With the barely audible clatter of wheels, the train carries me away along Swiss rails. Where? To Wengen! A tiny village lost in the Bernese Alps.
Wengen is located at an altitude of 1,274 m at the foot of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains, 400 m above the Lauterbrunnen valley. The moment of acquaintance with the valley is stunning to the core.
In the mind of a barbarian, the simultaneous existence of such beauty and civilization seems incredible. Having enchanted us, the valley dissolves into the clouds. We drive further – and higher.
Wengen was first mentioned in official documents in 1268 as a mountain farming community. For hundreds of years, the inhabitants of these places lived primarily from agriculture. In the early 19th century, the first tourists began to arrive in the region, inspired by the books "The History of a Six Weeks' Journey" by Mary and Percy Shelley, as well as "Manfred" by Byron, which described these wonderful places in the most dramatic colors.
The first hotel, the Launerhaus, was built in Wengen in 1859. The construction of the Wengernalpbahn railway (1890), leading from the Lauterbrunnen valley to Wengen and further up to the Kleine Scheidegg station, significantly increased the flow of tourists. Of course, because before that, guests had to climb up to Wengen on foot along a mountain path!
At the beginning of the 20th century, the development of alpine skiing began in Wengen, largely thanks to English tourists who were the first to become interested in this new-fangled pastime.
How is Wengen different from most of the Alpine towns in Europe? There are no roads here - only railways. All provisions and equipment are delivered on special railway platforms, or, in extreme cases, by helicopter.
Cars are banned in Wengen. A couple of microcars belonging to local farmers drive around the outskirts. But that's it! Electric cars take customers from the numerous hotels from the station. Are there many places like this in the world?
Officially, the village has no more than 1,300 residents, but in winter the population increases to 10,000 due to tourists. There are also many of them in summer.
Wengen is the main town in the Jungfrau ski region, famous not only for its high-altitude black slopes, but also as the venue for one of the most spectacular stages of the Alpine Skiing World Cup. The Lauberhorn downhill track is rightfully considered one of the fastest and most dangerous downhill tracks in the world, as well as the longest. The maximum speed that skiers reach here is an incredible 158 kilometers per hour.
For those who are not interested in sports, there is plenty to do in Wengen besides visiting restaurants and walking around the area. A favorite pastime among tourists is the epic climb on the Jungfraubahn railway to Europe's highest railway station, the Jungfraujoch, located at 3,454 m. This station is also called the "Top of Europe".
Wengen is made up of Alpine chalets and hotels scattered across the mountain slopes, as well as one central street, full of souvenir shop windows and ablaze with restaurant lights.
Among the hotels there are also quite inexpensive ones, which is not at all what you would expect from such a beautiful and secluded place in the Bernese Alps.
Source: travel.ru
