of the December 2023 timetable change, [update] cross-border services between Austria and Switzerland exist on two railway lines crossing the Alpine Rhine:
There is also the International Rhine Regulation Railway, an industrial railway built for the straightening of the Alpine Rhine, which is presently used as a heritage railway on the Austrian side.
Currently, no railway line exists across the southern section of the border. There have been plans in the past to connect the Rhätische Bahn network at Scuol-Tarasp (canton of Grisons) with the Arlberg Railway at Landeck-Zams via the Reschenscheideckbahn , but the latter was never completed. There are plans to build this line with a connector to Scuol in the future. [2] There are several bus routes across the southern section of the border.
The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main physiographic regions. The Swiss Alps extend over both the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, encompassing an area sometimes called Central Alps. While the northern ranges from the Bernese Alps to the Appenzell Alps are entirely in Switzerland, the southern ranges from the Mont Blanc massif to the Bernina massif are shared with other countries such as France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein.
The Grisons or Graubünden, more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton of Graubünden, is one of the twenty-six cantons of Switzerland. It has eleven districts, and its capital is Chur. The German name of the canton, Graubünden, translates as the "Grey Leagues", referring to the canton's origin in three local alliances, the Three Leagues. The other native names also refer to the Grey League: Grischùn in Sutsilvan, Grischun in the other forms of Romansh, and Grigioni in Italian. Rhaetia is the Latin name for the area. The Alpine ibex is the canton's heraldic symbol.
The Engadin or Engadine is a long high Alpine valley region in the eastern Swiss Alps in the canton of Graubünden in southeasternmost Switzerland with about 25,000 inhabitants. It follows the route of the Inn from its headwaters at Maloja Pass in the southwest running roughly northeast until the Inn flows into Austria, little less than one hundred kilometers downstream. The En/Inn subsequently flows at Passau into the Danube, making it the only Swiss river to drain into the Black Sea. The Engadine is protected by high mountain ranges on all sides and is famous for its sunny climate, beautiful landscapes and outdoor activities.
The Alpine Rhine Valley is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine, the part of the River Rhine between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and Lake Constance. It covers three countries, with sections of the river demarcating the borders between Austria and Switzerland and between Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The full length of the Alpine Rhine is 93.5 km.
The Silvretta Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps shared by Tirol, Vorarlberg and Graubünden (Switzerland). The Austrian states of Tirol and Vorarlberg are connected by a pass road. The majority of the peaks are elevated above three thousand metres and are surrounded by glaciers. Thus, the area is also known as the "Blue Silvretta".
The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps, located at the border between Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern and Western Alps and stretches from the Montafon as far as the Rhine. In the south, the Prättigau is its limit, and in the north, it is the Walgau. In the east, it borders the Silvretta groups. The Rätikon mountain range derives its name from Raetia, a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people.
The Swiss National Park is located in the Western Rhaetian Alps, in eastern Switzerland. It lies within the canton of Graubünden, between Zernez, S-chanf, Scuol, and the Fuorn Pass in the Engadin valley on the border with Italy. Founded in 1914, the Swiss National Park is the oldest national park in the alps and in Central Europe.
The Samnaun Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps, named after the Swiss municipality of Samnaun. They are located at the border of the Austrian state of Tyrol and the Graubünden canton of Switzerland.
Piz Bernina is the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps, the highest point of the Bernina Range, and the highest peak in the Rhaetian Alps. It rises 4,048 m (13,281 ft) and is located south of Pontresina and near the major Alpine resort of St. Moritz, in the Engadin valley. It is also the most easterly mountain higher than 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in the Alps, the highest point of the Swiss canton of Grisons, and the fifth-most prominent peak in the Alps. Although the summit lies within Switzerland, the massif is on the border with Italy. The "shoulder" known as La Spedla is the highest point in the Italian Lombardy region.
The Sesvenna Alps are a mountain range located in the Alps of eastern Switzerland, northern Italy and western Austria.
The Flüela Pass is a high mountain pass of the Swiss Alps in Graubünden. Traditionally considered the boundary between the Albula and Silvretta Alps, the pass crosses the watershed / drainage divide between the basins of the rivers Rhine and Danube. The pass is overlooked by the Flüela Schwarzhorn and the Flüela Wisshorn. The summit of the pass lies between the lakes Lai da la Scotta and Lai Nair.
The Rhaetian Alps are a mountain range of the Eastern Alps. The SOIUSA classification system divides them into the Western and Eastern Rhaetian Alps, while the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps places most of the Rhaetian subranges within the Western Limestone Alps.
The Eastern Alps are usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley, up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide, and down the Liro River to Lake Como in the south. The peaks and mountain passes are lower than the Western Alps, while the range itself is broader and less arched.
The Grison Alps are the mountains of the Graubünden canton of Switzerland. There are many significant peaks in the Grison Alps, including the Tödi and the highest peak, Piz Bernina. Many of the mountain ranges feature extensive glaciers, such as at the Adula, the Albula, the Silvretta, the Bernnina or the Rätikon range. The Grison Alps include parts of both the Eastern Alps and the Western Alps. The Eastern Alps located in Graubünden are the Rhaetian Alps, which is part to the Central Eastern Alps.
The Western Rhaetian Alps are a mountain range in the central part of the Alps.
The Fimbatal, also Fimbertal, is an alpine valley situated between the Silvretta Alps and the Samnaun Alps. The valley is drained by the Fimbabach river, a tributary of the Inn basin (Trisanna) at Ischgl. The highest mountain bordering the Fimbatal is the Fluchthorn.
Johann Jakob Weilenmann was a Swiss mountaineer and Alpine writer.
Piz Buin Pitschen (Rumantsch) or Kleiner Piz Buin (German) is a peak in the Silvretta Alps. The Piz Buin Pitschen lies western of his higher neighbor the Piz Buin Grond or Großer Piz Buin.
The border between the modern states of Switzerland and Italy extends for 744 kilometres (462 mi), from the French-Swiss-Italian tripoint at Mont Dolent in the west to the Austrian-Swiss-Italian tripoint near Piz Lad in the east. Much of the border runs across the High Alps, rising above 4,600 metres (15,100 ft) as it passes east of Dufourspitze, but it also descends to the lowest point in Switzerland as it passes Lago Maggiore at below 200 metres (660 ft).
The St. Margrethen–Lauterach line is a 9.580-kilometre (5.953 mi) long, part single part double tracked, electrified railway line in the Alpine Rhine Valley, near Lake Constance. The route is owned and operated by Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and is mainly used by the border station in St. Margrethen.