The Jura Mountains are a sub-alpine mountain range tracing the French border to the northeast of Switzerland. Compared to well-known Swiss tourist hotspots, these multi-faceted low mountains are relatively obscure, even though there is much to discover.
It’s almost as if the Jura Mountains are caught in time, and while the rest of Switzerland is quite densely populated, there is plenty of unspoilt nature here. In spring, the Ajoie – Northeast Switzerland’s fruit garden – erupts in a colourful sea of blossoms, followed by summer in the picturesque Vallée de Joux, and the bitter winter months in the coldest part of Switzerland. We meet foxes and bats and visit one of Europe’s largest ant colonies. Even the lynx has rediscovered this part of its traditional home-range. And we find out why the Jura inspired the name of an entire epoch of Earth history.
The Jura region is rugged and charming all wrapped into one. The rough limestone rocks are densely forested while the mountain peaks are covered in colourful flower meadows. It’s dissected by Switzerland’s answer to the Grand Canyon, the Creux du Van – an imposing natural monument and a product of water, ice, and plenty of time.
The plateau of Franches-Montagnes is home to the ‘Freiberger’ horses – one of the oldest Swiss horse-breeds, dating back some 200 years. In the Jura region, they’re often seen grazing on green paddocks: the epitome of wild freedom and adventure in the heart of Switzerland.
Glossy images and immersive wildlife stories reveal the exceptional beauty of the Jura Mountains like never before.
The episode ‘Water and Ice’ takes us on an amazing journey from the highest peaks of the Bernese Highlands along the Aar and Rhine rivers to a spectacular finish at the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen.
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