Karawanks Tunnel

The Karawanks Tunnel is a railway passage that runs nearly 8 kilometers beneath the Karawanks mountain range and connects Carinthia in Austria with Jesenice in Slovenia. The single-track system carries trains between these two regions through rock at considerable depth.

The project was completed in 1906 and marked a breakthrough for rail connection between Central Europe and the port of Trieste during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Drilling through the mountain was then a technical achievement that set new standards for tunnel construction.

The tunnel is registered as cultural heritage and shows how railways linked the Alpine region in the early 1900s. The route connects two countries and remains a visible symbol of cross-border transport between Austria and Slovenia.

The tunnel is undergoing ongoing renovation work that improves safety and modernizes the system. Visitors cannot walk through the passage but must travel by train to experience crossing beneath the mountain.

The tunnel ranks among the longest of its kind in the region and carries dozens of trains daily that continuously shuttle between Austria and Slovenia. This high traffic volume makes it one of the most critical transport arteries for cross-border mobility.

Location: Municipality of Jesenice

Inception: October 1, 1906

Official opening: 1906

Length: 7,976 m

Part of: Austria–Slovenia border

GPS coordinates: 46.52070,14.02570

Latest update: December 10, 2025 15:58