Description:

Bizarre mountains, passes and exciting traces of military history can be traced up close on adventurous paths: The Dolomites are ideal bike and hiking area.


The speedometer needle fluctuates 30-90 km / h, a tight left behind move apart, the mountain pine give a view of a magnificent landscape of the Dolomites – 2009 named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dull pounding waves, the F 800 through the final corners of the cross mountain passes, the driver just recapitulates the distance: Isarco and Val Gardena, Sella Ronda, the two and a half, then over the passes and Tre Croci Falzarego Kreuzbergpass.

She drives the route is not the first time, but the mountain passes remain even after frequent repetition simply terrific.

A short break in San Candido and down through the gates of “Dolomythos” – an exhibition on the Dolomites. Topic number one: the First World War, which developed in the Dolomites, a unique dynamic.

One is confronted with the large-sized terror: killings, severed limbs, body parts. “The colored photos are shocking,” said Michael Wachtler Dolomytos initiator. The author and explorer busy for years with the war that took place 1915-1918 in the Italian Alps.

From his tours in the Dolomites, he has brought things to the mountain has only released years after the war: canned food, ammo, rusty rifles.

Even the shoes of a soldier he has pulled out of a tunnel. The skeleton, according to Michael Wachtler, was still here.

Today romp in the Dolomites mountain climbers, motorcyclists, cyclists, hikers or paragliders. Hard to believe, that here not even a hundred years ago there was a horrible war. BMW helps the back to the present.

Versagt Pusteria in a couple of swings and campers at Toblach to Landro. Then the Misurina lake and the driveway to the Three Peaks.

On the way back to pilot parked her moped and can now drive themselves: by jeep shuttle to Monte Piana. The ride on the old Militarstraßchen and the spectacular view is worth the trip. Up then, to 2325 meters, back comes the War: Ex-position, cleats and accommodations that can be run on a trail. Wild flowers and herbs grow in the trenches in which were compared to Austrians and Italians in the Dolomites war.

Two and a half hours walking – Motorcycle ride ten hours. After the first course in the mountains, the BMW devours all mountain passes between Cortina d’Ampezzo and Bolzano. Passo Gardena, Panider saddle, saddle Niger, Carezza – a pleasure.

A hundred years ago the Great Dolomite road between Bolzano and Cortina d’Ampezzo was opened. The route – an idea of the German and Austrian Alpine Association – should make the tourists Dolomite Mountains by a motorable road consistently accessible. But the burgeoning mountain tourism to the mountain war from 1915 to 1918 fell victim to. Pass roads have been converted for the purpose of military supplies to the front lines.

The 2105 meter high mountain pass is the final section of the Great Dolomites Road, which has been carved in 1909 with great difficulty from the rock. The objective is popular: the “Hondarabauken” from the Lower Rhine were here, the Vespa Club of Graz and the fans of BVB – “We are Borussia” is on the pass sign.

In the souvenir shop “bazaar” are piling Tyrolean bears in leather pants, floor nails “Dolomiti” marmot and socks “Alpine Glow”. In addition to a pack of ceramic gnomes are two discarded shells. Since the only cure is remote view to 2835 meters high Lagazuoi who fell out with time because of the extreme hardness of mine war in the focus of attention.

Pass roads are currently in focus. Falzarego, Valparola, the temptation to turn violently on the throttle, is extreme. The madness, the return of Valparola, then come to La Villa and Corvara to the Campolongo pass.Behind the Colle Santa Lucia, the 29 exquisite loops follows the Passo di Giau.

29 tornanti (sweeping) here, 33 there tornanti. Back at the Falzarego pass the pilot suffers from severe dizziness and exchanged against a motorcycle helmet ducatiroten mountain helmet with a headlamp. Rope and carabiner? All you need. Take the cable car up to the Lagazuoi, Tofana and the Cinque Torri, almost all the Dolomite peaks appear in the panorama window.Then get off and follow the “Imperial Hunting Trail” with former Austrian positions. Alpine choughs scream.

All around naked rock that wraps itself every few minutes into dense cloud. In the distance, sounding thuds. Thunderstorm? If you have not read that died in the First World War and more people here due to storms, avalanches and rock fall, extreme cold and other natural forces than by enemy weapons?

The path winds its way, sometimes more, sometimes less exposed to the rock slope. Rope bridge sloping sites. Sun alternating with rain. So escape to an ex-position of the Emperor hunters who have been hammered into the rock masses in the flanks Lagazuoi. In some places the enemy was just 30 meters away. But the only way to expel him from the rocks in its adhesive eagle nests lay in it, to pound out the stone tunnels, filling them with explosives and blow up.

So a part of the mountain top was blown off, in the form of debris still adorns the surroundings of the Falzarego Pass. Who shines a light into the pitch-black caves and passageways, tunnels and discovers former bedrooms. Then a tense between the rocks faces suspension bridge with Indiana Jones-style atmosphere, sometime it can only go further with carabiner. Time to turn around.

Back at the Falzarego Pass, the area for more exciting “bike and hike” is combed off spots. A short time later, the F 800 Passo di Giau and the Passo Staulanza Cibiana defeats to the summit. Then again with all-terrain vehicle shuttle through a dizzying old Militarstraßchen to Monte Rite. Has brought on the slopes of the two-thousand-four dozen good grazing yaks, Reinhold Messner of his Himalayan expeditions.

On top of the extreme climber has converted a fort dating from the First World War to the “Museum of the clouds.” Through fully glazed ex-combat domes you see again all the Dolomite peaks and mountain passes of the environment from a bird’s eye view.

A visit of the hotel on the pass, “Parco Aventura – Adrenalin Park” is not necessary, but keeps the washed-out roads of Cibiana ready enough adrenalin kicks. Sometimes act like little hollows in the pavement jumps.

Then on super narrow, bumpy road over the pass-Duran. Two blocks away, waiting for the drive up to Passo Rolle with a perfect lining and an almost unbelievable series of right-left combinations. No wonder that suddenly reappear myriad of bikers. Passo di Valles, Passo di Fedaia – Pass-Pass-Highlight follows highlight up on the Pellegrino “Sentiero della Pace”, the “Path of Peace” makes a stop necessary.

The route follows the ornate front lines of World War II. Here at Pellegrino, she crossed the street and winds up with a view of the Marmolada glacier to Monzoni and Costa Bella Group. Once in the vicinity of Pellegrino Pass bloody battles were fought. Today, hiking trails and ski runs lead from a former front line to the other, Austrians and Italians argue most, is the last piece of apple strudel at the nearby “mountain-hut tramps”. A herd of super athletes rushing past, it twitches in the fingers. Now follow behind.

But then the driver parked their bikes and floats with the chair once more to the hiking path along the former positions at the Bella Costa-up solid. Once again move the bones, mountain air and smell and recognize that war atrocities are an inseparable part of history Dolomites. Why hide it? The great passes can wait.