Matterhorn

The Matterhorn is a mountain in the Alps. Most of it is in Switzerland. Only the southern side belongs to Italy. There, the mountain is called "Monte Cervino". The peak is 4478 metres high. The Matterhorn is considered the landmark of Switzerland.

The Matterhorn is particularly famous because of its triangular shape: It looks something like a pyramid, at least when you look at the Matterhorn from the Swiss town of Zermatt. Zermatt lies to the north of the mountain and attracts many holidaymakers.

Many of them also climb up, although it is quite dangerous. For this, the climbers need a lot of courage and experienced mountain guides. Such guides can secure the climbers in the steep rock. The mountain guide Richard Andenmatten from Zermatt holds a record: he has climbed up more than 850 times.

The ascent to the Hörnli Hut is not dangerous. It can be reached from Zermatt in four to five hours. You don't have to be a climber, just a good hiker. A cable car shortens the ascent by two hours. Many climbers spend the night in the Hörnli Hut and start from there to the summit in the early morning. Every summer there are around 3,000 climbers.