Not only does Zermatt feature the Matterhorn – one of the most iconic mountains in the world – but now you can include a visit to the largest igloo in the world on a visit to the resort.
The final brick goes into place
New World Record
The Guinness Book of World Records has confirmed that the new igloo, with its 11m high ceiling is officially the largest ever.
It takes the record from the previous holder in Grand Falls, Canada, which was a paltry 5.3m high and used 2500 ice blocks.
The early stages of construction
1700 ice bricks and 11 days
The Zermatt igloo was constructed by the team at Iglu Dorf in Zermatt. It took 1700 ice bricks and two teams of 5 people to build the igloo over an 11 day period.
The weather didn’t always play ball – as you can see from the video below – but the work was completed by working day and night and took around 2000 man hours.
Sponsored by Volvo
The construction was sponsored by Volvo and the igloo now is home to a Volvo XC 90, which was flown in by helicopter and then driven inside through a specially created access tunnel.
It is now also the highest car showroom in the world!
The Volvo being helicoptered in
Precisely-sized ice blocks
Working at an altitude of 2700m, temperatures dropped as low as -24C during the construction process.
In some respects this helped as piste-bashers were used to gather and pack snow, which was then cut up into precisely-sized blocks using chain-saws.
Open to visitors
The igloo is open to visitors on a daily basis from 10am to 5pm each day.
Iglu Dorf also has a bar and restaurant that is open to the public. You can even stay there in their many themed rooms. It’s located at Rotenboden, accessed via the Gornergrat railway.
Accommodation in Zermatt
Of course, if you are really looking for accommodation in Zermatt, we think you’d be much more comfortable back at resort level with us at Matterhorn Chalets – you can still visit the igloo during the day!
Article by Iain Martin
