Three peaks of the Bernese Alps

The Bernese Alps are a mountain range of the Alps, located in western Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Bernese Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Fribourg and Vaud.

Three peaks are shown in this postcard of the Bernese Alps.

 

Eiger 

The Eiger (3,970 metres / 13,026 ft) is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m.  The first ascent of the Eiger was made via the west flank in 1858. The north face, 1,800 m (5,900 ft) (German: Nordwand, "north wall"), was first climbed in 1938.  The Nordwand is one of the six great north faces of the Alps.

Mönch

The Mönch (German: "monk") (4099 metres / 13,449) has the Jungfrau railway tunnel running right under its summit at a height of approximately 3,300 metres.  The Mönch peak was first climbed in 1857.

Jungfrau

The Jungfrau (German: "maiden/virgin") (4,158 metres / 13,642 ft) is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall overlooking the Bernese Oberland and the Swiss Plateau, one of the most distinctive sights of the Swiss Alps.

 

The summit was first reached in 1811.  The construction of the Jungfrau railway in the early 20th century, which connects Kleine Scheidegg to the Jungfraujoch, the saddle between the Mönch and the Jungfrau, made the area one of the most-visited places in the Alps

Personal Note:  We went to the top of Jungfrau in 2006 during our second visit to Switzerland.  Unfortunately we could barely see beyond our extended hands when we reached the top as it was not a clear day.

This rain-soaked postcard came from Claudia (2 July 2014) Direct Swap Postcrossing.