| Wengen (picture by Peter Watts) |  |
Wengen
Photographer Description of Wengen
On a sunny day in winter, covered with a fresh fall of snow, Wengen looks idyllic and very picturesque. This panoramic photograph shows how some clouds can hang in the valley.Wengen - Further Information
Panorama of Wengen village taken in winter. Wengen lies in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland, perched at 1274 on a hanging valley above nearly 500m above Lauterbrunnen. The village can be reached by rail from either Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald (via Keine Scheidegg). The town has about 1400 permenant residents, but the numbers swell considerably to 5000 in the height of the summer and 10,000 in the winter. As can be seen from these numbers, Wengen is a very popular Swiss resort for walking, hiking, skiing and other winter sports. This panoramic photograph was taken from near the church in the north-west end, and give a view back along the valley. As is to be expected, Wengen has a number of hotels and guesthouses to cater for all the visitors, which are scattered throughout the town. There is a local Tourist Information Office nearer to Wengen StationThe town is famous as one of the locations for the skiing world championships. The longest downhill run of the competition circuit, the Lauberhorn-Weltcup Abfahrt, is here, as is a World Cup slalom run (Lauberhorn-Weltcup Slalom). There is easy access from Wengen to both the Keine Scheidegg and Männlichen ski areas by either train or cable car.
There has been a town in this area for many centuries. The earliest mention of Wengen in official documents dates back to 1268. Wengen was originally a farming community but tourists and visitors started to arrive in the early 1800's. Quick to recognize the economic potential of this new trend, Wengen opened it's first hotel in 1859. The Wengernalpbahn in the 1890's and from this point on tourism expanded rapidly. The World Cup ski races have been held in Wengen from 1930. The downhill run is 4,455 meters long and winning times are around 2 minutes 30 seconds. At this time Wengen is packed with visitors.