Solvay hut at Matterhorn seen from Hörnlihütte

The Solvay Hut or Solvay Bivouac (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Solvayhütte'') is a

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization d ...

located on the north-eastern ridge (Hörnli Ridge) of the

Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...

, near

Zermatt Zermatt () is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a year-round population of about 5,800 and is classified as a town by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO). ...

in the canton of

Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...

. At it is the highest mountain hut owned by the

Swiss Alpine Club The Swiss Alpine Club (german: Schweizer Alpen-Club, french: Club Alpin Suisse, it, Club Alpino Svizzero, rm, Club Alpin Svizzer) is the largest mountaineering club in Switzerland. It was founded in 1863 in Olten and it is now composed of 111 s ...

, but can be used only in case of emergency. The

Hörnli Hut The Hörnli Hut ( German: ''Hörnlihütte'') is a mountain hut located at the foot of the north-eastern ridge (Hörnli Ridge) of the Matterhorn. It is situated at above sea level, a few kilometres south-west of the town of Zermatt in the canto ...

, lying 700 meters below on the same ridge, is the starting point of the normal route to the summit. The Solvay hut was built in 1917, 50 years after the

first ascent of the Matterhorn The first ascent of the Matterhorn was a mountaineering expedition made by Edward Whymper, Lord Francis Douglas, Charles Hudson, Douglas Hadow, Michel Croz, and two Zermatt guides, Peter Taugwalder and his son of the same name, on 14 July 1865. ...

which took place on the same ridge. It offers 10 beds and is equipped with a

radiotelephone A radiotelephone (or radiophone), abbreviated RT, is a radio communication system for conducting a conversation; radiotelephony means telephony by radio. It is in contrast to '' radiotelegraphy'', which is radio transmission of telegrams (mes ...

. The hut was named after

Ernest Solvay Ernest Gaston Joseph Solvay (; 16 April 1838 – 26 May 1922) was a Belgian chemist, industrialist and philanthropist. Born in Rebecq, he was prevented by his acute pleurisy from going to university. He worked in his uncle's chemical fac ...

, a Belgian chemist and industrialist who in 1904 donated 20,000 francs for its construction. The building materials for the hut were brought with a cable rising from the Hörnli Hut. It was rebuilt in 1966 and the emergency telephone was installed in 1976.''Solvey Hut, shelter for mountaineers - 4,003 meters above ground level''
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References

External links

Website (German)
{{coord, 45, 58, 43.5, N, 7, 39, 46.5, E, region:CH-VS_type:landmark, display=title Mountain huts in Switzerland Matterhorn Mountain huts in the Alps

See also

References

External links