Particularly at night, when it can be seen from far and wide, the Hammetschwand Lift stands out as a landmark on Mount Bürgen; erected between 1903 and 1905, it is regarded as one of the most enterprising tourist attractions of the Belle Epoque.

The Hammetschwand Lift is a technical masterpiece. Costing CHF 500,000, it was erected by Wüest & Co. AG, Zurich. Travelling at one metre per second, it was Europe’s fastest lift in those eventful days. Featuring a cabin fashioned from zinc-clad spruce capable of accommodating up to eight passengers, the 160 metre-plus trip took less than three minutes to reach the rock outcrop high up on the Hammetschwand Alp mountain pasture. Its base terminus was hewn into the rock face at 961 metres above sea level, which is around 500 metres above Lake Lucerne. The summit terminus is 1114 metres above sea level. Within its Swiss context, the Hammetschwand Lift is on a par with the first electric railway on the Gornergrat, which opened in 1898, and the Jungfrau Railway, which was built between 1896 and 1912 and boasts Europe’s highest-altitude station on Mount Jungfraujoch. Still Europe’s tallest outdoor lift, it is described as “outstanding” in the hotel and tourism inventory of Canton Lucerne’s Office of Preservation of Historical Monuments. The lift also acts as a physical link between two cantons: its base terminus is in Canton Lucerne, while its summit terminus on the Bürgenstock plateau is in Canton Nidwalden.

High-tech on the mountain

A jewel in Swiss lift-maker Schindler’s crown, its present owner, Hammetschwand Lift AG, had it modernised between 1990 and 1992, at the same time making it wheelchair accessible and even faster: it now travels at a world-class 3.15 metres per second. Glazed on three sides, the cabin offers superb panoramic views to up to twelve passengers. It now carries around 40,000 passengers a year.

Hammetschwand Lift and Rock-face Path – Siamese twins

The Hammetschwand Lift and the Rock-face Path on Mount Bürgenberg are, like Siamese twins, closely related. It is a relationship based on a common history and name: that of Franz Josef Bucher-Durrer. Back in the nineteenth century, the Bürgenstock hotels were finding favour with their guests as health spas. But these guests needed a means of walking along the northern flank of Mount Bürgenberg. Franz Josef Bucher-Durrer, the marketing pioneer of his day, took their views on board and began building an access to the Hammetschwand Lift. Started in 1900, the Rock-face Path was inaugurated in 1905. French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou (1862–1934) thought it “the prettiest high-altitude path in the world”. The Rock-face Path has been regularly maintained through the years, and is now open to the public throughout its length.

Visit www.felsenweg.ch for more information.