User:Wittylama/Crossing the Alps
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An alpine crossing or crossing of the Alps is a journey across the Alps of Europe, which usually runs transversely North-South (or more rarely also along the main chain of the Alps East-West). The Alps form a major "natural obstacle" across the European continent and crossing them has been a significant event throughout history for economic, military, and cultural reasons (including for religion and tourism). Consequently, crossings of the Alps have had significant impact for peoples, and ecology, of the region.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/DEMAlpesEW.png/640px-DEMAlpesEW.png)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Koller_Gotthardpost_1873.jpg/640px-Koller_Gotthardpost_1873.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Hannibal3.jpg/640px-Hannibal3.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Amber_Road.jpg/640px-Amber_Road.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/VAkomprimiert.jpg/640px-VAkomprimiert.jpg)
An Alpine crossing is usually referred to as a complete crossing of the mountain range of the Alps, such as from Munich to Venice or Basel to Milan, but also for routes that are still in the inner city, for example from Oberstdorf to Merano.
If the Main chain of the Alps is only crossed by a small area (for example from the Austrian town of Gries am Brenner to the neighbouring town of Brenner in Italy by crossing the Eisack Valley), it is not considered a full "Alpine crossing" but a crossing of the main chain.
The reasons for making 150-250km crossing of the "natural obstacle" between Central and Southern Europe, or Western and Eastern Europe, are diverse; including economic, military, political, religious, scientific, touristic and artistic.