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{{short description|Massif in Austria}}
{{Infobox mountain pass
| name = Arlberg Pass
| photo = Arlberg passstrasse.jpg
| photo_caption = View over the Arlberg and the pass road in winter
| elevation_m = 1793
| elevation_ref = 
| traversed = Federal Highway B 197
| map = Alps#Austria Vorarlberg#Austria
| map_caption = Location of Arlberg Pass
| map_size = 
| label = Arlberg Pass
| coords = {{coord|47.130|N|10.211|E|type:pass|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| location = [[Austria]]
| range = [[Alps]]
| topo = 
}}

The '''Arlberg''' ({{IPA|de|ˈaʁlˌbɛʁk|lang|De-Arlberg.ogg}}, also: ''Arlberg Pass'') is a [[mountain pass]] between states of [[State of Tyrol|Tyrol]] and [[Vorarlberg]]  in [[Austria]]. [[Ski resorts]] at the Arlberg include [[Lech am Arlberg|Lech]], [[Zürs]], Stuben, St. Christoph, [[St. Anton]], Oberlech, Stubenbach, Zug, and Warth. It is the mountain pass from which the Austrian State of Vorarlberg, meaning 'before the Arl mountain', gets its name.

== Geography ==
The Arlberg connects the Klostertal Valley in the west with the Stanzer Valley in the east. Together with the [[Flexen Pass|Flexenpass]], it borders three mountain groups: the [[Verwall Alps|Verwall]] in the south, the [[Lechquellen Mountains|Lechquellen mountains]] in the northwest, and the [[Lechtal Alps]] in the northeast. The [[Valluga]], which stands as the highest mountain of the Arlberg, and the Trittkopf, southwest of the Lechtal Alps, dominate the [[Mountain pass|pass]]. Four communities meet: on the Vorarlberg side, [[Lech (Vorarlberg)|Lech]] and [[Klösterle, Austria|Klösterle]]–Stuben; on the [[Tyrol (state)|Tyrol]] side, [[Kaisers]] and [[St Anton am Arlberg|St. Anton]]. The [[Watershed (ecology)|watershed]] between the [[Rhine]] and the [[Danube]] rivers runs south from the Albonagrat to the Passhöhe, over the Valluga and Trittkopf, to the Flexenpass, and it traces from the Flexenspitz the southern edge of the Lechquellen mountains westward to the Klostertal.

== Pass roads and the Arlberg tunnel ==
The old pass route was known since the 14th century in the form of a narrow mule track when people began to trade salt in the region. However, because the Arlberg was very poorly developed, for centuries people avoided the route and took detours over the [[Fern Pass]] or [[Immenstadt]] for trading. The development of the textile industry and of the postal service, however, led to the roads being surfaced in 1824.

With the rise of motor traffic in the 20th century, however, this became inadequate. It was decided that a {{convert|14|km|0|abbr=off|adj=mid|-long}} [[Arlberg Road Tunnel]] would be built between Langen and St. Anton. On July 5, 1974, the work began and the passage was opened to traffic on December 1, 1978. The tunnel has a toll; however, the old road over the {{convert|1800|m|0|abbr=on|adj=mid}} pass is toll-free. A peculiarity of the tunnel is that it actually consists of two tunnels. On the Tyrolian side it is built over the Rosanna Gorge before the actual massif rises up in the direction of Vorarlberg over the tunnel.

== Arlberg Railway ==
{{Main article|Arlberg railway}}
The '''Arlberg railway''' connects Innsbruck with [[Bludenz]]. Between St. Anton and Langen it runs through the {{convert|10.25|km|2|abbr=off}} long [[Arlbergtunnel (railway)|Arlbergtunnel]].

{{wide image|Schindlerspitze Pano.jpg|800px|View from the Schindlerspitze}}

==Tourism==
Tourism is the main source of income for Arlberg villages and their inhabitants and plays a vital role in the region.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://diepresse.com/home/wirtschaft/economist/5086810/ArlbergSkigebiete_Wir-haben-Tourismus-sonst-nix|title=Arlberg-Skigebiete: "Wir haben Tourismus, sonst nix"|work=Die Presse|access-date=2017-04-26|language=de}}</ref>

Today, "Arlberg" is a [[brand]] for the winter sports areas around the Arlberg Pass, in particular the ski areas of Lech, Zürs, Stuben, Klösterle and St. Christoph, St. Anton am Arlberg.

The area is known for its long winter sports tradition. As early as 1901, the Arlberg ski club was founded and two years later a first club competition was held. In 1904 the first general Arlberg race took place, 1928 the first of the famous Arlberg Kandahar races. In 1921, under the leadership of [[Hannes Schneider]], the [[ski school]] Arlberg was the first ski school in the region.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=www.stantonamarlberg.com, Rubrik „Presse“|date=2009|title=History of St. Anton am Arlberg|url=http://www.stantonamarlberg.com/images/stories/pdf-dateien/geschichteskilauf.pdf|access-date=2017-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305115315/http://www.stantonamarlberg.com/images/stories/pdf-dateien/geschichteskilauf.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1937, the first lifts were built in St. Anton and in Zürs. It was the first ski-lift built by [[DCC Doppelmayr Cable Car|Konrad Doppelmayr]] and [[Sepp Bildstein]]. With the [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2001|2001 FIS Ski World Cup in St. Anton]], [[Alpine skiing|alpine ski racing]] came back to the Arlberg and thus to its roots. In 2021, St. Anton am Arlberg will be holding a combination ski race with a slalom and a super-G on January 9 and 10 as part of the [[FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup 2020–21]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=ZÜRS TO HOLD WORLD CUP SKI RACES – Ski-Club Arlberg|url=https://www.skiclubarlberg.at/en/news/zuers-to-hold-world-cup-ski-races/|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-30}}</ref>

Today, the contiguous ski resorts on three mountains around Lech and Zürs, the Arena on Gampen, Kapall, Galzig and Valluga above St. Anton and St. Christoph, form a ski resort with 87 lifts, 305&nbsp;km of groomed slopes and 200&nbsp;km of deep snow slopes.<ref name=":0" /> Thanks to the many winter sports enthusiasts, tourism at the Arlberg is of great importance. Between 1 November 2001 and 31 October 2002, more than one million overnight stays were counted for the first time.
[[File:Sonnenkopf Ski Arlberg (203037195).jpeg|thumb|Ski Arlberg: View from the Sonnenkopf]]

===Ski Arlberg===
[[Ski Arlberg]] is the biggest connected ski resort in Austria, consisting of the villages of Lech, Oberlech, Zürs and Zug, which were linked to Warth and Schröcken in 2013–14.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bergfex.com/stanton-stchristoph/|title=BERGFEX: Ski resort St. Anton am Arlberg - Skiing holiday St. Anton am Arlberg - Winter resort St. Anton am Arlberg|website=www.bergfex.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-09}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/911988246 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/911979895 cite #1 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> The ski area comprises 15 [[aerial tramway|aerial tramways]], 45 [[chairlift|chairlifts]] and 28 [[Surface lift|drag lifts]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.skiarlberg.at/en/regions/bahnen-und-skiabfahrten|title=Cableways and slopes|last=West|first=Ski Arlberg, Pool|website=Ski Arlberg, Pool West|language=en|access-date=2019-08-14}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/911988246 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/911979895 cite #2 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><br />[[The White Ring (ski circuit)|The White Ring]], the world's longest ski circuit (22&nbsp;km), is located within the Ski Arlberg area. Since 2005–06, annual White Ring races have been held.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lechzuers.com/en/winter/ski-sport/the-white-ring-the-ski-track/history/|title=The White Ring - The History|website=Lech Zürs|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-22|archive-date=2019-08-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822124026/https://www.lechzuers.com/en/winter/ski-sport/the-white-ring-the-ski-track/history/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of highest paved roads in Europe]]
* [[List of mountain passes#Europe|List of mountain passes]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Austrian mountain passes}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mountain passes of Tyrol (state)]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Tyrol (state)]]
[[Category:Mountain passes of the Alps]]
[[Category:Mountain passes of Vorarlberg]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Vorarlberg]]
[[Category:Greywacke zone]]
[[Category:Verwall Alps]]
[[Category:Ski areas in Austria]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Austria]]
[[Category:Skiing in Austria]]