The history of the hotel

A wonderful place on Earth – at the heart of the Zermatt village. It was all made possible thanks to our parents Vinzenz und Josefine Abgottspon-Julen partly through inheritance, but mainly through the acquisition of land from 1974 to 1977.

The construction period took place in 1978, from May to December, and it took an organisation and work that is still unbelievable today to complete the house by the end of the same year. So the first guests were able to spend Christmas in what was then the ALLALIN.

The original idea for the design and furnishings were the unique and, to date, contemporary and authentic wood carvings: rich and high-quality craftsmanship, which can be seen throughout the house on ceilings, pillars and wall panelling. These are admirable and much admired elements that still give your holiday home its incomparable charm and a recognisable and perceptible 'personality', and that have always created a tangible sense of well-being.

The fact that all these works of art were created by our father and grandfather, Vinzenz Abgottspon, in years of preceding work, especially and individually by hand and with a lot of passion, makes them lasting and invaluable for us.

Since 2002, we as family descendants, the Josi and Christa Taugwalder-Abgottspon family, have had the privilege of running the house, together with our long-standing staff. Since then, this period has been marked by regular renovations and expansions, which have resulted in today's SWISS ALPINE HOTEL ALLALIN.

There is one more "rootedness" worth mentioning...

In 1865, the famous story of the first ascent of the Matterhorn took place with the mountain guides, father and son Taugwalder, direct ancestors of our family, who courageously, powerfully and full of faith in the possible, were part of the first successful rope team. The ascent and reaching the summit became a triumph!

Tragically, however, what happened immediately afterwards with the fatal fall of four of their mountain companions due to an accidentally broken rope and the subsequent incriminating court case and untenable accusations.

However, the strength of father and son Taugwalder, as well as their joy and passion for the mountains and nature, could not be dimmed or broken. This spirit should be our basis and model for originality and tradition, which our house tries to maintain with a consistent, now modern alpine style and furnishings.