Swiss Post is issuing a special stamp to mark the centenary of the Jungfraubahn. The cog wheel railway to Jungfraujoch is still an impressive piece of engineering one hundred years after its opening. What began with a bold idea has developed over time into a major attraction which pulls hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Other new stamps feature the beaver, the 100-year anniversary of the Pro Juventute Foundation, and one of the cornerstones of life in Switzerland, the Swiss Civil Code. These and all other stamps in the current issue are valid from 8 March 2012.
The Jungfraubahn is, without exaggeration, a masterpiece of engineering and it is not only train enthusiasts for which it has long since been a source of inspiration. The route, which is just over 9 kilometres, takes you up 1,393 metres in altitude from the station at Kleine Scheidegg, cuts through the Eiger and the Mönch, and offers fantastic views before stopping at Jungfraujoch, the summit of the Jungfrau. At 3,454 metres above sea level, it is the highest railway station in Europe. At the end of the 19th century, the construction of the railway was merely a dream envisaged by Adolf Guyer-Zeller, an entrepreneur from Zurich. Thanks to his perseverance, it became a reality. After much work the tunnel finally broke through at the beginning of 1912, and on 1 August of the same year, the cog wheel railway began operating.The railway as a tourist attraction
In the last 100 years, the Jungfrau Railway has made a name for itself all over the world. Hundreds of thousands of tourists each year are comfortably transported to the Jungfraujoch - a pleasure that was previously reserved for experienced mountain climbers only. Swiss Post is dedicating a special stamp - fittingly worth 100 Rappen - to the Jungfraubahn Railway on the occasion of its 100-year anniversary. The stamp depicts one of Jungfraubahn Railway's famous red trains with the sun shining on the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in the background.
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