The Furggen (3,492 m) is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

of the

Pennine Alps The Pennine Alps (, , , ), sometimes referred to as the Valais Alps (which are just the Northern Swiss part of the Pennine Alps), are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Italy (the Aosta Valley and Piedmont) an ...

, located on the border between

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

(

Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...

) and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

(

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

). It is the culminating point of the ridge named ''Furgggrat'' stretching from the Furggjoch (3,271 m) to the

Theodul Pass Theodul Pass, elevation , (German: ''Theodulpass'', Italian: ''Colle del Teodulo'', French: ''Col de Saint-Théodule'', Walser German: ''Theoduljoch'') is a high mountain pass across the eastern Pennine Alps, connecting Zermatt in the Swiss cant ...

(3,295 m), and is located halfway between the

Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...

and

Testa Grigia Testa Grigia (French : ''Tête grise'', lit. "grey head") (3,479 m) is a rocky prominence above the Theodul Pass, located on the border between Italy (Aosta Valley) and Switzerland (Valais). It overlooks the Plateau Rosa section of the Theodul ...

. The peak is the site of the now abandoned

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift *** ...

station. Construction on the cable car began in the summer of 1950 - with the station on the Furggen

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

Carlo Mollino Carlo Mollino (6 May 1905 – 27 August 1973) was an Italian architect, designer, photographer and Teacher, educator. Biography Carlo Mollino was born on 6 May 1905, in Turin, a major industrial city and cultural centre in northwest Italy. He ...

- and the lift opened to the public on 25 December 1952. The lift had a single span of 2,887m long - making it the world's longest at the time of its opening. The car could hold 25 passengers and transport 240 people per hour. The lift between Plan Maison and Furggen was designed as part of a system of cable cars reaching from

Breuil-Cervinia Breuil-Cervinia (; ; Valdôtain: ), officially Le Breuil from September 2023, is a of the ''comune'' of Valtournenche, Italy. It is a winter and summer tourist resort. Etymology The name ''Breuil-Cervinia'' is a fusion of two terms. On the one ...

to the

, with leg one running from

to Plan Maison (opened on 4 March 1939). Leg 2 running from Plan Maison up to the summit of Furggen, and leg 3 reaching the top of the

. The final leg was never constructed, partly as a result of the large cost and due to environmental opposition. The leg between Plan Maison and Furggen was abandoned in 1993 after ice brought down the cables and they were never replaced. The station on the summit of Furggen is now abandoned, but the leg between

and Plan Maison is still in place. Furggen

References

External links

Furggen on Hikr
Mountains of the Alps Alpine three-thousanders Mountains of Aosta Valley Mountains of Valais Italy–Switzerland border International mountains of Europe Mountains of Switzerland {{Aosta-mountain-stub

See also

References

External links