Loibl Pass, Mountain pass in Karawanks, Austria and Slovenia

Loibl Pass is a 1,367 m crossing of the Karawanks between Ferlach in Carinthia and Tržič in Upper Carniola. The B91 road climbs in hairpin curves past the Loiblbach brook to the saddle, where two stone obelisks with stepped bases and pointed finials flank the road and a low wooden building with a steep shingled roof stands between them. Since 1963-64 traffic has used a two-lane tunnel at 1,069 m beneath the crest.

From about 1560 the Carinthian estates extended the old bridle path and built a 150 m tunnel beneath the Karawanks ridge, an early engineering feat removed in the 18th century for safety. In 1728 Emperor Charles VI crossed the pass and ordered the road improved as part of the Vienna–Trieste route. During World War II, forced labourers built a 1,570 m tunnel, opened to military traffic on 4 December 1944.

Two stone obelisks stand on the pass summit, erected to mark the completion of road works under Emperor Charles VI after his 1728 journey. They also trace the line of the former 16th-century tunnel, replaced by a 130-metre cut. The tavern north of the pass is still called Deutscher Peter, after the innkeeper Peter Tschauko, who spoke German with the emperor.

The old pass road works well for leisurely walks and bicycle rides, though it offers limited shelter and few rest areas. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and be prepared for changeable mountain weather.

The two obelisks on the pass height mark the line of the first tunnel, built around 1560 and 150 metres long. It was removed because of the risk of collapse and replaced by a 130-metre, four-metre-wide cutting when Emperor Charles VI wanted to cross in 1728.