"It would be iconic" Valaisan wants to build 260-meter-high skyscraper on the Matterhorn
A hotelier from Zermatt wants to have a 260-metre-high skyscraper built near the Matterhorn to combat the housing shortage in the Valais village. He already owns the land for his project.
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- Zermatt is increasingly struggling with rising real estate prices and the housing shortage. A hotelier wants to remedy the situation with a skyscraper.
- Heinz Julen wants to build a tower 260 meters high near the Matterhorn to provide more living space.
- The hotelier has already acquired the right plot of land. Now he will be hunting for signatures for his project in the coming week.
Tourism is booming in Zermatt, property prices are rising and the housing shortage is becoming ever greater. The Valais village with just 6000 inhabitants is growing into a town of up to 40,000 people in winter. The logistical challenges are immense.
As the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper reports, one hotelier has an unusual idea to relieve the pressure on the popular tourist destination: he wants to build a 260-metre-high tower by the Matterhorn.
A tower by the beloved Matterhorn? According to Heinz Julen, "the location is perfect"
Heinz Julen is not only known in Zermatt as a hotelier, but also as an entrepreneur, artist and architect. He knows the housing problem in the village only too well - every year he desperately looks for accommodation for his employees. Property prices in the tourist hotspots have been skyrocketing since corona.
And high is also the right keyword with which Heinz Julen wants to help relieve the situation. The hotelier recently acquired a plot of land below the village and wants to create more living space by building a skyscraper there. The project is called "Lina Peak".
But won't such a tower spoil the idyllic picture around the beloved Matterhorn, where there is otherwise hardly any concrete to be seen? If Heinz Julen has his way, that is not the case.
The huge building would not disturb the view of the mountain in this location, he told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. What's more, compacted construction protects the soil. The free spirit says: "I really think this is a good idea. The location is perfect."
The skyscraper is to be 260 meters high and have 65 floors. It will probably cost around half a billion. The first half will be reserved for affordable housing, while the upper half will be put on the open market and cross-finance the whole thing.
Authorities are still keeping a low profile - collection of signatures starts next week
And what do the authorities say about the idea? They first want to evaluate how high the demand for living space actually is and will be. Only then will they comment on Heinz Julen's project. Experts consider the realization of the tower to be quite realistic.
Next week will play an important role. The hotelier is planning an information evening for the people of Zermatt and wants to collect 600 signatures in support of his project. "The tower is like a rock in the surf that takes pressure off the village. It makes sense," says Heinz Julen, completely convinced of his vision: "It would be iconic!"
