Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Alpi

Wildhaus is a rural village, whose houses are scattered in a broad valley between the Churfirsten (main image) and the Alpstein mountains (PiP). The village is located on the Wildhaus Pass between the Rhine valley and Unterwasser in Toggenburg. With an altitude of 1.090 metres it is the uppermost village in canton St. Gallen. The precipitous rock formations of the seven Churfirsten contrast sharply with the gentle landscape on the valley floor and are the natural boundary between Toggenburg and Sarganserland. The limestone ridge is running from east to west with seven peaks formed by erosion. To the south it has a much more vertical drop of hundred metres towards Lake Walen. The seven peaks of the Churfirsten are (from left to right): Chäserrugg, Hinterrugg, Schibenstoll, Zuestoll, Brisi, Frümsel and Selun. With a height of 2.306 metres is the Hinterrugg the highest one. The name is a plural, indicating the peaks forming the historical boundary of the bishopric of Chur. It has historically also been folk-etymologized as Kurfürsten , i.e. the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire who in the later medieval period (until 1648) numbered seven, which in turn encouraged the count of seven main or "official" peaks.

The majestic Matterhorn - king of mountains with a height of 4.478 metres - is the most famous landmark of Switzerland. Most probably this triangular pyramid shaped rock is the most photographed mountain in the world. Its shape and free-standing position make the Matterhorn to be the epitome of a mountain. There is no better-known mountain in the world whose natural shape is so close to a pyramid. Hundred million years ago enormous forces brought Africa closer to Europe. Fifty million years later, as the rock masses folded and deformed, the Matterhorn was born from the rock thrusting upwards. Matterhorn is first mentioned in medieval documents as Mons Silvus , which finally became Mont Cervin in French and Cervino in Italian. The German name Matterhorn first appears in the year 1682. The name is probably derived from Matte , meaning alpine meadow, referring to the grassy valley, which has now been almost completely covered by the village of Zermatt.

Muottas Muragl - on an altitude of 2.454 meters - is located high above the wide valley of the River Inn and the valley that leads to the Bernina Pass. It is without any doubt the most beautiful vantage point above the lakes, the villages of Upper Engadine and the surrounding mountains. Between 1905 and 1907, the first funicular railway in Engadine was built here. Although modernised on many occasions, it has essentially remained the same to this day. The funicular railway takes over the 700-meter climb from Punt Muragl up to the Muottas Muragl in ten minutes. The upper section of the railway has sun collectors that cover the energy requirements of the mountain hotel/restaurant. The mountain station is starting point of many hikes/walks. Among them is the well known Panorama Trail to Alp Languard, where one can take a chairlift to descend to the valley (PiP 2). (The PiP was taken some minutes after the main picture.)

The main picture is showing the Lago Bianco (see also PiP) and the road across the Bernina Pass before reaching the highest point. I took this picture from the Diavolezza cable car. The Bernina Pass (2.328 m) is a mountain pass in the Bernina Range of the Alps. It connects the famous resort town of St. Moritz in the Upper Engadin valley with the Italian-speaking Val Poschiavo, which ends in the Italian town. Old paths crossed the Bernina Alps for hundred of years from Grisons to Valtellina in Italy. Back in 1865 a modern road replaced the old paths, which has been widened a number of times and has been open 365 days a year since 1965. The Bernina Pass is also crossed by rail. The world famous Bernina Express has been travelling over the pass in summer since 1910 and since 1913 this popular tourist train is operating year-round between Chur and Tirano. It is the highest adhesion railway route in Europe. Energy source for the train line is the Lago Bianco, a hydro storage lake.