Above the Clouds, on Mount Pilatus, Switzerland

Above the Clouds, on Mount Pilatus, Switzerland

Categories
Special Collections > Keystone Slides
Type
tiff scanned file from original glass slide
Description
You might think that this is a picture of a fort overlooking a lake. The building is a hotel on top of Mt. Pilatus. And what appears to be water is clouds. You are looking on a strange world. It is the kind of sight that aviators (´ v-´ tr) get in mountainous country when high up in an aeroplane (´ r--pln). Mt. Pilatus is near Lake Lucerne (l-sûrn´). Its highest peak is 6,995 feet above sea level. It is possible to climb the mountain on foot, but it is a hard journey. Some of the paths to the top are not very safe. Most people now go up the mountain by the cogwheel railway. This railway is almost 3 miles long, and reaches a point over a mile above its beginning. It is a ride that travelers to Switzerland cannot miss. On top of the mountain the view is wonderful. Mt. Pilatus itself has 10 peaks, all rough and jagged. If the day is clear, the traveler can look out over peak after peak of the Alps. To the eastward lies beautiful Lake Lucerne. Due north a few miles is the city of Lucerne. Mt. Pilatus used to be called the Broken Mountain. This describes it better than the name it now bears. The mountain is formed of a kind of limestone. The Lake Lucerne district draws more visitors than any part of Switzerland. The lake is 1,500 feet above sea level, and the mountains above it are sights of changing beauty. To the Swiss it is very dear on account of William Tell, the Swiss hero. You will observe in the picture the way in which the roads and paths are cut into the peak. Note also the sharp sides of the neighboring peak. Locate Lake Lucerne on your map. What do you know about William Tell? Keystone ID: 10798 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.
Rights
Copyright by the Keystone View Company. The original slides are housed in McConnell Library's Special Collections.