The Harder funicular navigates 755 meters in altitude in eight minutes and carries passengers from Interlaken Ost to the Harder Kulm – Top of Interlaken. The journey itself is an experience, with ever-changing views from the panoramic carriages. Once on Interlaken's home mountain, guests can enjoy breathtaking views of Lake Brienz and Lake Thun from the Two-lakes Lookout Point as well as views of the famous mountains Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. A varied gastronomic offering in the Harder Kulm restaurant completes the experience.
The concession to build the electric funicular from Interlaken Ost to the Harder Kulm was granted by the Federal Council in 1890. It took 15 years to find a main sponsor and an engineer to realise the project. Both were found in Lausanne, which is why, for example, the advertising and the annual report were still in French for a long time. Work began 1905 and 1907 the 1447-metre-long track, with a gradient of up to 640 per mille, reached the summit. However, as it was still necessary to construct ancillary buildings and protective structures, the funicular as well as the restaurant on top were only opened in mid-May 1908. For reasons of landscape protection, the track was not laid in a straight line but almost describes a quadrant. This means, that the tracks of the Harder funicular are scarcely visible to people in Interlaken looking up.
For the 100-year anniversary in 2008, both original carriages of 1966 were replaced. Today's observation carriages provide you with a breathtaking view of both lakes and the mountain landscape during the trip.
