Info driving roads Rydberg Pass (photo: Walla! system, Yatir Davidovitz)
Name:
Rydberg Pass
Location:
near the town of Fischen, southern Bavaria, Germany.
Nearby destinations:
about two hours drive from Munich.
Length:
10 km, but there are a few more surprises around.
When to drive:
All seasons.
Car:
Opel Astra GSE
Reidberg Pass lies in the southernmost corner of Germany, right at the entrance to the Tyrol region in Austria. The road is part of a road system that connects The German Alps along the Austrian border, from the infamous "Eagle's Nest" area to Lake Constance.
Unlike other driving roads in Europe, the Rydberg Pass has not received the same great public relations as more famous roads such as the Black Forest and the Stelvio.
Maybe it's the proximity to the famous and best of Austria's driving roads, maybe it's the short length - only 10 km, maybe the view is reasonable to an Alpine standard, and maybe it's the attractions that lie nearby and draw all the attention. And despite all this, we were very happy about the long drive to Rydberg, because it turns
out Good surprises can also await on the roads.
The previous episodes in the series:
B2500 road in the Black Forest in Germany
Other advantages: little traffic and a road that is open almost all year round (photo: Walla! system, Yatir Davidovitz)
Driving through the Rydberg mountain pass
To get there we took a long drive to southern Bavaria.
In the town of Pischen we turned right (west) and drove a few kilometers to the village with the catchy and simple name 'Obermeiselstein'.
Immediately after the village comes the first turn which continues to the next turn and from there again to the right, back to the left and God forbid.
The pace increases, the intensity with which the road throws the vehicle from side to side increases and there is no straight line in sight.
So we set out to amateurishly count the turns, and if we also include those that can be "straightened out" we will reach about 80 turns in less than 10 km or a turn every 125 meters. Then it hits you - the speed limit on this mountain pass is 100 km
" Q, but the never-ending series of twists and turns and zero straights will prevent most drivers from approaching it.
An excellent way to prevent traffic violations, and push a few others to the edge and beyond.
For a moment it feels as if the German legislator who set the speed limit is waiting on the other side of the mountain pass with a small sign - "
The other thing that is surprising is the slope.
Rydberg Pass is not high by European standards, only 1,400 m above sea level and yet it is very steep.
The short length and a series of twists and turns that would confuse even Netflix series dictate a serious slope of 500 m in less than 5 km, a slope that challenges the vehicle's engine and brakes thanks to the combination with the frequent turns. Driving here is a mental work of choosing the turn line, or
turns . You look far ahead, the field of vision is good and you can usually see who is coming from the other side. Now you can start accelerating.
If you chose the classic line, out - in - out, as unskilled drivers usually do, you will find that on the next turn you are driving slowly on the inside Very much. Here you have to look far and think even further. Each round pulls you in, stay there, because that's where the outer line of the next round will be. And so it continues until you reach the height peak. Somewhere at the peak you'll discover a nice ski resort and some hiking trails.
When you start going down, you will discover another series of turns, moderate this time, some of which you can straighten just like a race track.
Of course, all this is assuming that there is no biker in a hurry on the way up / down and that there is no thick fog on the road.
All this celebration comes with one huge advantage.
A lack of public relations is just like a great restaurant that few have heard of - the chance that someone will make you stand in line is very small.
The bikers here are fast and it is doubtful if cars will bother them and vice versa.
The small amount of cars almost always guarantees a wonderful drive without interruptions for any motorized vehicle.
Not enough?
Here Rydberg Pass pulls out an ace piece.
This fun road is open year round (except for snow storms and force majeure).
True, if you reached it early in the morning right after a snowy night, you might want to give up demanding driving, but in any other situation, the charming pass is simply at your disposal at any time and at any time.
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If you're in the area, 25 km from Rydberg Pass is the Obrioch, steeper, but with much more traffic (photo: Walla! system, Yatir Davidovitz)
How to get there and nearby attractions
All this goodness awaits you at a distance of 170 km from Munich or 160 km from Zurich in all seasons.
From Munich you need to get on the 96 west and get off the Autobahn No. 7 almost to the starting point in the town of Fischen.
All around there are all kinds of possibilities, but driving enthusiasts who are not satisfied with Rydberg will be happy to discover another wonderful driving road called Oberjoch, only 25 km away. Although Joch in Switzerland means mountain pass, in this case it is not really a pass A classic mountain but a climb on the ridge line of the German Alps.
The Oberrich is the complete opposite of Rydberg. It's steeper, narrower, has terrible visibility and heavy traffic. It's great if you wanted to challenge yourself with tight, tight turns with lots of sharp turns.
Beyond this driving road, an hour's drive away is the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, which inspired Walt Disney and attracts millions of tourists every year.
It is worth a short trip.
For fans of challenging sports, there are many other options in the vicinity.
Ski resorts galore in the winter and hiking trails in the summer
A little west into Switzerland you will meet the wonderful Lake Constance.
Astra GSE.
Fast enough for mountain passes and able to achieve 16 km per liter on the Autobahn (photo: Walla! system, Yatir Davidovitz)
The car with us
"Every road has its car" says the newly born proverb and Rydberg has the Opel Astra GSE.
The GSE is the 'hot' version of the German family car with 225 horsepower.
Unlike the normal Astra that is marketed in Israel, the GSE has a large stable of about 100 horses thanks to a larger turbo gasoline engine and mainly thanks to an electric stable that turns Opel's sports car into a plug-in hybrid car.
It is reasonable to wonder if a heavy plug-in car, weighing almost 300 kg more than the regular version, can be a real sports car. The answer is complex and ambiguous, in a way that is very reminiscent of the mountain pass we drove.
On the one hand, it has notable minuses: when you take away the power portion, the engine feels a bit "small" for a car with sporty pretensions.
It is definitely heavy and moves on the road like a ballerina who has eaten too many cakes.
On the other hand, once you understand its limitations and 'quicks', it becomes a very enjoyable machine to drive.
One that encourages you to decipher the secret of its speed and take it much further than it seems at first.
The first time we pushed her to the edge she reacted with relatively sharp understeer.
The direction changes are also not very fast and the initial feeling is clumsy.
The solution comes from a different driving style.
We started taking Rydberg's turn sequences with clear weight transfers before the turn and with late entry and exit from the turn - ones that dictate less gas and a straighter line.
By then, the front grip had improved dramatically and the chunky tires overcame the added weight and gave the GSE a more efficient and immediate turn-in.
The decisive braking provides an easy charge to the battery which the Astra uses to burst power from the electric motor at the exit of the turn.
The beauty of Astra is precisely in the combination of the ingredients.
On the one hand, it is fast enough to make this mountain pass a small motoring experience for us, and on the other hand, it drove at autobahn speeds while consuming only 16 km per liter (total) and indulges in miles of quiet electric travel for those who will live with it on a daily basis. There are many more things to tell about her, but you can read this in the full test.
In conclusion
Rydberg Pass is not the perfect driving road, it is very monotonous in the driving style it dictates, there are no sharp curves or straights to spoil the experience.
It is very short and the view around is not very exciting.
Even so, it's hard not to like him.
It offers an experience reminiscent of an Italian espresso: short, intense and full of character.
The turns, the gradient, the quality of the pavement and above all the fact that it is open all year round make it a road that you will always want to drive on if you are around but you will never drive especially just for it.
And in short: (Photo: Walla! system, Yatir Davidovitz)
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