International Cricket Match on the Jungfraujoch

The Jungfraujoch, between the peaks of the Jungfrau and Mönch in Switzerland’s Bernese Alps, is home to Europe’s highest railway station (approx. 3,500 meters) and is therefore also known as the “Top of Europe“. In summer, trips to the associated viewing platform on the Jungfraujoch are a special treat, as on a clear day the view stretches far across the surrounding Alps and towns such as Grindelwald and Interlaken. With a spectacular sporting event, unique in this form, Jungfraubahn, the operator of the local cable cars, is now drumming up interest in holidays in the Bernese Oberland.

On August 15, the national teams of India and Great Britain will face each other in an international cricket match at an altitude of nearly 3,500 meters on the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland. This matchup is considered a classic in cricket, much like Germany versus Italy or England in football. For this reason, Urs Kessler, managing director of Jungfraubahn, is also expecting considerable interest from athletes, journalists and, of course, tourists. The international cricket match between India and Great Britain in the Bernese Oberland will cost Jungfraubahn around 80,000 Swiss francs (approx. 52,500 euros); accommodation for the cricket stars in the hotels in Interlaken and Grindelwald comes under expenses and must be added to these costs.

Kessler nevertheless believes that the event will pay off for the Jungfraujoch in any case. The managing director had very good results with similar PR campaigns before the 2008 European Football Championship in Austria and Switzerland, when several football stars were invited to Interlaken for a friendly match on the “Top of Europe“. The media and football officials described it at the time as a successful event worth emulating—a wish that Jungfraubahn is now happy to fulfill with the international cricket match between India and Great Britain.