Zermatt is a
municipalityCommunes are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,636 as of 2009. While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of
VispThe District of Visp is a district in the Canton of Valais in southern Switzerland. It consists of the following municipalities:...
in the
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
-speaking section of the
cantonThe 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of
ValaisThe Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
.
It is located at the northern base of the
MatterhornThe Matterhorn , Cervino or Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps. With its high summit, lying on the border between Switzerland and Italy, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps and its north face is one of the Great north faces of the Alps...
in the
Pennine AlpsThe Pennine Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland and Italy...
, about from the border with
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
.
Zermatt has a permanent population of around 5,800 people, although the actual population varies considerably through the seasons as
touristsTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
come and go. The village is situated at the end of
MattertalThe Matter Valley is located in southwestern Switzerland, south of the Rhone valley in the canton of Valais. The village of Zermatt is the most important settlement of the valley, which is surrounded by many four-thousanders, including the Matterhorn.-Geography:Located in the Pennine Alps, the...
, a north-facing valley, at an altitude of . The valley is a dead end; although the border with Italy is close, it cannot be crossed by road, as it traverses a
glacierA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
at an altitude of over . Zermatt is the starting point of the
Patrouille des GlaciersThe Patrouille des Glaciers is a ski mountaineering race organized every two years by the Swiss Army, competed by teams of military and civil people...
and the
Haute RouteThe Haute Route, is the name given to a route undertaken on foot or by ski touring between Chamonix, France and Zermatt, Switzerland....
.
Tourism
Zermatt is famed as a
mountaineeringMountaineering is the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, backpacking and climbing mountains. In Europe it is also referred to as alpinism, while in the Americas the term refers to a particular style of mountain climbing, that involves a mixture of ice climbing, rock climbing, mixed...
and
ski resortA ski area is a developed recreational facility, usually on a mountain or large hill, containing ski trails and vital supporting services. It is common for a ski area to have food, rental equipment, parking facilities and a ski lift system catering to the sports of skiing and snowboarding...
. Until the mid-19th century, it was predominantly an agricultural community — its name, as well as that of the Matterhorn itself, derives from the alpine meadows, or
matten, in the valley. In the
German languageGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
, the town is "Zur Matte", or "in the meadow."
The town was "discovered" mid-century by British mountaineers, most notably
Edward WhymperEdward Whymper , was a British illustrator, climber and explorer best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865...
, whose conquest of the Matterhorn made the village famous.
There are several "suburbs" within Zermatt, and the largest of these organise summer street parties, where the local shops, restaurants and bars contribute towards communal events. Notable parties include the Steinmatte (held in late August, last in 2007), and the Winkelmatten (held in September, takes place every other year). Winkelmatten itself was once a separate small hamlet, but as Zermatt has grown it has become incorporated within the greater conurbation.
Zermatt is a starting point for hikes into the mountains, including the Haute Route that leads to
ChamonixChamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics...
in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
cable carAn aerial tramway or cable car is a type of aerial lift in which a cabin or other conveyance is suspended from a fixed cable and is pulled by another cable....
s and chair lifts carry skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer; the highest of them leads to the
Klein MatterhornThe Klein Matterhorn is the highest point in the Zermatt-Cervinia ski area in Switzerland, and the end point of the highest cable car in Europe...
at 3,883m, a peak on the ridge between
BreithornThe Breithorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, located close to the Matterhorn. It is considered the most easily climbed 4,000 m Alpine peak. This is due to the Klein Matterhorn cable car which takes climbers to over 3,820 m for a starting point. The standard route continues over a glacial...
and Matterhorn that offers spectacular views in all directions. It is possible to cross into Italy via the Cervinia cable car station. A spectacular
rack railwayA cog railway, pens and rails railway, rack-and-pinion railway or rack railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
line (the
GornergratbahnThe Gornergratbahn is a 9 km long gauge mountain rack railway, with Abt rack system. It leads from Zermatt, Switzerland , up to the Gornergrat . The Gornergrat is a starting point for many hikes, as it lies surrounded by 29 peaks rising above in the Alps and several glaciers, including the Gorner...
, the highest open-air railway in Europe) runs up to the summit of the
GornergratThe Gornergrat is a ridge of the Pennine Alps, Switzerland, overlooking the Gorner Glacier to the south. It can be reached by the Gornergratbahn rack railway from Zermatt...
at 3,089m (10,134 ft). Zermatt is also the western terminus for the
Glacier ExpressThe Glacier Express is an express train which connects the two major mountain resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps using different railroad lines, belonging to the two cooperating companies of Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and RhB...
rail service connecting to
St. MoritzSt. Moritz is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
and the MGB (
Matterhorn-Gotthard-BahnThe Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn is a narrow gauge railway in Switzerland. The track width is . It was created in 2003 through an amalgamation of Furka-Oberalp-Bahn and BVZ Zermatt-Bahn . The names comes from the Matterhorn and St...
).
Transport
To prevent
air pollutionAir pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural environment, into the atmosphere....
which could obscure the town's view of the Matterhorn, the entire town is a combustion-engine car-free zone. Electric vehicles are allowed for local commerces. The Cantonal police can issue a permit which allows residents to drive and park at the northern outskirts. Some emergency (fire trucks, ambulances, etc.) and municipal (buses, garbage trucks, etc) are also allowed to use combustion engines.
Most visitors reach Zermatt by
cog railwayA cog railway, pens and rails railway, rack-and-pinion railway or rack railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
trainA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway....
or
taxiA taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire, with a driver, for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
from the nearby town of
TäschTäsch is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is located about 5 km north of Zermatt. The local language is Swiss German....
. Trains also depart for Zermatt from farther down the valley at
VispVisp is the capital of the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.Its population is around 6,700.The two valleys are Mattertal and Saastal. It borders with Brig-Glis....
and
BrigBrig-Glis is a municipality in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.It was formed in 1973 by the merger of the former municipalities Brig, Glis and Brigerbad....
, which are on the main Swiss rail network.
Passenger vehicles operating within Zermatt include tiny electric shuttles provided by hotels to carry visitors from the main train station (or the taxi transfer point just outside town) to the hotel properties, "electro" taxis operated by four major Zermatt families, and "electro" buses, which serve two routes: one between the major hotel areas and the stations of the various ski-lifts, and the other following a similar route but also serving the more rural "suburb" of
WinkelmattenWinkelmatten is a suburb of Zermatt, Switzerland. It was once a separate small hamlet, but as Zermatt has grown it has become incorporated within the greater conurbation....
. Horse-drawn carriages can also be found; some are operated by hotels and others are available for hire. The town also has a
heliportA heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
(
ICAOThe International Civil Aviation Organization , a major agency of the United Nations, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
: LSEZ) and a local helicopter operator,
Air Zermatt, which also provides alpine rescue services.
In 2007, a project group was formed to evaluate options for development of the local transportation network (as the "electro" buses do not have enough capacity). The results of this study are published in the December 2007 edition of
Zermatt Inside. The six options explored are a coaster, a funicular, a metro, moving sidewalks, a gondola or more "electro" buses.
Skiing
Zermatt is known throughout the world for its skiing, especially Triftji for its moguls. The high altitude results in consistent skiing continuously up until the summer.
Skiing in Zermatt is split up into four areas; Sunnegga, Gornergrat, Klein Matterhorn and Schwarzsee. There is also a connection to
CerviniaCervinia is an alpine resort in the Valle d'Aosta region of northwest Italy. It is a frazione of the comune of Valtournenche.-Geography:...
and
ValtournencheValtournenche is a town and comune in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy.
- Notable people :* Jean-Antoine Carrel , mountain climber* Luigi Carrel , mountain climber
...
in Italy.
Trail Map 2007/08.
In 2008, Zermatt hosted an 'Infinity
DownhillThe downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
Race'. The race took place on the 13th and 14th December and comprised a course descending from the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (3800m (12'500ft)) and finished in Zermatt itself (1600m (5'200ft)). The course was 20km long and featured a 2'200m descent.
Sunnegga
The Sunnegga Paradise is accessed via a funicular railway, followed by a gondola to Blauherd and finally a cable car onwards to the Rothorn (3,103m) above. The topography of the mountain and the valley tends to keep the Rothorn clear and sunny, even when Zermatt is submerged in cloud.
From Blauherd there is a gondola down to Gant, and from there a connecting cablecar goes to Hohtälli. This cable car and the newer 4-seat chairlift Sunnegga-Findeln-Breitboden provide connections between Sunnegga and Gornergrat. With few steep slopes, this mountain is often used to train younger skiers.
Gornergrat
The
GornergratThe Gornergrat is a ridge of the Pennine Alps, Switzerland, overlooking the Gorner Glacier to the south. It can be reached by the Gornergratbahn rack railway from Zermatt...
is served by the
GornergratbahnThe Gornergratbahn is a 9 km long gauge mountain rack railway, with Abt rack system. It leads from Zermatt, Switzerland , up to the Gornergrat . The Gornergrat is a starting point for many hikes, as it lies surrounded by 29 peaks rising above in the Alps and several glaciers, including the Gorner...
railway, a 29 minute ride to the Gornergrat peak (3,089m), via Riffelalp, Rotenboden and Riffelberg, (with limited stops at Findelbach and Landtunnel just above the town). At the summit, the hotel and restaurant have been refurbished and accommodate a shopping center.
A cable car heads up from
HohtälliThe Hohtälli is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. Located to the Southeast of the town of Zermatt, the mountain features several ski runs leading down the mountain.-External links:*...
to the
Rote NaseThe Rote Nase is a mountain in the Pennine Alps. It is located to the Southeast of the town of Zermatt, and features several ungroomed ski runs leading down the mountain. The summit can be accessed using either a T-bar lift running up from lower down the mountain or a cable car running from...
(3,247m). This final lift serves a freeride area but can be unreliable as this mountainside requires high snow cover to be skiable. The lifts in this area generally open for the season in late February or early March, depending upon the snowfall. In 2008 a new T-bar tow re-opened access to the
StockhornThe Stockhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps. It is located to the Southeast of the town of Zermatt, and features several ungroomed ski runs....
.
The old Hohtälli to Gornergrat cablecar is now permanently closed, with no replacement lift planned. A new slope leading back from Hohtälli to Kellensee just under the Gornergrat replaced this lift to maintain the link from the Rothorn to Gornergrat.
Klein Matterhorn / Schwarzsee
Near the southern end of Zermatt, the Matterhorn Express gondola transports passengers up to the interchange station at Furi. From here there is access to the
SchwarzseeSchwarzsee is a lake at Zermatt in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is located below Matterhorn at an elevation of 2552 m....
via a gondola to the right, a cable car that leads on to the Trockener Steg midstation (and then on to the
Klein MatterhornThe Klein Matterhorn is the highest point in the Zermatt-Cervinia ski area in Switzerland, and the end point of the highest cable car in Europe...
), and a new gondola, opened on the 18 December 2006, links Furi to Riffelberg on the Gornergrat mountain. This lift addresses one of the most persistent criticisms of Zermatt: that it is very difficult to ski the two sides of the valley without a tiresome trek through the village between the Gornergratbahn and the Matterhorn Express at opposite ends of the town.
Testa Grigia at the top of the Theodulpass serves as a connection to the Italian ski-resorts of Cervinia and Valtournenche. From the Swiss side it is only reachable by skilift, but from the Italian side by a chairlift and by a cablecar. There are customs offices here as well as a small alpine museum.
Zermatt is marketed as an all year skiing resort, with summer skiing limited to the Theodulgletscher behind the Klein Matterhorn. Whilst strictly true, during the off season in May and June there will only tend to be one or two runs open, and the main glacier area does not open until July.
In operation since 25 October 2003, the Furggsattel six-seater chairlift has twelve (of eighteen) masts that stand directly on the glacial ice of the Theodulgletscher - a first for Switzerland. It is one of very few lifts worldwide with bottom- and top-station in different countries, respectively Switzerland and Italy.
History of the lift system
- 1898 Start of summer operation of Gornergratbahn.
- 1928 Gornergratbahn introduces a twice daily winter sports service to Riffelalp.
- 1939 Development of Theodul area from Breuil Cervinia to Testa Grigia.
- 1942 Zermatt-Sunnegga skilift (summer: foot lift, replaced by chairlift in 1967).
- 1946 Weisti trainer skilift (moved to Riffelberg in 1969). Zermatt-Sunnegga sideways facing chairlift (replaced by funicular in 1980).
- 1947 Sunnegga-Blauherd skilift (replaced by cable car in 1967).
- 1955 Cableway Plan Maison-Furgghorn (discontinued 1992).
- 1956 Suspension lift Gornergrat-Hohtälli (due to be discontinued in the summer of 2007). Skilift Riffelberg (replaced by chairlift 2003). Skilift Furi (discontinued 1960). Chairlift Findeln-Sunegga (due to be replaced in the summer of 2007).
- 1957 Suspension lift Zermatt-Furi.
- 1958 Suspension lift Hohtälli-Stockhorn (due to be discontinued in the summer of 2007). Furi-Schwarzsee suspension lift (replaced by cable car lift 2002).
- 1960 Skilift Garten (discontinued 2003).
- 1962 Suspension lift Furgg-Schwarzsee (replaced by group turnaround lift in 1991).
- 1963 Skilift Hornli.
- 1964 Suspension lift Furi-Furgg (replaced by Matterhorn Express in 2002). Theodullift (replaced by extension of Gandegglift 2003). Skilift Triftji-RoteNase
- 1965 Furgg-Trockener Steg suspension lift. Skilift National (replaced by chairlift Patrullarve 1989).
- 1967 Cable car lift Sunnegga-Blauherd (replaced by combi system in 2005). Suspension lift Blauherd-Rothorn (replaced in 1996). Skilift Furgsattel (replaced by chairlift in 2003). Skilift Eisfluh (replaced by chairlift 2001). Passlift (replaced by extension to Gandegglift 2003).
- 1968 Platform skilift Kumme (replaced by chairlift 1982). Skilift Gandegg (extended and renewed in 2003).
- 1971 Cablecar Gant-Blauherd. Skilift Gant-Platte (discontinued 2002). Skilift Riffelberg-Gifthittli (replaced by chairlift 2003). Skilift Test Grigia 1.
- 1979 Suspensionlift Trockener Steg-Klein Matterhorn.
- 1980 Funicular Zermatt-Sunnegga. Skilift Testa Grigia 2 (moved to Plateau Rosa 3 2005). Border skilift (Gobba di Rollin
Gobba di Rollin is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy. It is the highest point of the ski area Matterhorn Glacier Paradise above Zermatt. The north side is almost flat and can be reached easily from the Klein Matterhorn station .-External links:*...
). Skilift Plateau Rosa 1.
- 1982 Suspension lift Furi-Trockener Steg. Cable car Zermatt-Furi. Chairlift Kumme-Rothorn.
- 1984 Joint skipass in Zermatt.
- 1986 Suspension lift Hohtälli-Rote Nase.
- 1989 Chairlift Patrullarve-Blauherd.
- 1991 Chairlift Furgg-Sandiger Boden-Theodul Glacier. Skilift Plateau Rosa 2. Group turnaround lift Furgg-Schwazsee.
- 1995 Joint skipass Zermatt-Cervinia.
- 1996 Suspension lift Blauherd-Rothorn.
- 1998 Suspension lift Gant-Hohtälli.
- 1999 Electronic ticketing system introduced.
- 2001 Chairlift Eisfluh-Sunnegga.
- 2002 Merger of Zermatt Bergbahnen. Cable car lifts Matterhorn Express (Zermatt-Furi-Schwarzsee).
- 2003 Chairlift Furgsattel Gletcherbahn. Chairlift Gifthittli.
- 2005 Combi system (car/chair) Sunnegga-Blauherd. Passenger lift funicular-Riedweg.
- 2006 Suspension lift Furi-Schweigmatten-Riffelberg.
- 2007 End of operations of the Gornergrat - Hohtälli tram, replaced by a red slope Hohtälli - Kellensee.
- 2007 End of operations of the Hohtälli - Stockhorn tram, replaced by a surface lift in 2008.
- 2007 Clearing of the skitunnel at Riffelberg, increasing the capacity of this slope.
- 2007 4-seat chairlift Sunnegga-Findeln-Breitboden.
Developments
The Zermatt Bergbahnen's website mentions a few projects for the following years:
- 2009 Extension of the Matterhorn Express from Schwarzsee to Trockener Steg.
- 2010 Chairlift at Garten (Furgg), replacing an old surface lift.
- 2011 Cable car Testa Grigia-Klein Matterhorn.
As well as several changes to the slopes, and the placement of new snowmaking installations.
See also
- Matterhorn Museum
The Matterhorn Museum in Zermatt is a cultural-natural museum whose main theme is the Matterhorn. The museum is in the form of a reconstituted mountain village consisting of 14 houses , and relates the history and development of tourism in the Zermatt area, including the story of the first ascent...
- List of ski areas and resorts in Switzerland
- Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position with the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
External links