Jungfraujoch

The Jungfraujoch (, lit. "maiden saddle") is a saddle connecting two major 4000ers of the Bernese Alps: the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at an elevation of above sea level and is directly overlooked by the rocky prominence of the Sphinx. The Jungfraujoch is a glacier saddle, on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, and part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, situated on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch.

Key facts

Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.name: Jungfraujoch
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.translation: Jungfrau (virgin, maiden) saddle (or yoke)
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.native_name_lang: de
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.photo: Sphinx et Jungfrau - img 06980.jpg
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.photo_caption: The Jungfrau from the Mönch, with the Sphinx and the Jungfraujoch in the middle
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.elevation_m: 3463
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.normal_route: Jungfrau Railway
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.first_ascent: unknown First traversed by Leslie Stephen and party (1862)
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.map: Switzerland
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.map_caption: Location in Switzerland
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.subdivision2_type: Cantons
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.country: Switzerland
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.parent: Bernese Alps
Mountain<! Used instead of Infobox mountain pass, to display first crossing >.topo_map: Swiss Federal Office for Topography - swisstopo

via Wikipedia infobox

~11 min read

Encyclopedic overview

12 sections

Contents

Etymology
Geographic setting
First crossing
Jungfrau Railway
History
Railway
Climate
See also
Notes and references
Notes
References
External links

Since 1912, the Jungfraujoch has been accessible to tourists by the Jungfrau line, a railway from Interlaken and Kleine Scheidegg, running partly underground through a tunnel through the Eiger and Mönch. The Jungfraujoch railway station, at an elevation of is the highest in Europe. It lies east of the saddle, below the Sphinx station, and is connected to the Top of Europe building, which includes several panoramic restaurants, shops, exhibitions, and a post office. Several tunnels lead outside, where secured hiking trails on the crevassed glacier can be followed, in particular to the Mönchsjoch Hut. The normal route to the Jungfrau and Mönch starts from there.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Jungfraujoch” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.