Matterhorn Museum Zermatlantis

Zermatt, the mountain village with worldwide reputation, had a typically dusty museum that no longer met the public's taste. A vacant cube under ground, ideally located between the church and the Hotel Zermatterhof, offered a rare opportunity for the re-designed museum. We developed a fictional narrative in which the Zermatt undergoes the transition from backward mountain village to prime tourist resort. The result is a radically different museum: Visitors find themselves on an archaeological site. Some houses are already completely excavated, others only half. Each of the 14 houses represents a theme of the regional history. The village square is in the center. Around it you find the church, the parish house, a « museum » with original objects from the first ascent of the Matterhorn, the mountain guide's house, the first hotel etc. An alley leads to a cluster of farmhouses and stables. The highlight of the museum experience is the Matterhorn Show with the versatile and media-enhanced model of the iconic mountain itself.