If the Swiss
want to boast about their mountains, they can find a few reasons:
- They have more high peaks than any
other country in Europe: 48 over 4000 meters (13,120 feet)
They lay claim to the highest:
- railway station in Europe (the
Jungfraujoch, at 3454 m/11,330 ft
- cableway in Europe (Zermatt,
Canton Valais, ending at 3,883 m/12,740 ft
- gravity dam wall in the world
(Grande Dixence, Canton Valais, at 285 m/935 ft)
- permanently inhabited village in
Europe (Juf, Canton Graubünden, population: 30, at 2126 m/7000 ft
- vineyard in Europe
(Visperterminen, Canton Valais, at nearly 1200 m/3949 ft)
- brewery in Europe (Monstein,
Canton Graubünden, at 1600 m/5250 ft
- tram in Europe (Zermatt, Canton Valais, at 2222
m/7290 ft)
- museum in Europe (St Gotthard
pass, at 2100 m/6890 ft))
- golf course in Europe (Arosa,
Canton Graubünden, at 1800 m/5900 ft
- exterior elevator in Europe (the
Hammetschwand lift to the top of Bürgenstock, in Canton Nidwalden, 153 m/502 ft)
They also have the steepest:
- cog railway in the world: the
Pilatus Bahn at 48% (and it's also the oldest in Europe)
- funicular railway in the world:
the Gelmerbahn at the foot of the Grimsel Pass - in places 106%
- road used by coaches in Europe -
28%, from the Kander to the Kien Valley in the Bernese Oberland
and the longest:
- glacier in Europe: the Aletsch in
Canton Valais (about 23 km/14 miles
- continuous cogwheel railway in the
world at the Wengernalp in the Bernese Oberland (just over 19km/11.8 miles)
- chairlift over a glacier in
Europe: the Furggsattel-Express, (2,600 m/8,530 ft) which has its valley station
in Zermatt and mountain station at the Furggsattel in Italy
Source (swissworld.org) |