Switzerland Great Continental Railway Journeys


Switzerland

Similar Content

Browse content similar to Switzerland. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

I'm embarking on a new railway adventure,

0:00:040:00:06

that will take me across the heart of Europe.

0:00:060:00:09

I'll be using this,

0:00:110:00:12

my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide,

0:00:120:00:15

dated 1913, which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel

0:00:150:00:20

for the British tourist.

0:00:200:00:21

It told travellers where to go,

0:00:230:00:25

what to see and how to navigate

0:00:250:00:27

the thousands of miles of tracks criss-crossing the continent.

0:00:270:00:31

Now, a century later,

0:00:310:00:33

I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,

0:00:330:00:37

where technology, industry, science

0:00:370:00:40

and the arts were flourishing.

0:00:400:00:42

I want to rediscover that lost Europe that in 1913

0:00:420:00:46

couldn't know that its way of life would shortly be swept aside

0:00:460:00:50

by the advent of war.

0:00:500:00:52

Armed with my 1913 railway guide,

0:01:080:01:11

I'm following in the footsteps of early 20th century travellers

0:01:110:01:15

and making five long journeys across Europe.

0:01:150:01:18

Today, I'm exploring Switzerland, whose remarkable railways

0:01:200:01:23

helped to make it a favourite with Edwardian tourists.

0:01:230:01:26

Cheers.

0:01:260:01:27

Cheers.

0:01:270:01:29

I'll discover the cargo carried

0:01:290:01:30

on the country's first ever line...

0:01:300:01:32

Mmm...

0:01:320:01:34

wonderful!

0:01:340:01:35

Before heading for the glorious Alps...

0:01:350:01:37

I've been lucky enough to experience

0:01:370:01:39

some very beautiful train journeys,

0:01:390:01:41

but this must be one of the very best.

0:01:410:01:43

Where the British left their mark on sport...

0:01:430:01:46

British people are sometimes a little bit crazy.

0:01:460:01:49

..And literature...

0:01:490:01:50

Do you remember any Sherlock Holmes stories?

0:01:500:01:52

HE HOWLS

0:01:520:01:55

And where astonishing engineering feats

0:01:550:01:58

conquered the most challenging peaks.

0:01:580:02:00

That's the longest glacier of the Alps.

0:02:000:02:03

That is awe inspiring.

0:02:030:02:05

My Swiss adventure begins in Basel, then traces a route outlined

0:02:150:02:19

in my guidebook, via the industrial city of Zurich,

0:02:190:02:23

then south east to Chur.

0:02:230:02:25

From there, the famous Glacier Express will carry me

0:02:260:02:29

through some of Switzerland's most stunning alpine scenery,

0:02:290:02:32

before I turn north to explore Lake Lucerne.

0:02:320:02:35

Finally, I'll make the impressive railway ascent

0:02:370:02:40

to Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest railway station.

0:02:400:02:43

It's clear from the dizzying array of routes

0:02:460:02:49

and the lyrical descriptions

0:02:490:02:50

contained in my Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide

0:02:500:02:54

that by the beginning of the 20th century,

0:02:540:02:56

the railways had opened Switzerland to tourists,

0:02:560:03:00

and the draw of what my guidebook

0:03:000:03:02

calls "the finest lake and mountain scenery"

0:03:020:03:05

had made Switzerland one of the most aspirational of destinations.

0:03:050:03:09

I shall be following one of my guidebook's recommended routes

0:03:120:03:16

through this spectacular country, but to reach my first stop,

0:03:160:03:19

I'm travelling on a French train, along French tracks.

0:03:190:03:23

I'm heading for the Swiss border city of Basel,

0:03:250:03:28

which, since medieval times,

0:03:280:03:29

has been a melting pot of French, German and Swiss influences.

0:03:290:03:33

By 1913, it had also become the nexus of a sprawling

0:03:360:03:40

continental railway network.

0:03:400:03:42

Bradshaw's tells me that Basel is the key to Switzerland,

0:03:450:03:48

where several international railway lines meet,

0:03:480:03:51

and the customs examinations take place.

0:03:510:03:53

Here, the trains from Alsace, where I've just come from, run in,

0:03:530:03:57

connecting with the principal Swiss railways,

0:03:570:04:00

and although I've come to a Swiss city,

0:04:000:04:03

this part of the station is still officially France.

0:04:030:04:07

I'm unpicking the history of this railway hub

0:04:100:04:12

with historian Martin Lengwiler.

0:04:120:04:14

-Hello, Martin.

-Hello, Michael.

0:04:160:04:17

This is really a very international place, isn't it?

0:04:170:04:20

I see French trains, Swiss trains, German trains.

0:04:200:04:23

This is the meeting point of the nations, isn't it?

0:04:230:04:25

That's true indeed and Basel has a special place in the history

0:04:250:04:28

of the Swiss railway system

0:04:280:04:30

because it's the first town that has been linked to any railway line

0:04:300:04:35

and it's still the only town in Switzerland that has three stations

0:04:350:04:40

of three national origins.

0:04:400:04:42

Surprisingly, the very first railway on Swiss soil

0:04:440:04:47

was actually built by the French.

0:04:470:04:49

In 1844, they constructed a line from Strasbourg

0:04:490:04:52

to the Swiss border and proposed a terminus within Basel's city limits.

0:04:520:04:58

But they got a lukewarm reception from the ruling elite.

0:04:580:05:02

They were anxious because of military reasons.

0:05:020:05:05

They were afraid that the French would use the railway

0:05:050:05:08

to attack Basel with their troops.

0:05:080:05:12

That's quite surprising to us

0:05:120:05:14

because we now associate the Swiss almost as much with railways

0:05:140:05:17

as we do with wristwatches and clocks.

0:05:170:05:19

It's strange to think that the Swiss were reluctant to have a railway.

0:05:190:05:23

Railways got off to a slow start across the country.

0:05:230:05:27

Thanks to Switzerland's mountainous landscape,

0:05:270:05:30

late industrialisation and its decentralised political system,

0:05:300:05:33

the first home-grown line wasn't built until 1847,

0:05:330:05:38

by which time Britain had over 2,000 miles of tracks.

0:05:380:05:42

Basel finally got a Swiss station in 1854,

0:05:420:05:45

and the Germans soon followed with one of their own.

0:05:450:05:48

Today, the French and Swiss termini share a site.

0:05:490:05:52

But the French station has extra-territorial status -

0:05:520:05:55

so to join the Swiss network,

0:05:550:05:57

I'm crossing an international frontier.

0:05:570:06:00

The murals are inviting us to visit the rest of Switzerland.

0:06:010:06:04

A lot of alpine scenery here.

0:06:040:06:05

That's true, the lake of Lucerne, the Berne Alps,

0:06:050:06:08

this is designed for tourists, of course.

0:06:080:06:11

Very appropriate for me,

0:06:110:06:13

because I'll be visiting scenery quite like this.

0:06:130:06:15

Before I continue my journey,

0:06:180:06:20

I'm venturing out to explore this multicultural city,

0:06:200:06:23

that straddles the River Rhine.

0:06:230:06:25

Just a year after my guidebook was published,

0:06:280:06:30

life in picturesque Basel was disrupted,

0:06:300:06:33

as Switzerland's neighbours were drawn into the First World war.

0:06:330:06:37

But for Edwardian readers of my Bradshaw's,

0:06:390:06:41

this city's hub location made it the perfect pit-stop.

0:06:410:06:44

In the days before air travel

0:06:460:06:48

brought us jet-lag and climate shock,

0:06:480:06:51

guidebooks were concerned to treat travellers gently.

0:06:510:06:54

My Bradshaw's says, "Basel is recommended

0:06:540:06:56

"as an intermediate station for the change of climate between

0:06:560:07:00

"the warm south and the low-lying north and alpine districts.

0:07:000:07:03

"It offers its visitors manifold points of pleasure."

0:07:030:07:08

I think I might just stick to a meal.

0:07:080:07:10

Followers of my 1913 guide

0:07:130:07:15

would have made a beeline for the beautiful historic centre.

0:07:150:07:19

It's where I've come to see how French, German

0:07:200:07:23

and Swiss traditions have influenced Basel's cuisine.

0:07:230:07:26

We have here the veal, Basel style, and this is the rosti, it's typical.

0:07:290:07:33

Rosti, typically Swiss, thank you very much indeed.

0:07:330:07:37

-Bon appetit!

-Thank you.

0:07:370:07:39

I think Swiss-German farmers used to make it for their breakfast

0:07:390:07:42

and during World War I, the term "Rostigraben" was invented,

0:07:420:07:46

the ditch based on the rosti,

0:07:460:07:48

which separated those of French and German sympathy

0:07:480:07:52

and it's an expression that's still used today

0:07:520:07:55

to express the cultural divide - the Rostigraben.

0:07:550:07:58

Much as I'd like to stay and explore Basel,

0:08:050:08:08

with almost 300 miles to cover

0:08:080:08:10

on my 1913 guidebook's recommended route, there's no time to waste.

0:08:100:08:14

And so Switzerland opens before me.

0:08:160:08:18

From a slow start, the Swiss railway network

0:08:220:08:25

has become one of the most admired in the world.

0:08:250:08:28

And I'm going on a journey of discovery to find out why.

0:08:280:08:31

The quality of Swiss trains is as you would imagine -

0:08:340:08:37

beautifully clean, delightfully air-conditioned,

0:08:370:08:40

and this is first class. Spacious and luxurious.

0:08:400:08:44

And even second class is absolutely satisfactory.

0:08:490:08:52

I'm following in the footsteps of Edwardian tourists,

0:08:540:08:56

but I'm about to delve into Europe's

0:08:560:08:59

much more distant past.

0:08:590:09:01

-Hello.

-Hello, may I see your ticket?

0:09:010:09:03

-I'm going to Brugg.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

0:09:030:09:06

You're welcome, bye-bye.

0:09:060:09:07

In the early 20th century, ancient history was a hot topic,

0:09:110:09:15

as British archaeologists blazed a trail across the globe.

0:09:150:09:18

Inspired by their exotic foreign discoveries,

0:09:200:09:24

readers of my 1913 guide would have been tantalised

0:09:240:09:27

by the description of my next stop.

0:09:270:09:28

I'll be getting off this train at Brugg, and my Bradshaw's says,

0:09:310:09:33

"A little to the north of Brugg,

0:09:330:09:35

"the Aare river is joined by the Reuss,

0:09:350:09:38

"coming from the lakes of Zug and Lucerne,

0:09:380:09:40

"and at the point of junction

0:09:400:09:42

"once stood the ancient Roman town of Vindonissa,

0:09:420:09:45

"scarcely a trace of which now exists."

0:09:450:09:48

I'm hoping that in the 100 years since my guidebook was published

0:09:480:09:52

more traces have been unearthed.

0:09:520:09:54

In fact, by 1913, pioneering archaeologists,

0:09:570:10:00

working in the village of Windisch, just outside Brugg,

0:10:000:10:03

had already begun to reveal what is today

0:10:030:10:06

a nearly fully excavated Roman legionary camp.

0:10:060:10:10

It was the Romans' key military stronghold in Switzerland.

0:10:110:10:15

I'm exploring with archaeologist, Jurgen Trumm.

0:10:180:10:21

I'm amazed by what I've found here because my Bradshaw's guide tells me

0:10:230:10:26

there aren't many traces left of Vindonissa.

0:10:260:10:28

When did people first become aware of what they had here?

0:10:280:10:31

I think the beginning of the archaeology

0:10:310:10:34

was linked with the railway, the railway from Basel to Zurich.

0:10:340:10:39

The mid-19th century railway engineers

0:10:420:10:44

unearthed a Roman rubbish dump,

0:10:440:10:46

filled with bones, ceramics, coins and wooden objects.

0:10:460:10:50

Then in the 1900s,

0:10:500:10:52

the local community put things on a formal footing.

0:10:520:10:55

They founded an archaeological society,

0:10:550:10:58

and, in 1912, set up a museum proudly to display their heritage.

0:10:580:11:03

The 20th century was also a high period for archaeology,

0:11:050:11:08

I think of some of the great discoveries

0:11:080:11:11

that excited the public so much, like Tutankhamen in the 1920s.

0:11:110:11:14

Yes, in Switzerland, archaeology was en vogue at the beginning

0:11:140:11:19

of the 20th century, so people dig the Roman ruins,

0:11:190:11:22

they dig the ruins from the Stone and Bronze Ages.

0:11:220:11:26

The work begun a century ago continues today.

0:11:260:11:29

Whenever a building is planned in the modern towns of Windisch

0:11:290:11:32

and Brugg, the archaeologists go in first to check for buried treasures.

0:11:320:11:37

What's the most exciting thing you've found?

0:11:370:11:39

So, a very nice one is that here, dice made out of bone,

0:11:390:11:44

looks really like today's dice.

0:11:440:11:47

That's absolutely wonderful.

0:11:470:11:50

And these markings are the original markings?

0:11:500:11:53

It's incised into the bone.

0:11:530:11:55

Incised into the bone, isn't that beautiful?

0:11:550:11:58

It's amazing to think that all this

0:11:580:12:01

lay beneath the feet of the Edwardian tourists who came here.

0:12:010:12:05

-OK.

-That's OK, Joachim.

0:12:050:12:07

Off we go.

0:12:070:12:09

'Before I leave, a modern invention

0:12:090:12:11

'gives me a new perspective on this remarkable site.'

0:12:110:12:14

-We are going to have a wonderful view.

-Yes, indeed.

0:12:150:12:18

I'm looking out at a Roman world

0:12:220:12:25

and I'm seeing it as no Roman ever did.

0:12:250:12:29

I'm now continuing along the railway route recommended in my 1913 guide.

0:12:420:12:47

I'm bound for a place which attracted Edwardian tourists

0:12:510:12:54

concerned for their health.

0:12:540:12:55

I shall be disembarking at Baden, which my Bradshaw's tells me is,

0:12:590:13:02

"A picturesque town near Zurich, on the River Limmat,

0:13:020:13:06

"noted for its hot mineral springs,

0:13:060:13:08

"most beneficial in cases of gout, rheumatism, chronic catarrhs etc."

0:13:080:13:14

I'm here in search of a local speciality

0:13:140:13:17

which is probably a bit less healthy,

0:13:170:13:19

but which is inextricably linked with the railways.

0:13:190:13:22

Baden has the honour of being the starting point

0:13:270:13:30

for the first fully Swiss railway,

0:13:300:13:31

which, from 1847, carried wealthy Zurich folk to their water cure.

0:13:310:13:37

But soon after it opened, the line gained an unusual nickname.

0:13:370:13:40

Even today, it's known as the Spanisch-Brotli-Bahn,

0:13:430:13:46

after a local sweet treat.

0:13:460:13:47

Hello, Michael. A warm welcome to you in Baden.

0:13:500:13:53

Thank you very much. It's a beautiful town,

0:13:530:13:55

I'm very pleased to be here.

0:13:550:13:56

Tour guide Beatrice Candrian knows the story.

0:13:560:14:01

I'm half Spanish and I understand that, in Baden,

0:14:010:14:05

you have a pastry which is called a Spanisch brotli.

0:14:050:14:08

-That's true.

-What is this?

0:14:080:14:11

Well, it's a very nice fluffy pastry.

0:14:110:14:15

We don't quite know the origin.

0:14:150:14:18

We think that a Spanish baker

0:14:180:14:21

just travelled through Baden

0:14:210:14:23

and he brought this recipe here.

0:14:230:14:26

The cake became a much-loved delicacy

0:14:270:14:29

with the people of Zurich, 15 miles away.

0:14:290:14:32

And when the railway was built between Zurich and Baden,

0:14:320:14:35

I suppose that helped people in Zurich

0:14:350:14:37

to come to Baden and buy their brotli.

0:14:370:14:38

It sure did. It helped mostly the servants,

0:14:380:14:42

because, before the opening of the railroad line,

0:14:420:14:47

the servants had to walk through the darkness of the night

0:14:470:14:53

along the Limmat, two to three hours,

0:14:530:14:56

to buy them here very early in the morning

0:14:560:14:59

and to bring them back for their breakfast,

0:14:590:15:02

so you can imagine that those servants were mostly happy

0:15:020:15:06

when they could board the train.

0:15:060:15:09

By the mid-20th century, these rich pastries had fallen out of favour,

0:15:100:15:14

but, five years ago, a few local bakeries revived the recipe.

0:15:140:15:18

Now, Michael, here, meet, please, Benny,

0:15:200:15:23

the baker of our Spanisch brotli.

0:15:230:15:26

Benny, hello.

0:15:260:15:27

'I'm going to learn how to make the modern version.'

0:15:270:15:30

What have you put in there?

0:15:300:15:32

Hazelnuts, carrots, sugar and persipan.

0:15:320:15:35

Wow, that sounds very, very sweet.

0:15:350:15:39

'To keep the puff pastry perfect,

0:15:390:15:42

'spreading the mixture requires a light touch.'

0:15:420:15:44

This is the tricky bit, getting up to the limit.

0:15:470:15:50

Mine has rather the look of a Swiss mountain range,

0:15:530:15:56

just too many valleys.

0:15:560:15:57

Here we go...

0:15:570:16:00

Ooooh!

0:16:000:16:01

Oh, no! Oh, Benny!

0:16:010:16:04

My edges are all broken, argh.

0:16:040:16:06

No-one will know, just patch that up.

0:16:070:16:09

'The Spanisch brotli are cut into individual cakes.'

0:16:090:16:13

Oh, you need a steady hand for this.

0:16:130:16:16

First one is a bit squashed.

0:16:160:16:18

The second one is going to be great.

0:16:190:16:21

Ah, that one's brilliant.

0:16:230:16:25

Then 18 minutes later, it's time for the acid test.

0:16:260:16:30

Mmm, they are good.

0:16:330:16:36

The pastry is great, isn't it? Very fluffy pastry.

0:16:360:16:39

Fluffy and light, yes.

0:16:390:16:40

Well, they taste OK to me, but I want to know whether they're worthy

0:16:420:16:45

of their railway namesake, so I'm taking my efforts to the streets.

0:16:450:16:49

These are Spanish brotli. Have you ever heard...?

0:16:490:16:52

Ah, Spanisch-Brotli-Bahn.

0:16:520:16:53

Yes. The Spanisch-Brotli-Bahn?

0:16:530:16:55

I know, but not really.

0:16:550:16:57

-Spanish-Brotli-Bahn.

-Ja, that we know.

0:16:570:16:59

Spanisch-Brotli-Bahn. What was the Spanisch-Brotli-Bahn?

0:16:590:17:01

A train between Baden and Zurich.

0:17:010:17:03

-Yeah?

-The first train in Switzerland.

0:17:030:17:06

-Would you like to try it?

-Ja, yes.

0:17:060:17:07

Go ahead, tell me what you think. Have a bite.

0:17:070:17:09

Ja.

0:17:090:17:10

Mmm, wonderful.

0:17:130:17:16

-Yes, I try it for you.

-Yeah, just a favour to me.

0:17:160:17:18

Yes, sure.

0:17:180:17:20

Very good.

0:17:240:17:26

It's delicious.

0:17:290:17:30

-It's good.

-Is it good?

-Tastes like one.

0:17:300:17:34

Do you think it's worth a journey from Zurich to Baden to buy that?

0:17:340:17:37

Yeah, why not!

0:17:380:17:40

You can take it on your train,

0:17:400:17:42

then your train will be the Spanisch-Brotli-Bahn.

0:17:420:17:44

That's it. Thank you.

0:17:440:17:46

-Thank you.

-Bye.

0:17:470:17:48

I'm now swapping my Spanisch brotli for the Spanisch-Brotli line,

0:17:530:17:57

to head to the next stop on my Edwardian itinerary.

0:17:570:18:00

I'm now travelling the route of the first railway

0:18:050:18:07

ever built in Switzerland, towards Zurich,

0:18:070:18:10

which my Bradshaw's tells me, "Is the capital of the canton of Zurich,

0:18:100:18:14

"and commercially the most important town in Switzerland."

0:18:140:18:17

I think of it for its financiers, the so-called Gnomes of Zurich,

0:18:170:18:21

but it also has a substantial history as an engineering town.

0:18:210:18:25

Zurich's entrepreneurs were at the heart

0:18:260:18:29

of the Swiss Industrial Revolution, and the British traveller

0:18:290:18:32

arriving here in 1913 could marvel at the city's many textile mills.

0:18:320:18:37

Bradshaw's comments that,

0:18:450:18:47

"The principal manufacture is concerned with silk,

0:18:470:18:50

"but the engineering trade is also extensive,"

0:18:500:18:53

and at the beginning of the 20th century those skills

0:18:530:18:56

were being applied to railways.

0:18:560:18:59

To the average Briton in 1913, trains meant steam.

0:19:000:19:05

But a trip to Switzerland might mean

0:19:050:19:07

an encounter with an exciting new technology electricity.

0:19:070:19:10

Railway engineers had experimented with electric traction

0:19:120:19:16

from the 1840s, but around the turn of the 20th century

0:19:160:19:19

electricity was to transform European travel.

0:19:190:19:23

I've come to the suburb of Oerlikon,

0:19:230:19:25

to hear how a Zurich firm played a leading role in the story.

0:19:250:19:28

My guide is railway enthusiast, Albert Schoch.

0:19:280:19:32

-Hello, Albert.

-Hello, Michael.

0:19:320:19:34

This is the most extraordinary place.

0:19:340:19:35

It has the feel of an industrial building but the look of a park.

0:19:350:19:38

What is it?

0:19:380:19:39

It's referring to these old buildings here of Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon

0:19:390:19:43

and it shows the dimensions of an old assembly hall.

0:19:430:19:47

Today, this is a peaceful public park

0:19:480:19:51

but the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon, or MFO,

0:19:510:19:54

was once one of Zurich's biggest employers, with over 2,000 workers.

0:19:540:20:00

It started out as a metal-works but then, in the early 20th century,

0:20:000:20:03

the world's first electric locomotive,

0:20:030:20:06

using alternating current, was constructed here.

0:20:060:20:09

And these new trains proved ideally suited to Swiss conditions.

0:20:100:20:14

Switzerland is very demanding territory for locomotives,

0:20:150:20:18

very high mountains, very low temperatures, very steep slopes,

0:20:180:20:21

and MFO was able to meet the need.

0:20:210:20:24

Yes, Michael.

0:20:240:20:25

Electric trains were cleaner in Switzerland's many tunnels

0:20:250:20:28

than smoky steam engines and the country's abundant supply

0:20:280:20:32

of hydroelectric power made them cheap to run.

0:20:320:20:35

One of MFO's greatest achievements was when it designed a locomotive

0:20:360:20:40

for the infamous St Gotthard line, one of the steepest in the country.

0:20:400:20:44

They electrified the Saint Gotthard line in 1921

0:20:440:20:48

and MFO gave the solution with the famous Crocodile,

0:20:480:20:52

the CE68 or BE68 and a really powerful machine, never seen before.

0:20:520:20:59

And this was not just a locomotive for Switzerland,

0:20:590:21:05

this was a really outstanding object of admiration.

0:21:050:21:10

After the triumph of the Crocodile, MFO went from strength to strength.

0:21:120:21:16

But in the 1990s, its railway activities were outsourced,

0:21:180:21:21

and by the year 2000, the factory was finally shut down

0:21:210:21:24

and eventually dismantled.

0:21:240:21:26

The only part to survive was the old administrative building.

0:21:290:21:32

So, Albert, why have you brought me to a building site

0:21:350:21:38

next to the railway line here?

0:21:380:21:39

Michael, this beautiful brick stone building from 1889

0:21:390:21:43

used to stand on this position where we are now.

0:21:430:21:47

Do you mean they demolished it and rebuilt it over there?

0:21:470:21:49

No, not at all. They moved it, 60 metres westwards.

0:21:490:21:53

They are enlarging the station of Oerlikon,

0:21:530:21:56

so they had to decide to demolish or to move.

0:21:560:21:58

Amazingly, rather than lose this last piece

0:22:000:22:02

of the company's industrial history, the building was moved,

0:22:020:22:06

lock stock and barrel, at a cost of over £8 million.

0:22:060:22:11

After 10 months of preparation, on 22nd May 2012,

0:22:110:22:16

it was carried along special tracks, at a rate of four metres per hour.

0:22:160:22:19

Clearly the people here are very proud of MFO's history

0:22:200:22:24

and clearly the Swiss are still engineers of world class.

0:22:240:22:28

Yes, you may say.

0:22:280:22:30

Directed by my 1913 guide, early 20th century visitors

0:22:390:22:44

would have bypassed Zurich's industrial outskirts

0:22:440:22:47

and headed straight for the centre

0:22:470:22:49

and I'm now following in their footsteps

0:22:490:22:51

to see why it receives such a glowing recommendation.

0:22:510:22:54

My Bradshaw's comments that,

0:22:550:22:57

"The older parts remain in places quaint and picturesque,

0:22:570:23:00

"while the modern quarters are spacious and handsome."

0:23:000:23:04

With the main station behind me, Hauptbahnhof,

0:23:040:23:07

and this being Bahnhofstrasse,

0:23:070:23:10

this is part of the modern Zurich and it's time to take a tram.

0:23:100:23:14

In the cradle of modern electric trains,

0:23:180:23:20

what better way could there be to travel?

0:23:200:23:23

While some British cities have recently restored a tram line

0:23:230:23:27

or two, most still regret the fact that they did away

0:23:270:23:30

with their tram systems many years ago.

0:23:300:23:32

Look at Zurich's map - this is a place for tram lovers.

0:23:330:23:37

My 1913 guide directs me south,

0:23:420:23:44

towards the shore of the famous Lake Zurich.

0:23:440:23:47

My Bradshaw's says that from the quays, "There's a beautiful view

0:23:530:23:56

"over the lake and the surrounding country."

0:23:560:23:59

I find Zurich a stunning city,

0:23:590:24:01

made all the prettier by pink evening light.

0:24:010:24:04

The sunset's my cue to find a hotel

0:24:070:24:09

and as usual my guidebook has the answer.

0:24:090:24:11

Well, for my night's stay in Zurich I turn to my Bradshaw's Guide,

0:24:140:24:18

which has an advertisement for the Savoy Hotel.

0:24:180:24:20

"First class family hotel,

0:24:200:24:23

"apartments with bath and toilette,

0:24:230:24:26

"restaurant Francais, American bar."

0:24:260:24:29

Sounds ideal.

0:24:290:24:31

I'm checking in with manager, Manfred Horger.

0:24:310:24:34

-Manfred.

-Evening, great pleasure meeting you.

0:24:340:24:36

Great to see you.

0:24:360:24:37

You stay, in fact, in the hotel

0:24:370:24:40

which has been the first hotel ever built in Zurich.

0:24:400:24:44

So, how old is the Savoy?

0:24:440:24:46

It was opened on the 24th December, 1838.

0:24:460:24:52

American bars first opened in Europe in the late 19th century

0:24:540:24:58

and readers of my guidebook would have known that any hotel

0:24:580:25:01

advertising one would serve fashionable US-style cocktails.

0:25:010:25:06

It's good to know that my Bradshaw's

0:25:060:25:08

could point the thirsty cognoscenti

0:25:080:25:10

in the direction of a perfect Martini.

0:25:100:25:13

-Manfred, cheers.

-Cheers.

0:25:140:25:15

You know, after a long and busy day, I was feeling a little shaken,

0:25:180:25:24

but the beauty of your hotel has left me stirred.

0:25:240:25:27

Thank you, that's very kind of you.

0:25:270:25:29

Fortified by a night of Edwardian-era luxury,

0:25:370:25:40

it's time for me to continue

0:25:400:25:42

along the route recommended by my 1913 guide.

0:25:420:25:45

But before I leave, I want to get an insight into this country's

0:25:450:25:49

famously efficient rail service.

0:25:490:25:51

Zurich is, of course, Switzerland's busiest railway station.

0:25:510:25:55

Today I've been given privileged access to the control tower.

0:25:550:25:59

It's a complex operation,

0:25:590:26:01

for no terminus in Europe has more trains arriving and departing.

0:26:010:26:06

From Zurich, you can travel directly to all corners of the continent.

0:26:090:26:14

3,000 trains and around 350,000 passengers

0:26:140:26:18

pass through this vital railway hub every day.

0:26:180:26:23

And the nerve centre of the operation is this tower

0:26:230:26:26

that looms over the station's 24 platforms.

0:26:260:26:29

Inside, the banks of screens are watched over

0:26:360:26:39

by a team of highly-trained staff.

0:26:390:26:41

Hello, I'm Michael.

0:26:460:26:47

Hello, Michael, nice to meet you.

0:26:470:26:49

I notice you're all very calm.

0:26:490:26:51

It's a wonderful atmosphere in here, actually.

0:26:510:26:54

Yeah, but that can be different when we have...delays.

0:26:540:26:59

I didn't know there WERE delays in Switzerland. This is news to me.

0:26:590:27:03

-SHE LAUGHS

-Yes!

0:27:030:27:05

But we are talking about delay when a train is three minutes late.

0:27:050:27:11

The Swiss reputation for precision

0:27:110:27:14

is maintained by the latest technology

0:27:140:27:16

and faultless attention to detail.

0:27:160:27:19

Well, here, you just see the station so well.

0:27:190:27:23

And you see it's now 10 o'clock,

0:27:230:27:25

2 minutes after 10 o'clock,

0:27:250:27:28

and all the trains in Zurich Main Station,

0:27:280:27:31

they come some minutes before full and half hour

0:27:310:27:34

and they leave some minutes after.

0:27:340:27:37

So now all the trains are leaving and if you see in 10 minutes,

0:27:370:27:42

10-15, the whole station will be empty.

0:27:420:27:45

-Really?

-And it's every hour exactly the same thing.

0:27:450:27:49

That is the secret of Swiss time keeping!

0:27:490:27:52

Exactly.

0:27:520:27:53

It's my cue to return to the platform

0:27:580:28:00

and recommence my route along the tracks of Edwardian travellers.

0:28:000:28:04

The signal box is looking after us every kilometre of the way.

0:28:070:28:10

I'm leaving the city behind and heading towards the Swiss landscapes

0:28:120:28:16

promised in my 1913 guide.

0:28:160:28:18

I've been lucky enough to experience some very beautiful train journeys,

0:28:200:28:23

but this one, along the southern shore of Lake Zurich,

0:28:230:28:26

must be one of the very best.

0:28:260:28:28

My Bradshaw's paints a wonderful picture, saying,

0:28:310:28:34

"On either hand, sloping meadows rise from the water's edge,

0:28:340:28:37

"the higher lands being clothed with vineyards and orchards".

0:28:370:28:41

I'm hoping it's just the first of many views that will amaze.

0:28:430:28:46

My journey across Switzerland now enters a new phase.

0:28:480:28:51

I've left behind the big city of Zurich and I'm headed for the Alps.

0:28:510:28:55

I can trace my journey on the pull-out map.

0:28:550:28:58

My train started in Zurich,

0:28:580:28:59

moved along the southern shores of Lake Zurich,

0:28:590:29:02

and then it will go down towards Chur.

0:29:020:29:05

From Chur, one of Europe's most scenic train journeys

0:29:070:29:11

will carry me west.

0:29:110:29:12

At Goschenen, I'll join the engineering triumph,

0:29:120:29:15

the Gotthard line, before crossing by boat to Lucerne.

0:29:150:29:19

I'll then stop off at Meiringen's famous Reichenbach Falls,

0:29:190:29:23

en route to a station 3,500 metres above sea level.

0:29:230:29:27

Danke!

0:29:320:29:34

What better to accompany the Swiss mountains

0:29:340:29:37

than a rugged range of Swiss cheeses?

0:29:370:29:39

Nowadays, it's winter sports that bring people to the Alps

0:29:400:29:44

and I'm on my way to discover how that story began

0:29:440:29:48

in the age of my 1913 guide.

0:29:480:29:50

I'm changing train in Chur.

0:29:510:29:53

My Bradshaw's tells me it's "The capital of the canton of the Grisons.

0:29:530:29:57

"1,935 feet above sea,

0:29:570:30:00

"the Curia Rhaetorum of the Romans,

0:30:000:30:03

"in an attractive situation on the River Plessur.

0:30:030:30:06

"In the winter, skating and skiing,"

0:30:060:30:09

while in summer, like today, there's no snow to be seen,

0:30:090:30:12

but this important railway junction is gateway to a lovely ski region

0:30:120:30:17

and British tourists played an important part in its development.

0:30:170:30:21

To find out more, I'm taking one of the most spectacular trips

0:30:250:30:29

that the nation has to offer the Glacier Express.

0:30:290:30:32

The moment you get on the Glacier Express, it has a special feel,

0:30:340:30:37

because, of course, there's so much more light

0:30:370:30:39

because of these windows all along the roof line

0:30:390:30:42

and it looks like everyone on board

0:30:420:30:44

is going to be tucking into a very good lunch.

0:30:440:30:47

The Glacier Express links two

0:30:500:30:52

of Switzerland's most famous ski resorts, St Moritz and Zermatt.

0:30:520:30:57

The complete trip takes over seven hours, winning the service

0:30:570:31:00

the reputation as the slowest express train in the world.

0:31:000:31:04

These panoramic tourist trains have been in use for only 30 years,

0:31:100:31:14

but the line was completed back in the 1930s,

0:31:140:31:17

when it first began to carry eager skiers to the Alps.

0:31:170:31:21

-Hello, Guido.

-Hello, Mike.

0:31:230:31:24

-How lovely to see you. Have a seat.

-Thank you.

0:31:240:31:28

'Guido Ratti is joining me

0:31:280:31:30

'to explain how the winter holiday was born right here in Switzerland.'

0:31:300:31:34

British tourists.

0:31:370:31:38

They are really the founder of winter tourism and winter sports.

0:31:380:31:43

Which is very surprising, because we have really no mountains

0:31:430:31:47

and very little snow.

0:31:470:31:48

Yes, but if you allow, British people are very special,

0:31:480:31:53

sometimes a little bit crazy

0:31:530:31:56

and they like to have action.

0:31:560:31:59

Until the 1860s, British thrill-seekers

0:32:000:32:03

contented themselves with summer hiking trips

0:32:030:32:07

through the Alpine scenery.

0:32:070:32:08

But then an enterprising hotelier from nearby St Moritz,

0:32:080:32:12

keen to extend the season, had a brainwave.

0:32:120:32:15

We had the famous bet of Mr Johannes Badrutt,

0:32:160:32:19

he owned the Hotel Kulm.

0:32:190:32:22

And he made a bet with his English guests -

0:32:220:32:26

they should come in winter and he promised them

0:32:260:32:29

if they come in winter and they don't like it,

0:32:290:32:32

he would pay the journey from London to St Moritz and back.

0:32:320:32:35

I was told they came at Christmas time

0:32:350:32:38

and left St Moritz only after Easter.

0:32:380:32:41

They probably did in those days, they were people of leisure.

0:32:410:32:45

Sold on the idea of Switzerland in the winter,

0:32:480:32:51

the British soon took to skating and skiing,

0:32:510:32:55

but that wasn't enough for the biggest adrenaline addicts.

0:32:550:32:58

First they came, of course, for skiing, but as British people

0:32:580:33:02

are very special and very sporty, they founded the skeleton sport,

0:33:020:33:07

the bob sport. Even horse racing in St Moritz was due to British people.

0:33:070:33:12

Horse racing in St Moritz?

0:33:120:33:15

Yes, of course, on the frozen lake, we have a very special race.

0:33:150:33:18

We have a full-blood horse, without jockey,

0:33:180:33:21

but a skier in his back and this is a very exciting race.

0:33:210:33:26

A racehorse towing a skier - fantastic.

0:33:260:33:29

Some of the hair-raising pursuits founded by British tourists

0:33:290:33:33

continue today, including the infamous Cresta run.

0:33:330:33:38

But winter sports weren't just for the adventurous few.

0:33:380:33:41

In the early 20th century, British entrepreneur Henry Lunn

0:33:410:33:44

organised the first package ski holidays

0:33:440:33:47

and, by 1913, the trains were bringing over 1,000 winter tourists

0:33:470:33:51

to the Alps every year.

0:33:510:33:54

My Bradshaw's guide of 1913 has a lot of timetables in it

0:33:540:33:58

and I noticed that in 1913 you could get on the train in London

0:33:580:34:04

and it lists all the way down to getting off in St Moritz.

0:34:040:34:07

That's amazing, isn't it?

0:34:070:34:08

That's true. That was a very special tourist train

0:34:080:34:11

and you went, after a journey of 24 hours,

0:34:110:34:14

you were from London in St Moritz.

0:34:140:34:18

Yes. It's extraordinary, isn't it? 100 years ago it was just 24 hours

0:34:180:34:22

-from one world to a completely different universe.

-That's true.

0:34:220:34:26

It's astonishing to think that downhill skiing in Switzerland

0:34:260:34:30

is less than 150 years old.

0:34:300:34:33

But travelling on this extraordinary train today,

0:34:330:34:36

it's easy to see why people want to enjoy this landscape all year round.

0:34:360:34:40

It's a new day, and I can't wait to get started on the next section

0:34:500:34:53

of my guidebook's recommended route.

0:34:530:34:55

My Bradshaw's Guide is breathless about the next stage of my journey.

0:34:570:35:01

"Limits of space preclude any attempt

0:35:010:35:03

"to describe the journey from Goschenen to Fluelen,

0:35:030:35:07

"as the train glides through engineering triumphs

0:35:070:35:10

"that constitute the Saint Gotthard line."

0:35:100:35:13

I fear that I too may be lost for words,

0:35:130:35:15

as clearly I experience one of the great train rides of my life.

0:35:150:35:20

When the Gotthard line opened in 1882,

0:35:230:35:26

it marked a turning point in this country's railway history.

0:35:260:35:30

WHISTLE BLOWS

0:35:300:35:32

Although it wasn't the first to conquer the Swiss Alps,

0:35:360:35:39

it did involve building the world's longest tunnel,

0:35:390:35:42

at a cost of 200 lives.

0:35:420:35:44

Between Goschenen and my next stop,

0:35:460:35:48

the line has to drop over 2,000 feet,

0:35:480:35:51

and the engineer came up with a clever way

0:35:510:35:52

to keep the gradient as shallow as possible.

0:35:520:35:55

To make the descent, the train has to go through a series of loops,

0:35:560:36:00

as my Bradshaw's says,

0:36:000:36:02

"With a tunnel and a bridge every few yards."

0:36:020:36:05

These are the engineering triumphs

0:36:050:36:07

and I'm going to leap around from side to side of the train

0:36:070:36:10

trying to catch a glimpse of where I'm going and where I've been.

0:36:100:36:15

Thanks to the line's ingenious design, the scenery appears to shift

0:36:150:36:19

around you as the train corkscrews ever deeper into the valley.

0:36:190:36:23

So that pretty church, the church of Wassen...

0:36:280:36:30

appeared now on my right.

0:36:300:36:32

I believe we are going to see it on different sides of the train

0:36:320:36:35

as we wind our way down.

0:36:350:36:37

How did that happen?

0:36:470:36:48

In a few moments the church has switched sides.

0:36:480:36:51

It was on the right, now it's on the left.

0:36:510:36:53

The Gotthard line shows just how far Swiss railways had come

0:36:540:36:58

by the turn of the 20th century.

0:36:580:36:59

The sheer vision and ambition demonstrated by blasting a line

0:36:590:37:04

through the towering Alps astonishes me.

0:37:040:37:07

It put Switzerland at the heart of the European railway network.

0:37:070:37:10

It's brought me to Fluelen,

0:37:130:37:14

where I'm swapping the train for another form of transport.

0:37:140:37:17

So, my Bradshaw's tells me that here at Fluelen,

0:37:210:37:23

"We embark upon the southern arm of Lake Lucerne,

0:37:230:37:27

"and many pleasant excursions may be made by the steamer services."

0:37:270:37:31

If I'm going to continue to enjoy this wonderful scenery,

0:37:310:37:34

it's time for me to get aboard.

0:37:340:37:36

I'm taking a boat trip from the southernmost tip of the lake

0:37:470:37:50

right to the top and my 1913 guidebook

0:37:500:37:53

is packed with landmarks to look out for on the way.

0:37:530:37:56

My Bradshaw's says, "As we leave Fluelen, on the left,

0:37:580:38:01

"in the hollow between the peaks of the Uri-Rotstock,

0:38:010:38:04

"a glacier is plainly seen.

0:38:040:38:06

"And in a line from the glacier,

0:38:060:38:08

"on the lake's shore, is the dynamite factory of Isleten."

0:38:080:38:12

I'll give you a prize if you can think why there's a dynamite factory

0:38:120:38:16

in such a noble and peaceful place.

0:38:160:38:18

Dynamite was invented in the 19th century and was a vital tool

0:38:200:38:24

for the railway engineers carving new routes through the mountains.

0:38:240:38:28

The factory here was established by dynamite's inventor,

0:38:280:38:31

the famous chemist, Alfred Nobel.

0:38:310:38:33

His explosives were later used extensively in war,

0:38:350:38:38

but he wanted to be remembered for something more positive.

0:38:380:38:42

On his death, Alfred Nobel left a legacy,

0:38:420:38:45

which was to form a prize to be awarded to those who did,

0:38:450:38:48

"The most or the best work for fraternity amongst nations,

0:38:480:38:52

"for the abolition or reduction of standing armies

0:38:520:38:55

"and for the promotion of peace congresses."

0:38:550:38:58

My 1913 Bradshaw's lyrically describes Lake Lucerne as,

0:38:590:39:04

"A narrow sheet of water, with lofty, wall-like, forest-clad mountains,

0:39:040:39:09

"rising sheer out of the water on either side"

0:39:090:39:13

Its beauty is today in no way diminished,

0:39:130:39:16

but not everyone on board seems to appreciate it.

0:39:160:39:19

-Hello, gentlemen.

-Hello.

0:39:190:39:21

-May I sit down for a second?

-Yeah.

0:39:210:39:23

So...

0:39:230:39:25

you're travelling on the boat through this beautiful scenery,

0:39:250:39:29

but you're playing cards. Why don't you look at the scenery?

0:39:290:39:33

We know it.

0:39:330:39:35

Ah!

0:39:350:39:37

Do you travel very frequently, then?

0:39:370:39:39

No, we live over there.

0:39:390:39:41

Why are you on the boat if you know it so well?

0:39:410:39:44

We are a carnival group and every year

0:39:440:39:47

we make a little journey...

0:39:470:39:50

The locals may be blase, but I can just imagine the wonder

0:39:510:39:55

that British Edwardian tourists

0:39:550:39:57

must have felt experiencing this landscape.

0:39:570:39:59

And I'm now approaching one of their most favoured holiday spots.

0:40:000:40:04

Bradshaw's says that,

0:40:070:40:08

"Lucerne is perhaps the most beautifully-situated tourist centre in Europe.

0:40:080:40:13

"Surrounded on three sides by exquisitely wooded hills

0:40:130:40:17

"with a magnificent prospect over a small arm of the lake."

0:40:170:40:21

And to judge by the pages of advertisements for hotels,

0:40:210:40:25

it was, at the beginning of the 20th century,

0:40:250:40:28

a very popular tourist resort.

0:40:280:40:30

But I'm here in pursuit of one of my personal heroes

0:40:300:40:33

from the 19th century.

0:40:330:40:36

In the 1860s, the musical genius Richard Wagner

0:40:400:40:43

joined the growing numbers of wealthy families

0:40:430:40:46

drawn to Lucerne's stunning waterfront.

0:40:460:40:49

He made his home in the suburb of Tribschen,

0:40:530:40:55

in this luxurious lakeside villa.

0:40:550:40:57

In 1913, fans making the pilgrimage here were disappointed,

0:40:590:41:02

as it was still a private house.

0:41:020:41:05

Luckily for me, in the 1930s, the city of Lucerne

0:41:050:41:08

finally responded to the flood of visitors

0:41:080:41:11

by turning it into a museum.

0:41:110:41:12

I'm meeting the museum's manger, Yvonne Bieder.

0:41:120:41:16

-Hi.

-Lovely to see you.

0:41:160:41:17

I'm quite a fan of the opera composer Richard Wagner.

0:41:170:41:20

What years was he living in this house?

0:41:200:41:22

He spent six years of his life in this house from 1866 to '72.

0:41:220:41:29

Were these quite happy years for the composer?

0:41:290:41:31

Very happy years, yes.

0:41:310:41:32

He said they were the happiest of his life.

0:41:320:41:36

German-born Wagner moved to Switzerland from Munich

0:41:360:41:39

and was closely followed by his married lover, Cosima von Bulow.

0:41:390:41:43

Two of their three children were born here

0:41:430:41:45

and, in 1870, he finally married his mistress in Lucerne.

0:41:450:41:49

Wagner is best known for music that's big and loud

0:41:500:41:54

but this stunning setting and the birth of his son, Siegfried,

0:41:540:41:57

inspired a dreamy kind of work.

0:41:570:41:59

So, as a surprise for her 33rd birthday,

0:41:590:42:04

Richard Wagner composed a very nice piece of music

0:42:040:42:08

called Siegfried's Idyll,

0:42:080:42:09

and it was performed for the very first time on this staircase.

0:42:090:42:13

He was standing exactly here and conducting,

0:42:140:42:17

and all the musicians standing upwards

0:42:170:42:20

and downwards the staircase and around him.

0:42:200:42:23

And Cosima woke to hear this orchestra playing.

0:42:230:42:26

Yes, she was so moved.

0:42:260:42:28

I know a lot of people wonder what surprise birthday present

0:42:280:42:30

they should give their wives. Now they know -

0:42:300:42:33

they just have to compose a piece of music and bring in an orchestra.

0:42:330:42:37

Yes, exactly!

0:42:370:42:38

Wagner's birthday composition

0:42:400:42:41

was originally entitled the Triebschen Idyll,

0:42:410:42:44

which was how he referred to his lakeside home.

0:42:440:42:47

And I'm being treated to a piano duet version of the work,

0:42:480:42:51

performed on a very special instrument.

0:42:510:42:54

The piece is now being played on Wagner's piano.

0:42:590:43:03

Yes, his original Erard grand piano,

0:43:030:43:07

standing in the same corner as the period he was living in this house.

0:43:070:43:12

Thank you so very much. I enjoyed that enormously.

0:43:290:43:32

You know many people think of Wagner

0:43:320:43:35

as being loud and bombastic and tuneless

0:43:350:43:38

and yet this is very, very soft and loving and very melodious.

0:43:380:43:44

This is kind of Wagner for Wagner-haters.

0:43:440:43:47

I can see why this most stunning of Swiss cities

0:43:530:43:56

inspired Wagner's gentlest music.

0:43:560:43:59

I'm now taking to the tracks again,

0:44:090:44:11

to make one last journey before nightfall.

0:44:110:44:14

Every year, thousands of tourists

0:44:220:44:24

come to Switzerland on railway holidays

0:44:240:44:27

and it's great to be among so many like-minded travellers.

0:44:270:44:30

You've got your map of Switzerland out, are you doing a grand tour?

0:44:300:44:34

We are, we are trying to InterRail the old railway lines

0:44:340:44:38

and boats of Switzerland.

0:44:380:44:40

You're a man after my own heart, doing it all by railway.

0:44:400:44:43

Are you an aficionado of trains?

0:44:430:44:45

I wouldn't say so, but we went InterRailing 20 years ago

0:44:450:44:48

and we wanted to do it again with our kids and see the changes.

0:44:480:44:51

And there are some. It's not as easy as it used to be.

0:44:510:44:54

-No?

-Switzerland, you can still hop on and hop off,

0:44:540:44:58

but the rest of Europe,

0:44:580:44:59

you really have to pre-plan and do your reservations.

0:44:590:45:02

-Ah, yes.

-So it's not as easy.

0:45:020:45:04

But Switzerland is a good place for railways, isn't it?

0:45:040:45:06

Oh, it's excellent.

0:45:060:45:08

After a long day's travel, my 1913 guidebook has led me

0:45:160:45:20

to a dramatic Alpine valley and, I hope, my bed for the night.

0:45:200:45:24

I've spent the night in Meiringen, at the Hotel du Sauvage,

0:45:330:45:38

barely changed since 1880.

0:45:380:45:40

I am allegedly not the first Englishman to stay in this hostelry.

0:45:410:45:46

"In this hotel, called by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Englischer Hof,

0:45:460:45:50

"Mr Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson spent the night of 3rd-4th May, 1891."

0:45:500:45:57

I can't wait to find out what happened next.

0:45:570:46:00

Out on the streets, the Sherlock Holmes connection is obvious,

0:46:020:46:06

but I wonder whether visitors to Meiringen

0:46:060:46:09

know why Britain's favourite detective will be for ever linked

0:46:090:46:13

to this Swiss town.

0:46:130:46:15

Do you know about Sherlock Holmes?

0:46:150:46:17

-The detective?

-Yes.

-Sherlock Holmes? Ja, wir kennen das.

0:46:170:46:20

Ah-ah!

0:46:200:46:22

Do you remember any Sherlock Holmes stories?

0:46:220:46:25

HE HOWLS

0:46:250:46:27

He always had the...

0:46:270:46:29

Erm, pipe?

0:46:290:46:31

ALL: Chipuk.

0:46:310:46:32

Ah-ha!

0:46:320:46:33

Ja, das ist ganz typisch Sherlock Holmes.

0:46:330:46:37

Yeah. Ganz typisch Sherlock Holmes.

0:46:370:46:39

Sherlock Holmes?

0:46:390:46:40

-The Reichenbach Falls.

-He died...

-He's dead.

-..Here.

0:46:400:46:44

In 1893,

0:46:480:46:51

Arthur Conan Doyle famously chose the Reichenbach Falls,

0:46:510:46:54

just outside Meiringen, as the setting for Sherlock Holmes's death.

0:46:540:46:59

And ever since then, fans have been visiting the scene of the crime.

0:46:590:47:03

Reaching the spot on foot entails a gruelling climb,

0:47:050:47:08

but since 1899, there's been a more restful route to the top.

0:47:080:47:12

My Bradshaw's says, "On the south side of Meiringen,

0:47:190:47:22

"in the summer, the Reichenbach Falls

0:47:220:47:25

"are illuminated by electricity.

0:47:250:47:28

"An electric rail runs from near the Hotel Reichenbach."

0:47:280:47:32

No mention there of the famous fictional detective.

0:47:320:47:36

I think because every reader knew about Sherlock Holmes,

0:47:360:47:39

and the Reichenbach Falls were a notorious household name.

0:47:390:47:44

Conan Doyle decided on the Reichenbach Falls

0:47:440:47:46

as the scene of Holmes's shocking demise

0:47:460:47:49

after visiting them on a summer holiday.

0:47:490:47:52

Guy Marriott is from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London.

0:47:520:47:55

-Guy!

-Oh, Michael.

-Hello. How good to see you.

0:47:550:47:59

Nothing prepared me for the Reichenbach Falls,

0:47:590:48:01

they are absolutely tremendous.

0:48:010:48:03

No wonder that Conan Doyle set his melodrama here.

0:48:030:48:06

They are looking particularly good today.

0:48:060:48:09

They are looking as Conan Doyle would have seen them

0:48:090:48:11

when he was here in the summer of 1893.

0:48:110:48:13

What had led Conan Doyle to kill off Sherlock Holmes?

0:48:130:48:17

Conan Doyle was tired of the character of Sherlock Holmes.

0:48:170:48:20

He had been writing monthly stories for The Strand magazine.

0:48:200:48:25

He was finding it difficult to think of good plots

0:48:250:48:29

and he felt that Sherlock distracted him from more important work.

0:48:290:48:35

As in many of his Holmes stories, Conan Doyle's intended last case

0:48:360:48:40

for the great detective, The Final Problem, features a railway journey.

0:48:400:48:45

Like all good Victorians, Holmes and Watson knew the best way

0:48:450:48:50

to plan a trip by train.

0:48:500:48:52

Holmes, more particularly Watson,

0:48:520:48:54

made very good use of Bradshaw's, didn't they?

0:48:540:48:57

Yes, they did, they had in their rooms at 221b Baker Street,

0:48:570:49:02

a copy of each month's Bradshaw's railway timetable

0:49:020:49:05

and on several occasions in the stories,

0:49:050:49:08

it's recorded that Holmes instructs Watson to check Bradshaw

0:49:080:49:12

in order find the best time of a train

0:49:120:49:14

to whichever destination they need to go to because a case has arisen.

0:49:140:49:19

No journey can begin without Bradshaw.

0:49:200:49:23

In The Final Problem, Holmes and Watson travel by train further afield.

0:49:230:49:28

Staying ahead of criminal mastermind Moriarty,

0:49:280:49:31

they journey to Switzerland

0:49:310:49:33

and decide to make the steep climb to the Reichenbach Falls.

0:49:330:49:36

But just before they reach a narrow ledge at the edge of the torrent,

0:49:370:49:41

Dr Watson receives a message calling him back to the hotel.

0:49:410:49:44

When Watson finally returns,

0:49:460:49:47

having discovered, of course, that it's a hoax that has taken him back,

0:49:470:49:52

he finds no trace of either Holmes or Moriarty,

0:49:520:49:55

instead only a hand-written note from Holmes,

0:49:550:49:58

saying that Moriarty has found him here

0:49:580:50:00

and they are going to fight out the issues between them.

0:50:000:50:05

Watson concludes that both men have plunged to their deaths,

0:50:050:50:09

and his devastation was shared by Holmes's many fans.

0:50:090:50:13

It is said, although this is probably apocryphal,

0:50:130:50:17

that clerks in the City went to work wearing black crepe armbands,

0:50:170:50:21

in memory of the great detective.

0:50:210:50:24

-A moment's silence, I think.

-It seems appropriate.

0:50:240:50:27

But Holmes's body hadn't been found

0:50:310:50:34

and that left readers with a sliver of hope.

0:50:340:50:36

Despite Conan Doyle's resolve,

0:50:360:50:40

he was eventually persuaded to revive his hero

0:50:400:50:43

and went on writing cases until his own death in 1930.

0:50:430:50:47

Like Sherlock Holmes, I rely on Bradshaw's.

0:50:580:51:02

Unlike Sherlock Holmes, I've made it back from the Reichenbach Falls

0:51:020:51:06

to continue my journey.

0:51:060:51:07

I'm now embarking on the final leg of my Swiss trip

0:51:090:51:13

and I'm departing from my guidebook's recommended route.

0:51:130:51:18

I'm making a long ascent, which takes me via Interlaken

0:51:180:51:21

ever upwards through the Alps,

0:51:210:51:23

towards Europe's highest railway station, Jungfraujoch.

0:51:230:51:27

The Swiss may have been slow starters

0:51:270:51:29

when it came to the railways, but as this journey's shown me,

0:51:290:51:33

they came to build ever more impressive and daring lines.

0:51:330:51:36

I've come to Kleine Scheidegg to experience

0:51:390:51:42

what might just be the apogee of Swiss railway engineering.

0:51:420:51:46

I'm about to begin the very last stage of my journey,

0:51:480:51:51

on the Jungfrau railway, which Bradshaw's tells me, "Is 7 1/2 miles long and was begun in 1896.

0:51:510:51:58

"The line ascends from Kleine Scheidegg

0:51:580:52:02

"through narrow tunnels to the Eismeer at 10,275 feet,

0:52:020:52:07

"the Monch at 10,995 feet

0:52:070:52:10

"and Jungfraujoch at 11,090 feet."

0:52:100:52:15

It's one of the epic railway journeys of our continent.

0:52:150:52:18

This extraordinary line opened just a year before the publication

0:52:230:52:27

of my 1913 guide and, a century after it was built,

0:52:270:52:31

its final station remains the highest in Europe.

0:52:310:52:35

It attracts over 750,000 visitors every year

0:52:350:52:39

and my companion for the final ascent is Roland Fontanive.

0:52:390:52:43

So now our journey begins, our epic journey to the top.

0:52:450:52:49

The audacious Jungfrau line project

0:52:490:52:51

was the brainchild of Swiss entrepreneur

0:52:510:52:54

and passionate promoter of the railways, Adolf Guyer-Zeller.

0:52:540:52:57

His brilliant plan was to harness the power

0:52:570:53:00

of a local mountain river,

0:53:000:53:01

creating a state-of-the-art electric cog railway to the summit.

0:53:010:53:05

The railway always was electric. What were the old carriages like?

0:53:080:53:11

They was by wood, they was much slower than this train.

0:53:110:53:17

Maybe 10 minutes more to go up.

0:53:170:53:19

Do you have any of those original cars?

0:53:190:53:21

We have only one, one here in Kleine Scheidegg.

0:53:210:53:25

You can rent for... maybe for special days

0:53:250:53:29

or for honeymoon like this.

0:53:290:53:31

Quite an idea for a honeymoon, to rent a 1912 car and come up here.

0:53:310:53:35

The hydroelectric plant built for the railway

0:53:370:53:40

was one of the first in Europe.

0:53:400:53:42

But the biggest challenge was building the line itself.

0:53:420:53:45

To reach the Jungfraujoch, tunnels had to be bored through

0:53:450:53:49

two of the tallest peaks in the Alps - the Eiger and the Monch.

0:53:490:53:54

And soon after leaving Kleine Scheidegg,

0:53:540:53:56

the train is plunged into darkness.

0:53:560:53:59

When you hear you're going to go up a mountain,

0:53:590:54:01

you don't expect it to be an underground railway experience,

0:54:010:54:04

-but it is, isn't it?

-Yes.

0:54:040:54:06

Seven of the line's nine kilometres are in tunnel,

0:54:100:54:14

but beyond them is some of Europe's best alpine scenery.

0:54:140:54:18

Panoramic windows carved into the rock at each station

0:54:180:54:21

provide passengers with views that make your jaw drop,

0:54:210:54:25

over features such as the Eismeer, or ice sea.

0:54:250:54:27

Very impressive. This is the ice sea here, is it?

0:54:290:54:31

Yes, that's correct, yes.

0:54:310:54:33

And so this the Eiger now going up above us.

0:54:330:54:35

That's the south face of the Eiger here.

0:54:350:54:38

And you see how the glacier goes down to Grindelwald.

0:54:380:54:41

It's really beautiful and impressive isn't it?

0:54:410:54:45

When the line was first proposed,

0:54:450:54:47

there were concerns that ascending to this altitude at speed

0:54:470:54:51

was a risk to health.

0:54:510:54:52

Guyer-Zeller even commissioned a medical report

0:54:520:54:55

to allay people's fears.

0:54:550:54:57

And, approaching the summit, you can understand why they were worried.

0:54:570:55:01

Well, Roland, we're here. I can really feel it in my breathing.

0:55:030:55:05

I'm having to take long breaths.

0:55:050:55:07

I'd better walk rather slowly, I think.

0:55:070:55:09

Yes, and welcome to Jungfraujoch, top of Europe.

0:55:090:55:13

Thank you.

0:55:130:55:14

So here I am at 11,333 feet at the Jungfraujoch,

0:55:170:55:23

that is to say, the saddle of the Jungfrau mountain.

0:55:230:55:27

This is nicknamed The Top of Europe.

0:55:270:55:30

After all, it is about three times as high

0:55:300:55:32

as any piece of land in the United Kingdom.

0:55:320:55:36

The climax of the long journey to the top is a visit

0:55:390:55:42

to the Sphinx building, perched on a rock 117 metres above the station.

0:55:420:55:47

Tourists come for the spectacular views

0:55:490:55:51

but ever since the 1930s,

0:55:510:55:53

the visiting crowds have shared the mountain-top with scientists.

0:55:530:55:56

The High Alpine research station

0:55:590:56:01

is today looked after by two custodian-couples

0:56:010:56:04

and for Maria and Urs Otz,

0:56:040:56:06

this inhospitable spot is a part-time home.

0:56:060:56:09

-Hello, Maria, I'm Michael.

-Hi, Michael.

0:56:110:56:14

Hello, Michael. Lovely to see you.

0:56:140:56:16

At first, scientists came here to research high-altitude medicine

0:56:170:56:22

and astronomy, but recent work has helped to document climate change

0:56:220:56:26

and charted the impact of the Icelandic volcanic eruption in 2010.

0:56:260:56:30

Maria and Urs send daily weather observations

0:56:320:56:35

to Zurich from their remarkable home in the sky.

0:56:350:56:37

-So, this is our terrace.

-This is absolutely divine.

0:56:390:56:42

Your terrace, yes. A very special terrace.

0:56:420:56:46

And this fantastic valley, what is this?

0:56:460:56:48

-That's the Aletsch glacier.

-It's a huge glacier.

0:56:480:56:53

And the place you see there, there are coming three glaciers together.

0:56:530:56:57

The deepness of the glacier there is about 900 metres.

0:56:570:57:01

900 metres?!

0:57:010:57:03

Yes, and that's the longest glacier of the Alps.

0:57:030:57:08

It's about 23 kilometres long.

0:57:080:57:12

That is awe-inspiring.

0:57:120:57:13

As I marvel at what must be one of Europe's most spine-tingling vistas,

0:57:140:57:19

I can't think of a more fitting end to my Swiss railway adventure.

0:57:190:57:23

Here, at the top of Europe, cutting edge science

0:57:230:57:26

and technology are juxtaposed with the raw beauty of the Alps.

0:57:260:57:31

Switzerland is a country of exceptions.

0:57:310:57:35

It lies at the heart of our continent

0:57:350:57:37

and yet it isn't a member of the European Union.

0:57:370:57:40

Its rail engineers helped to make it special

0:57:400:57:43

by taming this wild landscape.

0:57:430:57:46

Where else by 1913 could you have constructed

0:57:460:57:49

an electric underground railway to a station above the clouds?

0:57:490:57:54

Next time, I'll experience fin de siecle opulence

0:58:000:58:03

in the Low Countries.

0:58:030:58:04

Feels like you want to take a bath in it.

0:58:040:58:06

Yeah, you would like to take a bath in it.

0:58:060:58:09

Following my guidebook...

0:58:090:58:10

It's like a railway bible.

0:58:100:58:12

..To the Western Front where from 1914,

0:58:120:58:15

tourists were replaced with soldiers,

0:58:150:58:17

facing the horrors of the trenches.

0:58:170:58:19

He was one of the 72,000 people who never had a grave.

0:58:190:58:26

Subtitles by Red Bee Media

0:58:310:58:34

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS