Jungfraujoch

Jungfraujoch is a col or saddle between the Mönch and the Jungfrau in the Bernese Alps on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, inside the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area.

Strictly, the Jungfraujoch is the lowest point on the mountain ridge between Mönch and Jungfrau, at 3,471 meters (11,388 ft). It is just above this location that the mountain station of Jungfraubahn is located, Jungfraujoch railway station, which at an elevation of 3,454 meters (11,332 ft) is the highest railway station in Europe. The Jungfraujoch is often called the "Top of Europe" in tourist literature.

Not far east of the Joch rises a peak called the Sphinx, which tops out at an elevation of 3,571 meters (11,716 ft). It begins from the Jungfraujoch on the Valais side and at the Great Aletsch Glacier. There is an elevator to the summit of the Sphinx, where a small viewing platform and a scientific observatory, the Sphinx Observatory, are located.

The Jungfraujoch is also home to one of the Global Atmosphere Watch's atmospheric research stations. The Jungfraujoch can only be reached through a 7.3 km long cog railway tunnel, served by the Jungfraubahn, the highest in a series of cooperating railway companies that provide access to the Jungfraujoch from Interlaken.

The tunnel

History

Adolf Guyer-Zeller first thought of the idea of a tunnel in 1893 and at that point he had planned to have 7 stations inside the tunnel before reaching what is now the Sphinx. The building of the tunnel started on July 27, 1896 and took 16 years to complete. The construction phase was troubled by many problems including monetary shortages, inclement weather and mounting deaths due to construction accidents. The worst accident occurred in 1908, when 30 tons of dynamite accidentally exploded.

Once construction was halted, the tunnel reached only to the height of the Jungfraujoch, rather than the Sphinx, with only two intermediate stations. However, even in its current state, the Jungfraubahn is an awesome achievement in engineering and construction, still holding the title for highest railway in Europe.

Railway

The train into the mountain leaves from Kleine Scheidegg, which can be reached by trains from Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. The train enters the tunnel running eastward through the Eiger shortly after leaving Kleine Scheidegg.

It runs close behind the Eiger's north face, stopping at Eigerwand, where there is a window about 8 m long and a metre high, halfway up the face. The windows have been placed in holes used to remove excavated rock from the tunnel during construction, and are also occasionally used as access points to rescue climbers. This window was used for one of the final scenes of a Clint Eastwood spy movie the The Eiger Sanction. There one can get off the train to admire the view before the train continues five minutes later. The tunnel then turns west, heading towards the Jungfrau. There is a second stop at a window looking out on the Eismeer ("Sea of Ice") before the train continues to the Jungfraujoch. The tunnel was constructed between 1898 and 1912; it is about 7 kilometers (4 mi) long, with gradients of up to 25%. The journey from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch takes approximately 50 minutes including the stops at Eigerwand and Eismeer; the downhill return journey taking only 35 minutes.

Weather

Weather data for Jungfraujoch
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) -10.3
(13)
-10.7
(13)
-9.8
(14)
-7.8
(18)
-3.7
(25)
-0.8
(31)
1.7
(35)
1.6
(35)
0.2
(32)
-2.5
(28)
-7.2
(19)
-9.2
(15)
-4.9
(23)
Daily mean °C (°F) -13.6
(8)
-14.2
(6)
-13.1
(8)
-10.8
(13)
-6.7
(20)
-3.7
(25)
-1.2
(30)
-1.2
(30)
-2.6
(27)
-5.2
(23)
-10.4
(13)
-12.3
(10)
-7.9
(18)
Average low °C (°F) -16.6
(2)
-16.8
(2)
-15.7
(4)
-13.4
(8)
-9
(16)
-5.9
(21)
-3.4
(26)
-3.3
(26)
-5.1
(23)
-7.6
(18)
-12.8
(9)
-15.3
(4)
-10.4
(13)
Source: MeteoSchweiz 8 May 2009

Gallery

...

References

External links

Listed in the following categories:
Post a comment
Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
Patricia Polvora
31 December 2012
You just can't miss this
paipoi
8 February 2015
ユングフラウヨッホ駅。標高3,454m、ヨーロッパで最も高い位置にある駅。2015/2/4東海テレビ「世界行ってみたらホントはこんなコトもしていた!?」こんなコトもランキング第10位スイス、中村慶D訪問。
Patchara Kosolchotechalothorn
ขาขึ้นจะตื่นตาตื่นใจจากวิว คึกครื้นกัน ส่วนขาลง จะสลบ มึนกันหมด หมดเรี่ยวเเรง จากจุงฟราวน์ 555 : D
Patchara Kosolchotechalothorn
ขึ้น-ลง ยอดเขา ใช้เวลาประมาณ 1.30-2.00 ชั่วโมง
ポップ コーン
23 August 2013
ヨーロッパ一番標高が高い駅(3454m)。富士山頂上と約300mしか変わらず(^_^;
Load more comments
foursquare.com
8.6/10
73,285 people have been here
Map
0.1km from Jungfraujoch, 3801 Fieschertal, Switzerland Get directions
Mon-Tue 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Wed 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Thu-Fri 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Sat 9:00 AM–5:00 PM

Bahnhof Jungfraujoch on Foursquare

Jungfraujoch on Facebook

Hotels nearby

See all hotels See all
Belvedere Swiss Quality Hotel

starting $413

Belvedere

starting $0

Jungfrau Lodge

starting $0

DERBY (WITH BATH)

starting $0

Mountain Hostel

starting $34

Jungfrau Lodge, Swiss Mountain Hotel

starting $113

Recommended sights nearby

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Jungfrau

The Jungfrau (German: 'maiden/virgin') is the summit of a mountain

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Mönch

The Mönch (German: 'monk') is a mountain in the Bernese Alps.

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Bietschhorn

The Bietschhorn (3,934 m) is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Eiger

The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland, rising to

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Trummelbach

The Trummelbach Falls (In German: Trümmelbachfälle) in Switzerland a

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Gross Fiescherhorn

The Gross Fiescherhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps range of the

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Silberhorn

The Silberhorn (3,695 m) is a pyramid-shaped mountain in the Bernese

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Fiescherhorn

The Fiescherhorn is the name given to three mountains in the Bernese

Similar tourist attractions

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu (Gunung Kinabalu) is a prominent mountain in Southeast

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Mount Huang

Mount Huang, also known as Huangshan (Шаблон:Zh-cpl), is a mount

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Mount Kōya

is the generic name of specific mountains in Wakayama prefecture to

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Silbury Hill

Silbury Hill is a man-made chalk mound near Avebury in the English

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Troodos Mountains

Troodos is the biggest mountain range of Cyprus, located in the center

See all similar places