Zmutt
Origin of the name Zmutt
The name of the hamlet recurs in the Zmuttbach, the Zmutt glacier and the Zmutt ridge of the Matterhorn, but its meaning remains obscure.[5][6]
Founding of Zmutt
Zmutt lies at 1'930 m, south of the village of Zermatt, like Zum See and Furi. The hamlet was built mostly between about 1200 and 1600. Until the end of the Middle Ages it was an important stop on a mule track and trade route over the passes of the Valais Alps. In 1798 Zermatt still consisted of eleven inhabited hamlets. By the early 21st century most had merged into one large resort, but Zmutt stays apart, like Zum See and Furi to the south, Findeln to the south-east and Ried to the north.[1][2]
History of Zmutt
1212. The timber of a house in the hamlet is dated to this year by dendrochronology.[1]
15th century. Zmutt appears in written documents.[1]
1595. The «White House» next to the chapel reportedly dates from this year.[7]
1727. Date inscribed on the door of St Catherine's chapel, probably the year it was built.[7]
1961-1964. Construction of the Zmutt dam, a 74 m high arch that holds back the water of the Zmutt glacier and the Zmuttbach.[4]
2019. The Alts Zermatt association opens the Zermatt-Zmutt cultural trail (Kulturweg).[1]
2021. On 19 June the priest Stefan Roth blesses the second section of the trail, devoted to the hamlet itself.[1][8]
Historic sites in Zmutt
Old houses. Five late medieval dwellings and many barns form the core of the hamlet. The house of 1212 is its highlight. Buildings added later are of log construction.[1]
Kulturweg. The Zmutt section has 15 stations (14 according to another source) on building methods and the life of mountain farmers. It passes 13 historic houses, and an exhibition is housed in a barn. The municipality of Zermatt, the cultural and social foundation of the Burgergemeinde, the cantonal heritage department and Zermatt Tourismus supported it.[1][8]
Zmutt dam. Operated by Grande Dixence SA, the dam collects water that is pumped up to 2'400 m and then carried through tunnels to the Lac des Dix.[4]
St Catherine's chapel. Dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria, second patron saint of Valais, this Baroque chapel has a small bell turret over the entrance, a nave with a wooden ceiling and a stone-vaulted choir. On the small altar the saint holds the sword and broken wheel of her martyrdom, between two women bearing palms, beneath a Mater Dolorosa. The Stations of the Cross carry inscriptions in old-fashioned German.[7]
Remains in Zmutt
Old field terraces. Around Zmutt, former field terraces climb to about 2'000 m.[3]
Sources
- Alts Zermatt, « Eröffnung des zweiten Abschnitts des Kulturweg Zermatt » (zermatt.ch)
- Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (version allemande du Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse), « Zermatt » (Bernard Truffer, version du 13.02.2014)
- Alfred Lüthi, « Alpwüstungen im Gebiet von Zermatt », Geographica Helvetica, vol. 26, 1971, p. 58-61
- Zermatt Tourismus (zermatt.swiss), « Staumauer Zmutt »
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Cervin » (Alma Treyer, version du 29.01.2007)
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (Zmutt)
- Zermatt Tourismus (zermatt.swiss), « Chapelle de Mutt (Zmutt) »
- Alts Zermatt, « Zmutt Culture Trail opens » (zermatt.ch)
Other villages near Zmutt
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