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{{Short description|Mountain pass through the Alps; border between Italy and Austria}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox mountain pass
|name = Brenner Pass
|photo = Brennerpass nordrampe.jpg
|photo_caption = View between the top of the pass and the village of [[Gries am Brenner]]
|elevation_m = 1370
|elevation_ref = 
|traversed = [[European route E45|E45 motorway]]
|map = Alps
|map_caption = Brenner Pass lies along the border of Austria and Italy
|map_size = 
|label = Brenner Pass
|coordinates = {{coord|47|0|12|N|11|30|27|E|display=inline,title}}
|location = [[Austria]]–[[Italy]] [[Austria-Italy border|border]]
|range = [[Alps]]
|topo = 
}}
[[File:Brenner LKW Stau.jpg|thumb|The Brenner Pass carries a four-lane motorway, one of the most important transit routes between Northern and Southern Europe]]

The '''Brenner Pass''' ({{langx|de|link=no|Brennerpass}} {{IPA|de|ˈbʁɛnɐpas|}}, in short {{lang|de|Brenner}}; {{langx|it|Passo del Brennero}} {{IPA|it|ˈpasso del ˈbrɛnnero|}}) is a [[mountain pass]] over the [[Alps]] which forms the [[Austria-Italy border|border between]] [[Italy]] and [[Austria]]. It is one of the [[principal passes of the Alps|major passes of the Eastern Alpine range]] and has the lowest altitude among Alpine passes of the area.

Dairy cattle graze in alpine pastures throughout the summer in valleys beneath the pass and on the mountain slopes. At lower altitudes, farmers log pine trees, plant crops and harvest hay for winter fodder. Many of the high pastures are at an altitude of over {{convert|1500|m|abbr=off}}; a small number stand high in the mountains at around {{convert|2000|m|abbr=off}}.

The central section of the Brenner Pass covers a four-lane motorway and railway tracks connecting [[Bolzano|Bozen/Bolzano]] in the south and [[Innsbruck]] to the north. The village of Brenner consists of an outlet shopping centre (supermarkets and stores), fruit stores, restaurants, cafés, hotels and a gas station. It has a population of 400 to 600 ({{As of|2011|lc=y}}).

== Etymology ==
Older, obsolete theories suggested a connection of the name ''Brenner'' with the ancient tribe of the [[Breuni]] or the [[Gauls|Gaulish]] chieftain [[Brennus]], but since the pass name appears for the first time only in the 14th century, a more recent etymology is far more likely.<ref>Alois Trenkwalder: ''Brenner. Bergdorf und Alpenpaß – Brennero. Storia di un paesino e di un valico internazionale''. Brenner 1999, p. 72 ([http://digital.tessmann.it/tessmannDigital/Medium/Seite/22559/1 online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823200410/https://digital.tessmann.it/tessmannDigital/Medium/Seite/22559/1 |date=23 August 2019 }})</ref>

"Prenner'' was originally the name of a nearby farm, which was named after its former owner. The farm of a certain ''Prennerius'' is mentioned in documents in 1288; a certain ''Chunradus Prenner de Mittenwalde'' is mentioned in 1299. The German word ''Prenner'' probably refers to somebody who uses [[slash-and-burn]] techniques for land clearing. A name for the pass itself appears for the first time in 1328 as ''ob dem Prenner'' (German for ''above the Prenner'').<ref>Egon Kühebacher (1991). ''Die Ortsnamen Südtirols und ihre Geschichte'', Bozen: Athesia, p. 59</ref>

== History ==
=== Roman Empire ===
[[File:Part of Tabula Peutingeriana around Brenner Pass.png|thumb|Brenner and the surrounding Roman road network shown in the ''[[Tabula Peutingeriana]]''. Brenner is between [[Matrei am Brenner|Matreio]] and [[Sterzing|Vepiteno]].]]

The [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] regularised the mountain pass at Brenner, which had already been under frequent use during the prehistoric eras since the most recent Ice Age.<ref>Walter Woodburn Hyde (1935). ''Roman Alpine Routes'' (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press), p. 194: "the use of the major pass-routes has been continuous from prehistoric times down to the present".</ref> The Brenner Pass, however, was not the first trans-Alpine Roman road to become regularised under the Roman Empire.

The first Roman road to cross the Alpine range, [[Via Claudia Augusta]], connected [[Verona]] in northern Italy with [[Augusta Vindelicorum]] (modern-day [[Augsburg]]) in the Roman province of [[Raetia]]. Via Augusta was completed in 46–47 AD; the route took its course along the [[Adige|Adige valley]] to the neighbouring [[Reschen Pass]] (west of the Brenner Pass), then descended into the [[Inn River|Inn valley]] before rising to [[Fern Pass]] towards Augsburg.

The Roman road that physically crossed over the Brenner Pass did not exist until the 2nd century AD. It took part of the "eastern" route up the [[Eisack Valley]] and descended into Veldidena (modern-day [[Wilten]]), where it crossed the [[Inn (river)|Inn]] and into [[Zirl]] and arrived at Augsburg via [[Füssen]].

The [[Alamanni]] (Germanic tribe) crossed the Brenner Pass southward into modern-day Italy in 268 AD, but they were stopped in November of that year at the [[Battle of Lake Benacus]]. The Romans kept control over the mountain pass until the end of their empire in the 5th century.<ref>"Geschichte Schwabens bis zum Ausgang des 18. Jahrhunderts" by Max Spindler, Christoph Bauer, Andreas Kraus, 3rd edition; publisher: C.H. Beck Verlag 2001, page 80 {{ISBN|3-406-39452-3}}, {{ISBN|978-3-406-39452-2}}</ref>

=== Holy Roman Empire ===
During the [[High Middle Ages]], Brenner Pass was a part of the important ''[[Via Imperii]]'', an [[Reichsstraße (Middle Ages)|imperial road]] linking the [[Kingdom of Germany]] north of the Alps with the Italian [[March of Verona]]. In the [[Carolingian]] ''Divisio Regnorum'' of 806, the Brenner region was called ''per alpes Noricas'', the transit through the [[Noric Alps]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Martin Bitschnau |author2= Hannes Obermair |year=2009 |title=Tiroler Urkundenbuch, II. Abteilung: Die Urkunden zur Geschichte des Inn-, Eisack- und Pustertals. Vol. 1: Bis zum Jahr 1140 |publisher=Universitätsverlag Wagner |language=de |place=Innsbruck |isbn=978-3-7030-0469-8 |pages=51–52 no. 73}}</ref> From the 12th century, the Brenner Pass was controlled by the [[County of Tyrol|Counts of Tyrol]] within the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Emperor [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick Barbarossa]] made frequent use of the Brenner Pass to cross the Alps during his imperial expeditions into [[Kingdom of Italy (medieval)|Italy]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Santosuosso |first=Antonio |author-link=Antonio Santosuosso |year=2004 |title=Barbarians, Marauders, and Infidels: The Ways of Medieval Warfare |location=New York |publisher=MJF Books |isbn=978-1-56731-891-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/barbariansmaraud0000sant/page/190 190] |url=https://archive.org/details/barbariansmaraud0000sant/page/190 |url-access=registration }}</ref> The 12th-century Brenner Pass accommodated mule trains and carts.

Modernisation of the Brenner Pass started in 1777, when a carriage road was laid out at the behest of Empress [[Maria Theresa]].

=== Austrian Empire ===
Modernisation further took place under the [[Austrian Empire]] and the [[Brenner Railway]], which was completed in stages from 1853 to 1867. It became the first trans-Alpine railway without a major tunnel and at high altitude (crossing the Brenner Pass at 1,371 m). Completion of the railway enabled the Austrians to move their troops more efficiently; they had hoped to secure their territories of [[Veneto|Venetia]] and [[Lombardy]] (south of the Alps), but lost them to Italy following the [[Second Italian War of Independence]] in 1859 and [[Austro-Prussian War]] in 1866.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

=== Recent history ===
At the end of [[World War I]] in 1918, the control of the Brenner Pass became shared between Italy and Austria under the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)]]. The [[Treaty of London (1915)]] secretly awarded Italy the territories south of the Brenner Pass for supporting the Entente Powers. Welschtirol/Trentino, along with the southern part of the [[County of Tyrol]] (now [[South Tyrol]]), was transferred to Italy, and Italian troops occupied Tyrol and arrived at the Brenner Pass in 1919 to 20.

[[File:Carbone tedesco per il Brennero.jpg|thumb|German coal entering Italy through the Brenner Pass in the 1930s]]
On 12 March 1938, Austria was [[Anschluss|annexed]] by [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]. Two years and six days later during [[World War II]], [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Benito Mussolini]] met at the Brenner Pass to celebrate their [[Pact of Steel]] on 18 March 1940. Later, in 1943, following the [[Armistice of Cassibile|Italian armistice with the Allies]], the Brenner Pass [[Operational Zone of the Alpine Foothills|was annexed]] by [[Nazi Germany]], shifting the border with the [[Italian Social Republic]], the Nazi puppet state headed by Mussolini, much further south. In 1945, the area was occupied by the [[United States Armed Forces|US Army]] and returned to Italy after the end of the war. The Brenner Pass was part of the [[Ratlines (World War II)|ratlines]] that were used by senior Nazis fleeing the allies after the German surrender in 1945.

Following World War II, the pass once again formed the border between Italy and the newly independent Republic of Austria, and maintained its importance as a key trade route. On 1 January 1995 the [[Schengen Agreement]] entered into force in Austria, a treaty Italy ratified on 26 October. As a consequence, border checks were abolished in the Brenner Pass for goods and people between the two countries. On 19 November 1995 the border barrier between Italy and Austria at Brenner was officially abolished, with a commemoration attended by Austrian Minister of the Interior Karl Schlögl, Italian Minister of the Interior [[Giorgio Napolitano]], and the governors of [[Innsbruck]] and [[Bolzano]].<ref>Michael Gehler, ''Der Brenner: Vom Ort negativer Erfahrung zum historischen Gedächtnisort oder zur Entstehung und Überwindung einer Grenze in der Mitte Europas (1918-1998)'', in Idem, Andreas Pudlat (a cura di), ''Grenzen in Europa'', Hildesheim-Zurigo-New York, 2009, pp. 145-182.</ref>

{{climate chart|Brenner Pass
|−7|0|37
|−6|1|31
|−4|4|47
|−1|7|69
|4|13|98
|6|16|138
|9|19|137
|9|19|124
|6|15|102
|2|10|81
|−3|3|67
|−6|0|47
|float=right
|clear=both
|source=[http://www.zamg.ac.at/fix/klima/oe71-00/klima2000/daten/klimadaten/tir/14801.htm ZAMG]
}}

==Motorway==
The motorway [[European route E45|E45]] (European designation; in Italy [[Autostrada A22 (Italy)|A22]], in Austria the [[Brenner Autobahn|A13]]), [[Brenner Autobahn|Brenner Autobahn/Autostrada del Brennero]], begins in [[Innsbruck]], runs through the Brenner Pass, [[Bolzano|Bozen/Bolzano]], [[Verona]] and finishes outside [[Modena]]. It is one of the most important routes of north–south connections in Europe.

After the signing of the [[Schengen Agreement]] in 1992 and Austria's subsequent entry into the [[European Union]] in 1995, customs and immigration posts at the Brenner Pass were removed in 1997. However, Austria reinstituted border checks in 2015 as a response to the [[European migrant crisis]]. In April 2016, Austria announced it would build a 370-meter long fence at the Pass but clarify that "it would be used only to "channel" people and was not a barrier.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Scherer|first1=Steve|last2=Pullella|first2=Philip|last3=Jones|first3=Gavin|last4=Roche|first4=Andrew|title=Italy, Austria seek to calm tensions over Brenner border controls|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-brenner-italy-idUSKCN0XP1E8|access-date=2 May 2016|work=Reuters|agency=Reuters|date=28 April 2016|quote=On Wednesday, Austria outlined plans to erect a 370 meter-long fence at the Brenner Pass, which is the busiest route through the Alps for heavy goods vehicles, but Sobotka said on Thursday it would be used only to "channel" people and was not a barrier.|archive-date=26 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126220220/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-brenner-italy-idUSKCN0XP1E8|url-status=live}}</ref>"

The [[Europabrücke]] (''Europe Bridge''), located roughly halfway between [[Innsbruck]] and the Brenner Pass, is a large concrete bridge carrying the six-lane [[Brenner Autobahn]] over the valley of [[Sill River]] (Wipptal).  At a height of {{convert|180|m|abbr=off}} and span of {{convert|820|m|abbr=off}}, the bridge was celebrated as a masterpiece of engineering upon its completion in 1963. It is a site where bungee-jumping from the bridge has become a popular tourist attraction.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}

The ever-increasing freight and leisure traffic, however, has been causing long [[traffic jam]]s at busy times even without border enforcements. The Brenner Pass is the only major mountain pass within the area; other nearby alternatives are footpaths across higher mountains at an altitude of above {{convert|2000|m|abbr=off}}. As a result, air and [[noise pollution]] have generated heavy debate in regional and European politics. {{As of|2004}}, about 1.8 million trucks crossed the Europa Bridge per year.<ref>[http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=111&sid=5428539] {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==Railway==
In order to ease the road traffic, there are plans to upgrade the [[Brenner Railway]] from Verona to Innsbruck with a series of tunnels, including the [[Brenner Base Tunnel]] underneath Brenner.<ref>[http://www.bbt-ewiv.com/ Galleria di Base del Brennero – Brenner Basistunnel BBT SE – Offline] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051222205815/http://www.bbt-ewiv.com/ |date=22 December 2005 }}</ref> The official groundbreaking of the tunnel took place in 2006 (with survey tunnels drilled in the same year), but substantial work did not begin until 2011. Funding issues have delayed the tunnel's scheduled date of completion from 2022 to no earlier than 2032.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.railjournal.com/infrastructure/governors-protest-latest-delay-to-brenner-base-tunnel-construction/ |title=Governors protest latest delay to Brenner Base Tunnel construction |publisher=railjournal.com |date=2021-05-27 |access-date=2022-01-12 |archive-date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201231411/https://www.railjournal.com/infrastructure/governors-protest-latest-delay-to-brenner-base-tunnel-construction/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

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

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Brenner Pass| volume= 4 |last= Coolidge |first= William Augustus Brevoort |author-link= W. A. B. Coolidge|  pages = 495&ndash;496 |short= 1}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050425000158/http://wipptal.net/rose/webcam/ Webcam Brenner Pass]

{{Sister bar|auto=y}}
{{Austrian mountain passes}}
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[[Category:Austria–Italy border crossings]]
[[Category:Mountain passes of South Tyrol]]
[[Category:Mountain passes of the Alps]]
[[Category:Mountain passes of Tyrol (federal state)]]
[[Category:Rhaetian Alps]]
[[Category:International transport in Europe]]