Zermatt

A village at 1,620 metres at the head of the Mattertal, under the highest peaks in Switzerland, and the southernmost commune of the German-speaking world. Until the mid-nineteenth century it was mainly agricultural; the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865, and the deaths on the descent, set off a rush on the surrounding mountains and the building that followed. The year-round population is about 5,800, with many times that number of visitors at any moment; roughly half the jobs in town are in hotels or restaurants.