The European watershed at the Zeinisjoch

The Zeinisjoch, located at 1,809 metres, is not only an important mountain pass between the Kops and Vallüla Alps but also a crucial point of the European watershed between the Rhine and Danube rivers. This watershed separates two major drainage basins that flow into different seas: the Rhine, which empties into the North Sea, and the Danube, which flows into the Black Sea.

A unique feature at the Zeinisjoch is the bifurcation, where the Zeinisbach splits into two directions, supplying water to distinct river systems. Westwards, the water flows via the Verbellabach into the Ill, then to the Alpine Rhine, Lake Constance, and finally the Rhine, which discharges into the North Sea. Eastwards, the Zeinisbach feeds the Vermuntbach, which flows through the Trisanna, Sanna, and Inn before reaching the Danube, which empties into the Black Sea.

The watershed continues within Austria along the border between Tyrol and Vorarlberg. It runs from the Bielerhöhe over several key peaks of the Silvretta Range, including Hohe Rad, Haagspitze, and Tiroler Kopf, before reaching the Dreiländerspitz, marking the border between the Swiss canton of Graubünden and the Austrian states of Vorarlberg and Tyrol. From there, the watershed heads westward, leaving Austria and continuing within Switzerland.

This geographical feature makes the Zeinisjoch a place of significant scenic and hydrological interest, as it marks the divide between two of Europe's largest river systems.