Title: SwissVacations : Swiss Alps
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Swiss Alps
Content: The lack of symmetry of its transverse section has been the most striking feature of the mountain chain, since the sinking of the Po Plain closed its eventful geological history. A motorist crossing a pass like the Sankt Gotthard is made aware of the sharp contrast between the relatively gentle slopes of the north face and the sudden descent which occurs on the south. In the longitudial direction, the remarkable depression which slashes through the mountains from Martigny to Chur and is drained in opposite directions by the Rhone and the Vorderrhein, forms a great strategic and tourist highway. Tourism in the Swiss Alps began with the first ascents of the main peaks of the Alps (Jungfrau in 1811, Piz Bernina in 1850, Monte Rosa in 1855, Matterhorn in 1856, Dom in 1858, Weisshorn in 1861) mostly by British mountain climbers accompanied by local guides. The construction of facilities for tourists started in the mid 19th century with the building of hotels and mountain huts, and the opening of mountain train lines such as Mt. Rigi (in 1873) and Mt. Pilatus (in 1889) in Central Switzerland, the Gornergrat (in 1898) above Zermatt in the Valais , and the Jungfraujoch (in 1912) in the Bernese Oberland, which is located at 3,454 m (11,330 ft) above sea level and is the highest railway station in Europe. In addition, several scenic trains connect the major destinations in the Swiss Alps, and thus, the best way of seeing the Swiss Alps is getting on the Glacier Express ( Zermatt - Andermatt - Chur - Davos and St. Moritz ), or on the Golden Pass ( Montreux - Gstaad - Interlaken - Lucerne ). Back to top
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