Mürren Facts for Kids

Mürren

Mürren is a traditional mountain village in the Bernese Highlands of Switzerland. It sits high up at 1,638 meters (about 5,374 feet) above sea level. You cannot reach Mürren by public road. It is a very popular spot for tourists, especially in summer and winter. The village offers amazing views of three huge mountains: Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Mürren has about 450 people living there all year, but it has 2,000 hotel beds for visitors. The village also has its own school and two churches.

History of Mürren
Getting Around Mürren
Fun Things to Do in Mürren
Hotels in Mürren
Special Events in Mürren
See also

History of Mürren

Mürren around 1875, with the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains in the background.

Mürren was first mentioned in the year 1257. It was called Mons Murren, which means Mount Murren. It was likely a place where animals grazed in the mountains. Later, people from Lötschental settled there after 1300.

The first hotel in Mürren was built in 1857. Before 1891, visitors could only reach Mürren by riding on mules. Even so, the village quickly became a popular resort. By 1888, it already had 310 hotel beds. Before World War I, most tourists coming to Mürren were from Britain. An Anglican church was built for them in 1878.

Donald Clive Anderson skiing in Mürren, Winter 1920/1921.

Winter sports became very important in Mürren. The first British winter tourists arrived in 1911. During the First World War, wounded prisoners of war stayed here. They helped to develop winter sports in the area. In 1924, the Kandahar Ski Club was started by Sir Arnold Lunn and eight other British skiers. The club is named after the Roberts of Kandahar Challenge Cup. This cup is the world's oldest challenge cup for downhill ski-racing. It was given by Lord Roberts.

Getting Around Mürren

The cable car to Schilthorn.

Mürren is connected to other places by different types of transport. Mürren station is the end point of the Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren. This system uses a cable car and a small narrow gauge railway to connect Mürren to Lauterbrunnen.

There is also a series of four cable cars called the Luftseilbahn Stechelberg-Mürren-Schilthorn (LSMS). These cable cars take people from Mürren down to Gimmelwald and Stechelberg. They also go uphill to the top of the Schilthorn mountain. At the top of the Schilthorn is a revolving restaurant called Piz Gloria. The Mürren station for these cable cars is about 800 meters (about half a mile) from the railway station.

The Schilthorn was a main filming spot for the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. This movie came out in 1969. In the film, the spy James Bond (George Lazenby) escapes from the villain's headquarters. He flees with his girlfriend Tracy (Diana Rigg) in a car.

Mürren also has the Allmendhubelbahn, which is a funicular. A funicular is a type of railway that uses a cable to pull cars up and down a steep slope.

Mürren Railway Station in winter.

Fun Things to Do in Mürren

Mürren has 52 kilometers (32 miles) of ski runs. There are 14 ski lifts to take skiers up the mountain. These include cable cars, chair lifts, railways, and drag lifts. You can also ski off the marked trails, but it's best to have a guide for safety.

In the village, there is a large sports center. It has a 25-meter swimming pool and a sports hall. There's also a fitness room, a café, and an information center. Mürren has a big ice skating rink. Sometimes, it is used for curling competitions. There is also a special curling rink. In the summer, this rink becomes a tennis court. The ice rink turns into a mini-golf course during the summer months. There are also tennis courts near the sports chalet. At 1,650 meters (about 5,413 feet) above sea level, these are some of the highest tennis courts in the world!

Hotels in Mürren

Mürren has many hotels for visitors. Some of them include the Hotel Alpenblick, Hotel Alpenruh, Alpina, Hotel Bellevue, Hotel Blumental, Hotel Edelweiss, Hotel Eiger, Eiger Guesthouse, Hotel Jungfrau, Hotel Regina, and Sportschalet.

Special Events in Mürren

The Inferno Race started in 1928 and is still held today. This race is a mix of cross-country, giant slalom, and downhill skiing. It is the longest (15.8 km or 9.8 miles) and largest amateur ski race in the world. Up to 1,800 people can take part. The race happens every January. The fastest skiers can finish the 15.8 km course from the Schilthorn to Lauterbrunnen in just 15 minutes!