The Gornergrat (; ) is a rocky ridge of the
Pennine Alps
The Pennine Alps (, , , ), sometimes referred to as the Valais Alps (which are just the Northern Swiss part of the Pennine Alps), are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Italy (the Aosta Valley and Piedmont) an ...
, overlooking the
Gorner Glacier
The Gorner Glacier () is a valley glacier found on the west side of the Monte Rosa massif close to Zermatt in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is about long (2014) and wide. The entire glacial area of the glacier related to Gorner Glacier ...
south-east of
Zermatt
Zermatt (, ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Visp (district), Visp in the German language, German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a year-round population of about 5,800 and is cl ...
in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. It can be reached from Zermatt by the
Gornergrat rack railway (GGB), the highest open-air railway in Europe. Between the
Gornergrat railway station () and the summit is the
Kulm Hotel (). In the late 1960s two astronomical observatories were installed in the two towers of the Kulmhotel Gornergrat. The projec
“Stellarium Gornergrat”is hosted in the Gornergrat South Observatory.
Overview
It is located about three kilometers east of
Zermatt
Zermatt (, ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Visp (district), Visp in the German language, German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a year-round population of about 5,800 and is cl ...
in the Swiss canton of
Valais
Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...
. The Gornergrat is located between the
Gornergletscher and
Findelgletscher and offers panoramic views of 29 mountains above 4,000 m (13,123 ft), whose highest are
Dufourspitze
The Dufourspitze is the highest peak of Monte Rosa, an ice-covered mountain massif in the Alps. Dufourspitze is the List of mountains of Switzerland, highest mountain of both Switzerland and the Pennine Alps and is also the List of mountains of th ...
(in the large
Monte Rosa
Monte Rosa (; ; ; or ; ) is a mountain massif in the eastern part of the Pennine Alps, on the border between Italy (Piedmont and Aosta Valley) and Switzerland (Valais). The highest peak of the massif, amongst several peaks of over , is the D ...
massif),
Liskamm,
Matterhorn
The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...
,
Dom and
Weisshorn
The Weisshorn (German language, German, lit. ''white peak/mountain'') is a major mountain, peak of Switzerland and the Alps, culminating at above sea level. It is part of the Pennine Alps and is located between the valleys of Anniviers and Mat ...
.
This is the last stop of the
Gornergrat train, opened in 1898, which climbs almost through
Riffelalp and
Riffelberg. At the terminus on the south-western tip of the ridge is a hotel. The station forms part of the Zermatt ski area. From 1958 to 2007 there was a cable car from Gornergrat over the
Hohtälli
The Hohtälli is a mountain of the Swiss Pennine Alps, located southeast of Zermatt in the canton of Valais. It lies on the range that separates the Findel Glacier from the Gorner Glacier, between the Gornergrat
The Gornergrat (; ) is a roc ...
() to the
Stockhorn () which, until the construction of the
Klein Matterhorn
The Klein Matterhorn (sometimes translated as ''Little Matterhorn'') is a peak of the Pennine Alps, overlooking Zermatt in the Swiss canton of Valais. At above sea level, it is the highest place in Europe that can be reached by aerial tramway o ...
cable car, was the highest mountain station in Zermatt.
At the west side of the Gorner Ridge, nearby the
Rotenboden railway station is the peak
Riffelhorn ().
Observatory
The observatory at the summit of Gornergrat was built on top of the Kulmhotel Gornergrat in the late 1960' and is most notably equipped with a 600 mm telescope built by
Officina Stellare.
It was the location of the
Gornergrat Infrared Telescope (North tower; until 2005) and of
KOSMA (South tower; until 2010).
See also
*
Gornergratbahn
*
Riffelalptram
*
List of mountains of Switzerland accessible by public transport
This is a list of mountains of Switzerland above 800 metres whose summits are accessible by public transport. This list includes mountains with a topographic prominence of at least 30 metres that have a station above the height of their key col an ...
References
External links
Mountains of Valais
Mountains of the Alps
Alpine three-thousanders
Tourist attractions in Switzerland
Articles containing video clips
Mountains of Switzerland
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