Arth, Switzerland - H and I summited Mt. Rigi this weekend. Rigi is among the great peaks in this area, known to some as the "Queen of the Mountains." It's visible from Zug and nearby Lucerne. Starting in the early afternoon, Hannah and I slowly made our way to the blustery and snow-covered peak by 300PM. Our ascent was over 1,200 meters, starting from the nearby town of Arth. As you might expect, there was huffing and puffing and even a bit of rumbling as we chugged our way up, but not once did Hannah and I think of turning back. No, we were committed to riding that train straight to the peak!
Rigi is actually something of a landmark in railway history. It was the first mountain cogwheel railway in Europe (though, the title for world's first mountain cogwheel railway goes to the Mt. Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire). Rigi's cogwheel railway was complete in 1871 and it's still in use today. Unsurprisingly, the railway greatly increased access to the mountain and visitor numbers soared. In the late 19th century, Rigi became Europe's hottest tourist destination. Notables included Mark Twain and King Ludwig II. Surprisingly, Rigi was a tourist destination before the railway opened. There were already two hotels on the mountain with over 130 beds when the railway opened. The first of those hotels opened in 1816, over 50 years before the railway. Before the railway, porters hauled everything up, including Queen Victoria.
A world war, a depression, and another world war, and a couple of hotel fires put a bit of a damper on the party and Rigi fell into decline and disrepair for a while.
But I'm glad to report that things have recovered: Rigi now boasts a diverse range of mountain activities, including:
It's nice to know that visitors have returned, because Rigi is perched in a pretty remarkable spot, overlooking both Lucerne and Zug, among other small towns. To the north, the mountain falls away dramatically into Lake Zug and the Swiss plateau. To the south, you can see the jagged peaks of the Alps and Lake Lucerne, which snakes around the western and southern faces of the mountain.
Rigi is actually something of a landmark in railway history. It was the first mountain cogwheel railway in Europe (though, the title for world's first mountain cogwheel railway goes to the Mt. Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire). Rigi's cogwheel railway was complete in 1871 and it's still in use today. Unsurprisingly, the railway greatly increased access to the mountain and visitor numbers soared. In the late 19th century, Rigi became Europe's hottest tourist destination. Notables included Mark Twain and King Ludwig II. Surprisingly, Rigi was a tourist destination before the railway opened. There were already two hotels on the mountain with over 130 beds when the railway opened. The first of those hotels opened in 1816, over 50 years before the railway. Before the railway, porters hauled everything up, including Queen Victoria.
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| Her Majesty, the Queen (Victoria) |
But I'm glad to report that things have recovered: Rigi now boasts a diverse range of mountain activities, including:
- Alpine skiing (the fun kind)
- Cross country skiing (why?)
- Paragliding
- Restaurants
- Spa and mineral baths
- H was pleased discover that this is not an uncommon feature on Swiss mountain resorts, enabling her to travel to ski mountains with me and spend the day lounging around a spa while I conquer the slopes.
- Sledging (sledding)
- Sledging is a more significant activity on Swiss mountain resorts than it is in the US. In the US, sledging is basically a bunny hill where you take the kids who don't want to ski. Here, you can sledge your way down the whole damn mountain. There were people getting off our train at the peak planning to go down a kilometer or more of snow-covered mountain.
- Hiking
- The Swiss take hiking very seriously. They don't just grab a water bottle and start wandering around the woods. No, they get decked out in purpose-specific athletic gear (spandex, microfiber, real boots/hiking shoes), use "trekking poles" (AKA, expensive walking sticks), and haul ass up that mountain.
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| Mineral Bath and Spa at Rigi Kaltbad |
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| H and I during our arduous trip to the peak of Rigi |
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| From the peak of Rigi, overlooking Arth, Oberarth (literally, Over Arth), and Goldau |
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