Zermatt – celebrating 150 years

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

In 2015, the good folk of Zermatt have decided to have a ‘knees up’ to celebrate the 150th year jubilee of the first ascent of the now iconic Matterhorn.

In 2015, the good folk of Zermatt have decided to have a ‘knees up’ to celebrate the 150th year jubilee of the first ascent of the now iconic Matterhorn.

It was on July 14 in 1865 that the British climber Edward Whymper became the first person to conquer the Matterhorn. Of the seven members of his team who set off early that morning only three returned, four of his party fell to their deaths on the descent. Among the unfortunates was a certain Lord Francis Douglas who had royal blood coursing through his veins, the tragedy deeply upset the then British monarch, Queen Victoria. She was hell bent on issuing a ban on the endeavor and was adamant that no more English royal blood be wasted on the Matterhorn. Her protest provoked the opposite of her intention and only piqued the curiosity of other travelers and Alpinists. The flood gates opened and Victoria unwittingly became the instigator of an ever increasing number of visitors to Zermatt, thus starting the boom in the local tourist industry and putting Zermatt on the map.

A whole host of events, experiences, festivities and special offers are lined up for the Jubilee. The star attraction is the Hörnlihütte, which has been closed for renovation but will re-open in July 2015, The Hörnli hut is the focal point of activity at the foot of the Matterhorn and one of the key sites in the history of alpinism. Visitors from all over the world spend the night here before scaling the Matterhorn.

Zermatt’s first open air theatre will stage a theatrical performance with a high musical content about the first ascent. Spectators will experience what happened during that first ascent. A story of triumph, betrayal and death. The theatrical piece will be performed in English and German on the Riffelberg in Zermatt for four to six weeks in July and August 2015. Thomas Sterchi’s Tom Talent enterprise will be organising and carrying out the project. This is the same Thomas Sterchi who was instrumental in founding the Zermatt Unplugged music festival. It’s hoped that the performances will attract some 50% of the visitors who are in Zermatt at that time. In addition, it is hoped that those who will come specifically for the festival will increase visitor numbers by a further 50%. To this end, there are packages linked to arrivals, theatre visits, dinner and accommodation. If the performances really do draw in the crowds, there could be some 15,000 additional overnight stays.

There will be many more events and activities added to the programme as the anniversary approaches. It may have started with an Edward Whymper but 2015 is set to go out with a bang.

Dan Frith is a founding owner and Director of SkiBoutique.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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