Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau

Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau – the most famous peaks of the Bernese Oberland are often mentioned in a single breath. They are the landmark of the Jungfrau region. The Eiger is 3,970 metres high and lies to the south-west of Grindelwald. The Eiger summit was first reached in 1858. Yet mountaineers’ fascination has long been directed towards the challenging northern face of the Eiger. On 24 July 1938, an Austro-German team of four roped climbers successfully scaled what was once considered the impenetrable “wall of death” for the very first time. One of these climbers was a certain Heinrich Harrer, who later achieved international fame when his book “Seven Years in Tibet” was made into a film. At an altitude of just over 4,100 metres, the Mönch is also a veritable challenge for mountaineers. Though the word “Mönch” means “monk” in German, the mountain’s name actually derives from the word for gelding, i.e. castrated male horses that grazed on the Alpine meadows at the foot of the mountain. The Jungfrau is the highest of the three mountains, at 4,158 metres above sea level. Since 2001, the Jungfrau and the Aletsch Glacier, along with their surrounding area, have been classified as a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site.