Zermatt ( French: Praborgne) is a municipality in the district of Visp in the in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland.
It is located at the northern base of the Matterhorn in the Pennine Alps. It is only about 10 km from the border with Italy.
Zermatt has a permanent population of around 5,500 people, although the actual population varies considerably through the seasons as tourists come and go. The village is situated at the end of Mattertal, a north-facing valley, at an altitude of 1,620m (5,315ft). The valley is a dead end; although the border with Italy is close, it cannot be crossed by road, as it traverses a glacier at an altitude of over 3,000m. Zermatt is the starting point of the Patrouille des Glaciers and the Haute Route.
Mountaineering and ski resort. 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 language, the town is "Zur Matte", or "in the meadow."
The town was "discovered" mid-century by British mountaineers, most notably Edward Whymper, whose conquest of the Matterhorn made the village famous worldwide.
Traditionally, May heralds the beginning of the construction season, and this contributes towards May being possibly the worst time to visit, as, during this month only, large trucks are permitted to trundle through the town, turning all of the roads into rivers of mud.
There are several distinct "suburbs" within Zermatt, and the largest of these organise summer street parties, where the local shops, restaurants and bars contribute towards large 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 many hikes into the surrounding mountains, including the Haute Route that ultimately leads to Chamonix in France. A complex of cable cars and chair lifts carry skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer; the highest of them leads to the Klein Matterhorn at 3,883m, a small outcropping on the ridge between Breithorn 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 railway line (the Gornergratbahn, the highest open-air railway in Europe) runs up to the summit of the Gornergrat at 3,089m (10,134 ft). Zermatt is also the western terminus for the Glacier Express rail service connecting to St.Moritz and the MGB (Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn).
To prevent air pollution which could disfigure the town's lovely 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 vehicles (fire trucks, ambulances, etc.) are also allowed to use combustion engines.
Most visitors reach Zermatt by cog railway train or taxi from the nearby town of Tasch. Trains also depart for Zermatt from farther down the valley at Visp and Brig, which are on the main Swiss rail network.
There are various passenger vehicles operating within Zermatt, from 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, to "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 Winkelmatten.Horse-drawn carriages can also be found; some are operated by hotels and others are available for hire. The town also has a heliport and a local helicopter operator, Air Zermatt, which also provides alpine rescue services.
In 2007, a project group was formed to evaluate different options for further 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 different options explored are a coaster, a funicular, a metro, moving sidewalks, a gondola or more "electro" buses.
Zermatt is well known throughout the world for its great 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 distinct areas; Sunnegga, Gornergrat, Klein Matterhorn and Schwarzsee. There is also a connection to Cervinia and Valtournenche in Italy.
