This is Jungfrau Circuit #3 – our train journey to the Top of Europe. See part 1 and part 2, here and here.
Our train continued to climb slowly upwards at an angle that was alarming although it was not physically uncomfortable. Our ears felt differently however given the rapid gain in altitude.
After Eigerwand, the second and last stop under the mountain is Eismeer. Like Eigerwand, we have 5 minutes to alight and look out through the giant windows. But unlike Eigerwand, all we saw was snow and bare rocks.
Located just behind the south-east face of the Eiger, one can observe the Grindelwald-Fiescher glacier through the window.
According to Wikipedia, the station opened on 25 July 1905, with the extension of the Jungfraubahn from its previous terminus at Eigerwand station. The building of the line this far had depleted the railway company’s finances, and for the next seven years, Eismeer was to remain the upper terminus. After further fund-raising and an extended construction period, the line was extended to Jungfraujoch station in 1912. That was more than 100 years ago !
Jungfraujoch
Jungfraujoch is an under-mountain railway station situated below the Jungfraujoch col at 3,454 meters (11,332 ft). It is the lowest point on the mountain ridge between Mönch and Jungfrau.
The Jungfraujoch railway station, at an elevation of 3,454 meters (11,332 ft) is the highest railway station in Europe and is connected to the Top of Europe building.
What a place to do hang-gliding ! We wondered whether he/she was launched from a higher point or a plane, or just glided up with warm air currents.
Then we heard a roar and a few seconds later, these two red jets just flew pass the Jungfrau. Spectacular flying ! We assume those planes were used for air show or tourism since they were brightly colored like the Swiss flag. Lucky that I managed to get a shot of them.
This is the summit of Jungrau – just partially hidden behind a waft of passing clouds. When we first arrived in Interlaken, the tourist office folks told us to wait until the third day when the weather was fairer, otherwise there is nothing to see except clouds. Many thanks for the advice !
The Sphinx (3,571 meters or 11,716 feet) is a peak that lies just to the east of the col. Try match the two photos above of Jungfrau with the outline of the mountains on the left side of the metal viewing table (photo below).
At one of the vantage points near the Top of Europe building, there were several metal viewing tables in multiple directions which identify and name the Alpine and Jura (another mountain range further away towards France) peaks that are visible. The photo below corresponds to the view on the right side of the viewing table.
The photo below is shot in the same direction as the photo above but zoomed in to get a better view of Kleine Scheidegg and the little Fallbodensee.
Looking in another direction, one sees the Great Aletsch Glacier (Grosser Aletschglectscher) which begins at the bottom of this spot and extends 22 km gently downhill – the longest in the Alps.
A zoomed-in view of the Grosser Aletschglectscher, which is the largest glacier in the Alps. The whole area, including other glaciers is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
In the Top of Europe buidling, there is an elevator to the summit, where a small viewing platform and an observatory is situated.
To get a sense of how spectacular is the area, click on the 3D map below to access the wonderful interactive Swiss government topographical map viewer. In the map view below, we are looking at Jungfrau in the same direction as the photos above, except the zoomed out viewpoint. Following the ridgeline, the little red-topped house near the bottom of the screen is the Top of Europe building.
The Jungfraujoch is a stop on the Grand Tour of Switzerland. Go to their website for more spectacular photos and travel information.
Our next post in the Jungfrau series is here.
Originally posted on April 13, 2014. Last updated in November 2022.