SIMPLON PASS

mountain pass in southern Switzerland between the Pennine and Lepontine Alps at 6,581 ft (2,006 m) on the watershed between a north-flowing tributary of the Rhne and a south-flowing tributary of the Toce. It was not until the mid-13th century that the pass attained any importance as a route, and it was only when Napoleon built (180007) a carriage road through the Gorge of Gondo that the pass began to compete with the other Alpine passes as a major link between central and southern Europe. Near the summit of the pass is a hospice, first mentioned in 1235 as in the charge of the Order of St. John; it is now occupied by the Augustinians. Bellevue Simplon-Kulm Hotel stands near the hospice. A railway tunnel 12.5 mi (20 km) long (opened 1906) cuts through 4,285 ft beneath the pass and connects Brig, Switz., with Iselle, Italy. When the pass is closed to road traffic, usually from mid-October to early April, cars are transported through the tunnel by train.