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There are so many things to see and experience in Switzerland -
railway journeys, scenic routes, Alpine passes, valleys and
glaciers, small villages, serene lakes … But journeys to the
summits of three majestic peaks must be regarded as to be
amongst the most breathtaking in this
touristic country - that of the
Jungfraujoch (3 454 m), the
Schilthorn (2 970 m)
and Mount Pilatus (2 120 m).
The Jungfraujoch
Just south of
Interlaken
one finds what is arguably Switzerland’s most dramatic mountain
scenery, a region dominated by the mighty triple crests of the
Eiger (3 970 m)
, the Mönch (4 109 m)
and the
Jungfrau
(4 158) m. The town itself is situated between two lakes,
Thun and
Brienz (On which shores my wife and I once pitched
a tent), and trains to both the
Jungfraujoch, as well as to the
Schilthorn all depart from the station of Interlaken
East. You can even decide on a round-trip, ascending through
Grindelwald, and descending through
Lauterbrunnen. But you can also
drive up to either one of the stops (where the roads all run
out), and then use the rail from there, to board the
Jungfraubahn (Bahn
= rail) at Kleine
Scheidegg (2 061 m).
The Jungfraubahn, the highest rack
railway in Europe, is regarded as one of the engineering
achievements of its time. It was constructed between 1896 and
1912. Up to the Eigergletscher
the almost 1 400 m climb runs in the open air, but thereafter
the train enters a 7 km tunnel carved through the north face of
the Eiger. On the way up the train
stops twice for about five minutes at
Eigerwand and Eismeer,
where gallery windows cut into the mountain allows passengers to
enjoy spectacular views and the valley below, the imposing
crests of the surrounding mountains, and the glacier.
When the train exits the tunnel for its final stop at the
Jungfraujoch, a shoulder of the
Jungfrau,
the blinding glare of the light on the snow welcomes you to the
highest railway station in Europe. Here you will find several
restaurants, as well as a terrace from where you can view the
longest glacier in the Alps, the
Aletschgletscher, stretching away between the
Jungfrau
and the Mönch. On a sunny day lakes
Thun and Brienz
lie shimmering in the distance below.
The views into the Black Forest of Germany to the west, the
mountains of France to the east and Italy to the south gives
credit to the postmark of the post
office at the Jungfraujoch, as “Top
of Europe”. Depending on the weather, you can wander outside for
walks in the snow along signposted
paths.
A visit to the famed Eispalast
(Ice Palace) must surely be undertaken. An elevator takes
you 65 m down to a corridor leading into the glacier, where
caverns are hewn into the slowest-moving section. Statues and
other sculptures cut out of solid ice are to be seen everywhere.
Needless to say, warm clothing should be taken with you, if you
fully want to experience the marvels of this icy world.
The Schilthorn
Another spectacular tour to be undertaken from Interlaken is a
trip by cable car to the summit of the
Schilthorn. You can either take the train to
Lauterbrunnen, or drive up by
car. From here you have to travel to the pedestrian village of
Mürren.
A funicular will take you up to
Grütschalp, from where a train leaves to
Mürren. But you can also take a bus
from Lauterbrunnen to
Stechelberg, from where a
cable car transports you up to Mürren.
The last section of the cable car will then lift you up to the
summit of the Schilthorn.
On the way up the scenery is magnificent. From
Grütschalp the green
Lauterbrunnen valley
streches out before you, against the
backdrop of the surrounding snowy peaks. Further up the valley
the awesome drop of the Trümpelbachfalle,
fed by the melting snows, is most impressive. The
Jungfrau Massif towers above. A part
of Lake
Thun
is also visible.
The Schilthorn became immensely
famous after a James Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret
Service was shot at this location. Since then the circular
restaurant (revolving around its axis in 55 min) at the summit
is also known as Pitz
Gloria. Some of the most dramatic scenes were filmed here,
especially at the restaurant. A landing pad which was
constructed for a helicopter, today serves as a sun terrace.
From here panoramic views greets the visitor: from the
Titlis, the
Eiger, the Mönch, the
Jungfrau, out over the
Vosges Mountains, the Black Forest,
the Matterhorn, and even Mont Blanc,
which is just visible on a clear day.
The region around the Schilthorn is
well-known as a winter sports destination. At
Mürren the first skiing competitions
in Switzerland were held on the adjacent slopes. One of them,
the “Inferno” amateur downhill race, with a descent of 2 170 m,
is held annually in February since 1928. But should one want to
explore the region on foot, a number of hiking trails can be
followed from Mürren, or from the
other small villages in the region.
What should be considered is sleeping over at
Mürren, instead of undertaking the
roundtrip to the Schilthorn all in
one day. Excellent accommodation can be reserved in hotels like
the Alpenblick, the
Regina,
or the small but cosy Alpenruh
near the cable car station to the
Schilthorn. Here one can wander around savouring the
majestic views of the surroundings, as well as the clear Alpine
air. Snacks and drinks can be enjoyed at the restaurants on the
main street. The next morning the cable car can be taken up for
breakfast at the Pitz Gloria, with
its continually changing panorama as backdrop to the meal.
Mount Pilatus
Pilatus
is a mountain near Lucerne. It derived its name from the legend
that Pontius Pilate was buried there. In contrast to the trips
to the Jungfraujoch and the
Schilthorn, which are quite
expensive, and which are primarily undertaken for the sake of
the breathtaking views from atop the towering crests, those to
Mount Pilatus are much more
affordable, and offers a wide range of family-like attractions
and activities.
The top of
Pilatus
can be reached by taking the world’s steepest cogwheel railway
from Alpnachstad, or with
panoramic gondolas and an aerial cableway departing from
Kriens. Depending on your
choice, you have to take a train, or travel by bus or car, or by
ferry from Lucerne across the lake to
Alpnachstad (about 16 km. away by road); to
Krienz you have to travel by road or
by train. The most popular excursion is what is called the
“Golden Round Trip”, that is,
boarding the ferry to Alpnachstad,
going up on the cog-railroad, but descending by way of the
cableway and gondolas (40 min), thereafter
traveling back to Lucerne on the local bus. Discount
tickets for the whole trip can be bought at various hotels and
the visitor centre in Lucerne.
The cogwheel railway - initially steam operated - was opened in
June 1889, but was reopened in 1937 after electrification. It
only operates from May to November, carrying 40 people up at a
time at a maximum incline of 48 %. The journey to the top
through Alpine forests and meadows, by sparkling clear mountain
streams and higher up over the rock-strewn face of the mountain,
and through four tunnels, takes about 40 minutes.
The panorama gondolas from Krienz
take around 18 minutes for the first section of 900 m height
difference to Fräkmüntig
station. Here a visit to the exhibition of the concept and the
construction of the gondola cableway is well worth a visit.
Hereafter the aerial cableway takes around five minutes to carry
visitors from Fräkmüntig 647 m
higher up to the top. The unique views of the Alps and Central
Switzerland’s Lakeland landscape are stunning.
On top of the mountain a variety of activities can be
undertaken, like hiking along different trails. But one of the
most popular is the unique leisure activity of the
Pilatus
Rope Park,
opened in 2005. It is an area where a number of rope trails up
in the trees enable the adventurous to follow a trail over open
expanses between trees of the forest. Some trails, with a
minimum height of 120 cm above ground, are for children up to 8
years old; others are more testing with slack lines high up in
the trees, testing one’s agility skills. In summer visitors can
also ride Switzerland’s longest toboggan (sledding) run
(1 350 m). This racy run on a sled down a chrome-steel channel
with numerous twists and turns is an exiting experience for
young and old. From the end of the run a lift takes participants
back to the start. Apart from these activities special events
are organized, such as a Christmas market on top of the
mountain, sunset dinners, Mother’s Day and a
yodeler fair.
When in Lucerne a visit to Mount
Pilatus
always promises to be exceptional. Combined with excursions to
the Jungfraujoch and the
Schilthorn, the
traveler can surely boast to have experienced three of
Switzerland’s most exeptional
highlights.
-
Manie Wolvaardt
Credits:
Jungfraujoch
& Schilthorn :
Marethe du
Toit (daughter of the author)
Photos 12, 14, 16 & 17 : http://www.pilatus.ch
Photo 13 : http://en.wikipedia.org.wiki.Pilatus…(mountain)
Photo 15 http://czsquare.blogspot.com |
A VIEW OF SWITZERLAND
AT THE JUNGFRAUJOCH
THE ALETSCHGLETSCHER
A SNOWY VIEW
STATUES IN THE EISPALAST
BY CABLE CAR UP SCHILTHORN
WATERFALLS EVERYWHERE
NEARING THE PITZ GLORIA
AT THE TOP
THE EIGER, THE MÖNCH AND THE JUNGFRAU
UP AND AROUND MT PILATUS
THE COGWHEEL TRAIN
SNOW AT THE TOP
THE PANORAMIC GONDOLAS
TESTING YOUR SKILLS AT THE ROPE PARK
HOLDING FAST ON THE TOBOGGAN RUN |
