Top of Europe and the most distinctive sights of the Alps - Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch 1037; Alpinism 01471
What and Why
Against popular beliefs, Jungfraujoch is technically not a mountain or a peak, but a saddle or ridge between two main peaks, the Jungfrau and Mönch of the Swiss Alps (German: Alpen). The saddle is also home to one of the largest glaciers in Europe: the Aletsch Glacier (Aletschgletscher). The area, snow-covered year round, is one of the most touristic areas of Switzerland (Schweiz) and possibly Europe due to its sheer natural beauty.
Tourism is made possible by the superb Swiss railway engineering, which built the Jungfrau railway (Jungfraubahn) on one of the most treacherous landscapes on Earth in 1912 CE! At 3.454 km altitude, the railway and the terminus is the highest in Europe.
Toponymy
Jungfraujoch means literally 'young girl's saddle' in German. The young girl connotation refers to the nuns in the nearby Interlaken Monastery (Kloster Interlaken), when the monastery historically administered the mountain area.
Jungfraujoch is part of the Alps, and the word Alps comes from the Proto-Indo-European word '*albʰós', meaning 'white' for its colour.
See
We started our ascent journey from Grindelwald and we follow the route to the top.
Eiger Express - Jungfraubahn
While there are many means and routes to ascend to Jungfraujoch (even on foot), the current best way is to use the new Eiger Express gondola to reach the mid-station Eigergletscher before the full ascent to Jungfraujoch via the Jungfrau railway.
Completed only in 2020 CE, the gondola ride is definitely one of the most scenic I have ever had. The journey is only approximately 15 minutes, ascending to approximately 2.3 km above sea-level at Eigergletscher. The Eiger Express cuts down the ascent time previously via rail access by more than 45 minutes and provides a much more touristic experience. Just this ride is a highlight by itself with a 360° view of the landscape of Grindelwald and the Alps inside a full glass gondola!
The video from the gondola.
One can also ascend on foot, which a lot of hikers will find fascinating, but it will take approximately three hours, which honestly is not that tough. Just not for lazy travellers like us.
The Jungfrau rail is actually an engineering feat itself. Completed in 1912 CE, this railway used the rack-and-pinion system to conquer the steep slope of the ascent. Since most of the route is above the snow line, the railway is mostly inside a tunnel within the Eiger mountain and in a sense it is kind of a boring claustrophobic 35-minute journey that ascends from 2.3 km to 3.5 km above sea level. However you cannot not admire Swiss pioneering and engineering that performed this feat of drilling through the Alps more than 120 years ago!
As mentioned above, and from the map above there are other railway routes that reaches Jungfraujoch.
Top of Europe
While it is named 'Top of Europe', this is simply another marketing hyperbole. The railway station is really the highest in Europe, but Jungfraujoch is hardly the tallest in Europe. Not to mention that in fact it does not even make the top ten highest within Switzerland itself! The highest peak in Switzerland is actually Dufourspitze in Monte Rosa of the Alps at 4.634 km; while the tallest mountain in Europe is Mount Elbrus (Russian: Гора Эльбрус, Gora Elbrus) in Russia (Russian: Россия, Rossiya) at 5.642 km.
On the other hand, Top of Europe is actually an integrated activity centre merged into the train station as the plan above. Right out of the terminus, and passing through some small shops and cafes, one can take the elevator to reach the Sphinx Observatory.
The Sphinx is an astronomical and meteorological observatory located at Jungfraujoch. It is named after the rocky summit on which it is located, which is called the Sphinx. It is one of the highest observatories in the world and definitely the highest in Europe. The observatory plays an important role in a number of important experiments on the environment, which are close to my heart and profession. It measures the solar radiation and the background air pollution of Europe. Moreover in 1949 CE, through its cosmic ray measurements it provided the first precise evidence for the existence of the meson kaon.
Apart from the fact it offers an unrivalled view of the Alps, many come up to the Sphinx as it is also recognised in the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel.
After the Sphinx one will be taken to the Ice Palace, an entire ice-cavern dug up inside the Alps with of course real ice. The cavern was first dug by the mountaineers and alpinists that explored the mountains and subsequently these caverns were all connected to make a touristic landmark.
A till to serve ice-cream or drinks perhaps?
...And making fun of the movie Ice Age, although nothing to do with Jungfraujoch.
One of the best views and a semi-kept secrets is the Plateau, where it offers absolutely stunning view of the Alps and the Aletsch Glacier.
Aletsch Glacier (Aletschgletscher)
The Aletsch Glacier is one of the largest glaciers in Europe and covers almost 23 km and together with the glaciers in the Los Glaciares National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Los Glaciares) in our blog of El Calafate, they become some of the most important markers of climate change in the world. Expectedly, the Aletsch Glacier is a retreating glacier and has lost more than 1.5 km of its length and 300 m of its thickness since the 1980s CE when one started to make scientific measurements on global warming. Currently it is on a recession of approximately 100 m per year.
The entire Aletsch Glacier is shaped like a letter J and the northern boundary is where Jungfraujoch is, as shown in the photo above. The Aletsch Glacier is actually made up of a number of smaller glaciated estuaries as sources with the highest part of it at more than 4.1 km above sea-level. When all these small glaciers merge at the largest point at Concordia Place (Konkordiaplatz), the glacier reaches its maximum flow and the snow achieves a thickness of close to 940 m.
One can walk quite near the edge of Aletsch Glacier by taking a hike from Jungfraujoch to the Mönch peak, as in the map above. The return journey is around two hours and to be frank it was not a difficult hike, although that my wife did suffer a minor altitude sickness after the journey. I was carrying my 10-kg baby all along the journey and he seemed fine, except that he was uncomfortable wearing sunglasses.
A panoramic view of the the Aletsch Glacier.
In fact after a while, we felt quite warm after the hike as we returned almost mid-day and the locals felt the same as you can see from this picture, contrasting some others with thick clothing...
Buy and Do
Top of Europe
Clearly plenty of shops in Top of Europe, the most famous one is Lindt chocolate shop. There are even luxury watch shops on top of the Alps!
Alpinism (Alpinismus)
With so many mountains inside the country, it is obvious Swiss takes climbing as their favourite pastime. Alpinism (Alpinismus) is the term the Swiss use when they climb, especially when they conquer the Alps, although it does not have to be restricted to the Alps.
The fine line difference between alpinism and mountaineering is that alpinism usually refers to shorter (but not easier) ascent, with a bit less gears and almost no intention to set up camps during the expedition, although literally they may be used interchangeably. Most alpinist expeditions are conquered by one shot and hence it requires more technical competence and experiences. Experiences are shared during the expeditions with regards to routes and techniques. There is no strict definition of the ascent difficulty and technically it can range from a gentle hike or a very steep climb, as long as it means conquering a mountain. The art and technique of alpinism is an ICH, and as a seasoned mountaineer we ceremonially pretend to participate in this ICH by hiking towards the Mönchjochhütte. We met a number of proper alpinists with full gear at Jungfraujoch.
Almost every Swiss that I know is an alpinist in some form and one will see many people climbing or hiking around the mountains of Switzerland. As a matter of fact, climbing Jungfraujoch is considered 'straightforward' with the normal route starting from Mönch to the summit lasting approximately four hours, and one will see many climbers around.
Stay
We stayed in Central Hotel Wolter which is conveniently located in front of the bus terminus. By staying in these hotels, one can a free bus ticket to travel around Grindelwald and to go to the train station. Rooms are a bit small but excellent alpine rustic feel. Most tourists stay in Interlaken instead but we will definitely recommend Grindelwald over Interlaken, due to its transportation convenience.
At Jungfraujoch the only hotel up there is Mönchjochhütte.
Getting There and Around
Accessing Jungfraujoch via the Eiger Express is quite pricey, as in anything in Switzerland. It costs a whopping CHF 200 Fr for the return journey although we did get a half-price discount with some connexions. A simple leisure journey to Jungfraujoch should take a full day from early morning and return at late afternoon.
We also move fully into the German-speaking part of Switzerland during this road-trip.
UNESCO Inscriptions
The extension of the natural World Heritage property of Jungfrau - Aletsch - Bietschhorn (first inscribed in 2001), expands the site to the east and west, bringing its surface area up to 82,400 ha., up from 53,900. The site provides an outstanding example of the formation of the High Alps, including the most glaciated part of the mountain range and the largest glacier in Eurasia. It features a wide diversity of ecosystems, including successional stages due particularly to the retreat of glaciers resulting from climate change. The site is of outstanding universal value both for its beauty and for the wealth of information it contains about the formation of mountains and glaciers, as well as ongoing climate change. It is also invaluable in terms of the ecological and biological processes it illustrates, notably through plan succession. Its impressive landscape has played an important role in European art, literature, mountaineering and alpine tourism.
Alpinism is the art of climbing up summits and walls in high mountains, in all seasons, in rocky or icy terrain. It involves physical, technical and intellectual abilities, using appropriate techniques, equipment and highly specific tools such as axes and crampons. Alpinism is a traditional, physical practice characterized by a shared culture made up of knowledge of the high-mountain environment, the history of the practice and associated values, and specific skills. Knowledge about the natural environment, changing weather conditions, and natural hazards is also essential. Alpinism is also based on aesthetic aspects: alpinists strive for elegant climbing motions, contemplation of the landscape, and harmony with the natural environment. The practice mobilizes ethical principles based on each individual’s commitment, such as leaving no lasting traces behind, and assuming the duty to provide assistance among practitioners. Another essential part of the alpinist mindset is the sense of team spirit, as represented by the rope connecting the alpinists. Most community members belong to alpine clubs, which spread alpine practices worldwide. The clubs organize group outings, disseminate practical information and contribute to various publications, acting as a driving force for alpinist culture. Since the 20th century, alpine clubs in all three countries have cultivated relationships through frequent bilateral or trilateral meetings at various levels.
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