Lukmanier Pass, Mountain pass between the Grisons and Ticino, Switzerland

Lukmanier Pass is a Swiss alpine crossing at 1915 m between Medel (Lucmagn) in Grisons and Olivone in Ticino, linking Disentis/Mustér with Biasca. The pass road climbs about 19 km from Olivone and 20 km from Disentis; since the 1960s dam raised Lai da Sontga Maria, the road's high point lies north of the saddle in a gallery at 1972 m. The old hospice and its chapel were flooded by the reservoir, and replacement buildings were consecrated in 1965 and 1967.

A Roman coin hoard found at Malvaglia and a spearhead from around 600 near the summit show the crossing was in use by the end of the 3rd century. The pass flourished after Disentis Abbey was founded in the early 8th century, and under the Staufers it was the main north-south route through the Swiss Alps. Otto I, Henry II, Frederick I and Sigismund are recorded as having crossed it; Otto I did so in deep winter. It lost that role to the Gotthard and Splügen passes, and a modern road was built in 1872-1877.

The name comes from the Latin lucus magnus, "great grove". The hospice founded in 1374 with a chapel to Saint Mary was flooded by the Lai da Sontga Maria reservoir; its replacement was consecrated on 1 August 1965, and the chapel, financed by the NOK, in 1967. Near the Santa Maria oratory stands Giovanni Genucchi's granite statue of the Madonna and Child, carved in 1956.

The road stays open year-round due to its lower elevation, though winter drivers should expect evening closures during heavy snow. It is wise to check conditions ahead of time and carry extra fuel, as services are limited at the top.

The pass lies on the European watershed: water from Val Cadlimo, just south of the summit, flows as the Medelser Rhein toward the North Sea. The road's highest point is not the pass itself but a gallery north of it at 1972 m, built when the Lai da Sontga Maria reservoir flooded the old road in the 1960s.