Located on a sunny plateau at 1,274 m altitude at the heart of the Bernese Alps, Wengen offers an exceptional panorama with views of the Jungfrau massif and the narrow Lauterbrunnen valley.
For hundreds of years before Alpine tourism developed in the region, Wengen was a small farming community that was only reachable on foot.
In the course of the 19th century, the Jungfrau region was discovered by travelers, mainly British, but tourism only began to flourish when the rack railway Wengernalp opened in 1893, connecting Wengen to Lauterbrunnen.
Shortly after that, in 1896, construction on the Jungfrau Railway began. This initiative by the Zürich-based entrepreneur Adolf Guyer-Zeller led to the opening of the highest railway station in Europe, located on the Jungfraujoch, 3,454 meter above sea-level. Even today, visitors are still overwhelmed by the magnificent view of the Aletsch Glacier.
Over the years, Wengen has staged many ski races and curling competitions, but the most notable event takes place in mid-January when Wengen hosts the Lauberhorn World Cup alpine ski races. Set in front of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, tens of thousands of spectators watch the best skiers race down the world’s longest downhill course.
