History of the Zermatt municipality
Zermatt's history stretches back to the 13th century. Since then, the village has been temporarily ruled by the Bishop of Sion, divided into three municipalities and annexed with France.
Matterhorn: First ascent in 1865
The Matterhorn was long considered too difficult to climb. On 14 July 1865, the British climber Edward Whymper reached the top together with three mountain guides and three English. Only three people survived the descent.
English Church in Zermatt - since 1870
The Anglican Church of St. Peter celebrated its 140th anniversary on the 26th June 2010. For Zermatt, it is more than just a church: it is part of the history of Zermatt and the tradition of alpinism, hospitality and openness to the world.
First Ladies: The first women to climb the Matterhorn
As with the first man, the ascent of the Matterhorn by the first woman was considered to be a milestone in Alpine history. At the time, the two most likely contenders were Meta Brevoort from the USA and Lucy Walker from the UK. The two women Alpinists met in Zermatt in the summer of 1871, just after young Lucy had won the race to the peak.
Matterhorn railway project: Some ideas never see the light of day
A comfortable way of travelling to the top of the Matterhorn – that was the idea behind a project conceived at the end of the 19th century. Heritage conservationists, however, saw to it that the project never left the drawing board. In his book "Visionäre Bahnprojekte" (Visionary railway projects), Heinz Schild describes railway projects conceived in the turbulent times at the turn of the last century.
1891: Dedication Visp-Zermatt railway line
In 1891, the first guests travelled to the Matterhorn village using the new railroad line.
Gornergrat Bahn – since 1898
The GGB Gornergrat Bahn started operations on the 20th August 1898 – the first electric rack railway in Switzerland and the second in the world. A tourist attraction of the Extra class was created thanks to innovative pioneering spirit: The Gornergrat Bahn was the first railway in Europe to run at an altitude of more than 3,000 metres above sea level.