About ALPFOR

ALPFOR stands for «Alpine Research and Education Station Furka». ALPFOR is simultaneously the name of the station and of the non-profit association founded in 2005, which operates the station near the Furka Pass in the Swiss Central Alps.

Located at 2430 m a.s.l., in the municipality of Realp (Canton Uri) on the pass road from Uri to Valais (46° 34' 37" N, 8° 25' 18" E). ALPFOR began at the Furka with the rental and, subsequently, renovation of buildings from the former military barracks (2008–2019). Academically associated with the University of Basel, the Korporation Ursern (Andermatt) is the local partner. Since September 2019, ALPFOR owns the entire former compound of 12 buildings. ALPFOR has become a centre for research and education in alpine ecology (11 doctorates, 40 master's degrees by 2022; annual international graduate courses, international conferences). Located in the heart of the alpine zone, 250 m above the climatic tree line, embedded between crystalline (granite, gneiss) and carbonate (marl, shale) formations with nearby glaciers, the surroundings of ALPFOR are a biodiversity hotspot. Half of the Swiss alpine flora can be found around the station (305 species of flowering plants).