Zermatt

Zermatt appears on maps as early as the 13th century under older names, Praborno or Prato Borno, "meadow" in Italian. Until the mid-19th century it was mainly a farming community at the head of the Matter valley, where the Matter Vispa rises from the Gorner and Zmutt glaciers below the highest peaks of the Alps.

Mid-19th-century British mountaineers "discovered" the village, above all Edward Whymper, whose ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 made it famous. The mountain was one of the last major Alpine peaks to be climbed, and the first expedition to reach the summit ended in tragedy: only three of the seven climbers survived the descent. A rush on the surrounding mountains followed, and with it hotels and other tourist facilities; an English church was founded in 1870. The Gornergrat railway began summer service in 1898, and in January 1902 Zermatt hosted the first ski course in Switzerland.

The 20th century built the lift system that now climbs both sides of the valley, with winter service on the Gornergrat line from 1928, the development of the Theodul area towards Italy from 1939, a cable car to Klein Matterhorn and, since July 2023, the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing linking Zermatt with Italy by cable car. Electric buses for skiers have run since 1988. Climate change is now the pressing issue: in August 2026 summer skiing on the glacier was temporarily suspended because of persistently high temperatures, a lack of night-time cooling, thunderstorms and deteriorating glacier conditions.

Zermatt belongs to the German-speaking Upper Valais, and the 2000 census found about three-quarters of residents Roman Catholic; the parish church stands at the centre of the village. Alongside it, the English Church, founded in 1870 and served by Anglican chaplains, recalls the British climbers who made the resort, and the story of the first ascent is told in the Matterhorn Museum.

The Matterhorn dominates everything, from the village's identity to its sport. Mountaineering and guiding, skiing and hiking are the town's culture as much as its business, and since 2002 the Zermatt Marathon has been run every July on mountain paths above the valley.

The car ban shapes the atmosphere: electric taxis, many operated by four long-established Zermatt families, electric buses and hotel shuttles move quietly along the streets, and horse-drawn carriages still work in the village. It is a cosmopolitan place, where just over a third of permanent residents were born in the town and another third moved there from outside Switzerland.

Zermatt had a population of about 5,850 in 2024, though there may be several times as many tourists in the village at any one time. Just under half of all apartments are holiday apartments, and the gap between residents and visitors is felt in housing and prices.

Tourism is almost the entire economy: about half of the jobs in the town are in hotels and restaurants, and in 2024 the lift company recorded turnover of more than 100 million francs for the first time. Guides, ski instructors, shopkeepers and transport workers make up much of the rest, and many staff arrive for the winter and summer seasons.

Life follows the seasons: the winter rush of skiers, the summer of hikers and climbers, and quiet spells in between when many lifts and businesses close. Three main streets along the Matter Vispa, with lanes leading off around the station and the church, make up the centre, while hamlets such as Winkelmatten climb the slopes. Receding glaciers and warmer summers are an everyday concern in a town whose fortune rests on snow and ice.

Zermatt eats the food of the Valais and of Swiss mountain culture. Fondue and raclette, two dishes of melted cheese eaten with bread or potatoes, are the convivial meals most associated with cold weather and winter sports, and restaurants across the village serve them. Fondue is usually made of several hard cheeses, such as Gruyère and Vacherin, melted with white wine and eaten hot from a pot over a small stove or candles. Both are dishes for special occasions rather than everyday staples.

Swiss cuisine leans heavily on milk, butter and cream, and the mountain restaurants on the slopes above the village serve skiers and hikers through both seasons. Wine is produced in many Swiss regions, particularly the Valais, where Chasselas, the most common white wine of French-speaking Switzerland, goes by the local name Fendant.

Supermarkets in the village offer the cheapest way to eat, and a picnic of cheese, bread and cured meat with a view of the Matterhorn is the classic hiker's lunch.