Ice Palace, Ice cave attraction in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
The Ice Palace is a cave system carved into glacier ice at Jungfraujoch with passages and chambers that wind through the frozen rock. Throughout the caves, you see natural ice formations and hand-sculpted figures that catch the light in different ways.
The Ice Palace began in the 1930s when workers building mountain infrastructure found a natural cave system within the glacier. Since then, the cave has been steadily expanded to welcome visitors to its frozen chambers.
Swiss mountaineers maintain the Ice Palace tradition by creating new ice sculptures each season, demonstrating alpine craftsmanship passed through generations.
You can reach the Ice Palace by taking the Jungfraubahn railway, which runs regularly from the valley and brings you directly to the glacier. Walking through the cave is manageable for most people, though you should wear sturdy shoes and watch your step on the slippery ice surfaces.
The cave floor gets redesigned every year when workers carve new sculptures directly into the ice to refresh the space. This means each visit brings a different arrangement of artwork inside the frozen chambers.
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