The famous sketch of the child prodigy.

In his time, Felix Mendelssohn was regarded as an eloquent and cosmopolitan child prodigy. He studied poetry, classical philology and theology and caused a sensation with his compositions at the age of nine. As a pianist, he was known for his improvisation skills.

On one of his hikes, from Interlaken via the Lauterbrunnen Valley to Wengen, he was enchanted by the Jungfrau. On 21 August 1842, he spontaneously drew the historical sketch of the Jungfrau massif and Wengen at the present-day site of the Mendelssohn memorial. This sketch is the earliest uncoloured drawing of Wengen.