The 100th Anniversary of the Jungfrau Railway: New Facilities Under the Glacier Debut on April 1

By Li Xinyi, Reporting

The Alishan Forest Railway celebrated its 100th anniversary on December 25 last year. The Swiss mountain railway — the Jungfrau Railway (Jungfraubahn), which also began service in 1912 just like Alishan — has also turned 100. The Jungfraujoch railway station is the highest in Europe, and attractions there include the Sphinx Terrace and the Ice Palace. Starting April 1, visitors can access the newly opened “Alpine Sensation” from the Ice Palace, which showcases the beauty of the Alps and Switzerland through a series of stops, along with exhibits about the early concepts and construction process of the Jungfrau Railway.

The Jungfrau Railway is an engineering feat that involved cutting through the rocks of the Eiger and Mönch mountains. It was completed on August 1, 1912, after 16 years of construction and at a cost of 16 million francs — double the original estimate. Later, the Sphinx Terrace was established, where visitors can take the fastest elevator in Switzerland from the Jungfraujoch station and reach the 3,571-meter-high observation deck in just 27 seconds. Then, local guides begin carving a large cave out of the ice, gradually forming the Ice Palace. Built beneath the glacier, the Ice Palace displays traces formed by the glacier's compression over the years. Since the Ice Palace continuously shifts downward, it needs to be rebuilt every year.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Jungfrau Railway, the railway company has printed a centennial commemorative passport for visitors traveling on the line. As the number of Asian tourists visiting the Jungfrau has been increasing, the centennial passport is also available in Chinese. Local restaurants have also introduced Chinese dishes. Yiyang Travel Agency, which specializes in Swiss tours, has specially launched a “10-Day/11-Day Tour of Europe’s Three Famous Peaks” for March and April. For groups with more than 25 participants, one iPhone 4S will be given away as a prize per group.

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