Viral Nova brings us a look at one of the most stunning places in the world. Lauterbrunnen is a small town located in a U-shaped glacial valley in the Swiss Alps. The small alpine valley measures only about a kilometer wide.
“Lauterbrunnen” means “many springs,” and it’s quite an apt name. Vertical cliff faces and mountain peaks rise into the sky on all sides of the town. The village of Lauterbrunnen is bordered on three sides by the Jungfrau, Monch, and Eiger Mountains. Some 72 waterfalls stream out onto the lush ground below the town’s exquisite cliff faces. It’s truly a sight to behold.
Photo: Flickr/Rutger TullerThe largest of these waterfalls is the Staubbach Falls, a 300 meter single stream, making it the largest unbroken waterfall in Europe. Another impressive site is the Trümmelbach Falls, which were hidden behind a rock face for centuries until a tunnel carved into the mountain allowed people to take a peek. Today, you can take an underground funicular to see this 200 meter waterfall hidden inside a mountain.
Photo: Flickr/Grimpard Aurelien
Photo: Flickr/Ayrcan
Photo: Flickr/keith.bellvay
Photo: Flickr/Noel Reynolds
As you can imagine, this stunning location has inspired artists for years. Poet Johann Goethe wrote “Song of the Spirit of the Waterfalls” after visiting Lauterbrunnen, which was later set to music by Franz Schubert. It was also one of the influences for the Misty Mountains of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
Photo: MySwitzerland
Photo: Flickr/Bradley Wells
Photo: MySwitzerland
Photo: Flickr/Aanjhan Ranganathan
