Hammetschwand Elevator
Rising a dizzying 153 metres straight up into the air, Hammetschwand Lift is the highest exterior elevator in Europe.
Built into the rocky side of a cliff, the elevator shaft entrance is within the mountain, where it lifts passengers up through the mountain to burst out of the side of steep slope and continue its ascent to the very top. A small tower is affixed atop the elevator shaft, where a bridge walkway connects the structure to a lookout point at the edge of the mountain’s peak. Passengers often stand on the bridge itself, suspended as if in midair to view Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps that surround her.
When it was constructed in 1905, Hammetschwand Elevator was already the tallest of its kind in Europe. It received upgrades to the materials used in 1935, increasing its speed to 2.7 metres per second and becoming the fastest elevator in the world.
Built into the rocky side of a cliff, the elevator shaft entrance is within the mountain, where it lifts passengers up through the mountain to burst out of the side of steep slope and continue its ascent to the very top. A small tower is affixed atop the elevator shaft, where a bridge walkway connects the structure to a lookout point at the edge of the mountain’s peak. Passengers often stand on the bridge itself, suspended as if in midair to view Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps that surround her.
When it was constructed in 1905, Hammetschwand Elevator was already the tallest of its kind in Europe. It received upgrades to the materials used in 1935, increasing its speed to 2.7 metres per second and becoming the fastest elevator in the world.
