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The three
mountains
have exercise
magnetic dra
to generation
stations of Eigerwand (Eiger Wall) and Eismeer so
passengers can enjoy the panoramas. In February
1912, the tunnellers completed the excavation and
were rewarded by the breathtaking sight of the Alet
Glacier beneath a deep-blue sky. It took twice as lo
as expected; but, finally, the job was done.
Fast-forward a hundred years and Guyer-Zeller’s
masterwork is still an engineering triumph:
Jungfraujoch remains the highest station in Europ
3,454m, and attracts over 650,000 visitors a year,
arrive to enjoy the views, as well as other attraction
that have been created over the years. The mountai
is a honeycomb of lined and unlined passages thro
the rock, linking the different levels and on each on
there are things to do. Most people head first for th
lift that takes you to the Sphinx Observation Terra
at 3,571m, from where there is a 360° view over th
surrounding mountains.
But those heading up in early January are in for
even more special treat. The centenary year begins
Left,
the scenic
journey stops inside the
mountain where
viewing windows have
been carved out of
the rock.
Below,
the
famed north wall of
the Eiger
It was 1857 before the Mönch was conquered. The
summit of the Eiger was reached the following year,
but its fearsome north face resisted all attempts until
1938. It still holds a particular, dangerous fascination
and has claimed at least 64 lives over the years.
The line construction from Interlaken reached
Kleine Scheidegg beneath the Eiger in 1893. Guyer-
Zeller’s scheme then called for a 9.34km railway
from there to the saddle of the Jungfrau, just shy of
the summit, so it was bound to be tough going. The
plan was to build the open section to a station at
Eigergletscher, from where workers would dig into
the rock itself. Once tunnelling began, work could
be progressed around the clock, using electrically
powered drills on the hard rock. The railway would
then be opened in stages to generate revenue: short
foot tunnels from two stations inside the mountain
would allow passengers to visit viewing windows
over the valleys from the wall of the mountain.
Ascending trains still stop at these viewpoint
TRAVELLER
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