On August 3, 1935, Austria’s most visionary road construction project was opened. Today the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße is the largest monument in the republic and a symbol of technical courage, scenic beauty in the high mountains and national identity – and celebrates its anniversary year in 2025.
On August 3, 2025, the ceremonial opening of the Großglockner High Alpine Road marks the 90th time. What started on August 3, 1935 with firecrackers, festivals and international attention is not only one of the most spectacular panoramic roads in Europe, but also a symbol for Austrian pioneering spirit, the alpine Austria and the attempt to combine nature, technology and tourism.
On Saturday, August 3, 1935, exactly 90 years ago, the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße was ceremoniously opened in the middle of economically difficult times in the presence of Federal President Wilhelm Miklas and a hundred of official Austria. A visionary project, supported by the planner, the Carinthian state officer Ing. Franz Wallack and the political pioneer from Salzburg, Governor Franz Rehrl, created 3,000 jobs and – for the first time in this form – north and south of Austria about the majestic alpine backdrop of the Glockner Group and the Hohe Tauern, an area at the beginning of the 2000s as national parks. was recognized.
In recent years, it has been developed with a lot of responsibility as a national park road and visitor control- with concrete measures in environmental, nature and climate protection as well as her own environment. Emission-reducing measures (such as the introduction of the night driving ban, long-term driving campaigns, the setting up of radar devices and the promotion of alternative drive technologies, such as electromobility through the construction of e-tank stations or the introduction of reduced e-tariffs and the establishment of 15 exhibitions along the street, which are mainly concerned with the National Park, Flora and Fauna and the history, implemented in the sense of a contemporary edutainment. The Großglockner Hochalpenstraße was also listed in July 2015 and, as one of the most important excursion destinations in Austria, has also been occupied as the largest monument in the Republic for exactly ten years.
Anniversary brochure published
On the occasion of the double anniversary- 90 years of the opening and 10 years of monument protection- an extensive anniversary brochure appears that tells the eventful history of the street on around 80 pages: from the visionary plan to the dramatic construction years of 1930 to today’s role as a reliable workplace and client in the regions ‘around the Großglockner’ as well as an ecologically exemplary tourism engine. The brochure contains interesting historical details, an event time bar over the course of almost 100 years to the present day and unique historical photos.
To view and to Download The anniversary brochure 90 years of Großglockner Hochalpenstraße: https://www.grossglockner.at/l.k5
The press release with other historical pictures, also from the anniversary brochure, can be found on our media database: https://media.grossglockner.at/de/presse/text~1245
OTS original text press release with the exclusive in terms of content of the sender – www.ots.at | T31