The Mönch (,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: "monk") at 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 (topography), summit area, and ...

in the

Bernese Alps , topo_map= Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo , photo=BerneseAlps.jpg , photo_caption=The Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau , country= Switzerland , subdivision1_type=Cantons , subdivision1= , parent= Western Alps , borders_on= , l ...

, in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Together with the

Eiger The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends a ...

and the

Jungfrau The Jungfrau ( "maiden, virgin"), at is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the J ...

, it forms a highly recognisable group of mountains, visible from far away. The Mönch lies on the border between the cantons of

Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...

and

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

, and forms part of a mountain ridge between the Jungfrau and

Jungfraujoch The Jungfraujoch (German: lit. "maiden saddle") is a saddle connecting two major 4000ers of the Bernese Alps: the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at an elevation of above sea level and is directly overlooked by the rocky prominence of the Sphinx ...

to the west, and the Eiger to the east. It is west of Mönchsjoch, a pass at ,

Mönchsjoch Hut The Mönchsjoch Hut (German: ''Mönchsjochhütte'') is a mountain hut located in the Bernese Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. At an altitude of is one of the highest huts owned by the Swiss Alpine Club. The hut lies just above the Obe ...

, and north of the Jungfraufirn and Ewigschneefäld, two affluents of the Great

Aletsch Glacier The Aletsch Glacier (german: Aletschgletscher, ) or Great Aletsch Glacier () is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about (2014), has about a volume of (2011), and covers about (2011) in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss ca ...

. The north side of the Mönch forms a step wall above the

Lauterbrunnen , neighboring_municipalities= Aeschi bei Spiez, Blatten (Lötschen) (VS), Fieschertal (VS), Grindelwald, Gündlischwand, Kandersteg, Lütschental, Reichenbach im Kandertal, Saxeten, Wilderswil , twintowns = } Lauterbrunnen is a village and M ...

valley. The

Jungfrau railway The Jungfrau Railway (german: Jungfraubahn, JB) is a mountain railway in the Bernese Alps, connecting Kleine Scheidegg in the Bernese Oberland to the Jungfraujoch, across the Valais border. The railway, which uses a and racks, runs from the st ...

tunnel runs right under the summit, at an elevation of approximately . The summit was first climbed on 15 August 1857 by

Christian Almer 220px, Christian Almer Christian Almer (29 March 1826 – 17 May 1898) was a Swiss mountain guide and the first ascentionist of many prominent mountains in the western Alps during the golden and silver ages of alpinism. Almer was born and died i ...

, Christian Kaufmann (1831-1861),

Ulrich Kaufmann Ulrich Kaufmann ( – ) was a Swiss mountain guide. He was born and died in Grindelwald. He was among the first Westerners to visit the mountain ranges of New Zealand and the Himalayas. Biography In August 1857, Kaufmann participated in the f ...

and Sigismund Porges.

Gallery

Image:Moench 2348.jpg, A view of the Mönch taken from the

Image:Männlichen01.jpg, Panorama from

Männlichen The Männlichen is a mountain in the Swiss Alps located within the Canton of Berne. It can be reached from Wengen by the Wengen–Männlichen aerial cableway, or from the new (December 2019) Grindelwald Terminal stationBOB website - was to hav ...

, Mönch and

(from left to right) The Moench, by Helga von Cramm, with prayer by Achespè, chromolithograph, c. 1879. (3 x 4.5 inches).jpg, ''The Moench'', by

Helga von Cramm Baroness Helga von Cramm (1840–1919) was a German and Swiss painter, illustrator and graphic artist. Early life Baroness Helga von Cramm was the eldest child of Wolf Frederick Adolf von Cramm-Burchard (1812–1879) and his wife Hedwig (1 ...

, with prayer by Achespè, chromolithograph, c. 1879. (3 x 4.5 inches).

References

External links

Mönch on Summitpost

Mönch on Hikr
* - photos
Mönch from Kleine Scheidegg
Alpine four-thousanders Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Switzerland Bernese Alps Mountains of Valais Mountains of the canton of Bern Bern–Valais border Four-thousanders of Switzerland {{Berne-geo-stub

Gallery

See also

References

External links