11. Hinter Dorf area has old farm buildings built of logs that visitors can’t help but notice. This place is the oldest surviving village center and some of the buildings are over 300 years old. These fascinating Valais log buildings with their sun-beaten wooden walls made of larch wood were mainly put to agricultural use. There were barns where people would thresh the grain, and storehouses where they would dry their meat, slaughter their animals and store their treasures from the land away in chests. And there were buildings, known as Gadi, where the cattle were housed on the bottom floor and the hay stored on the top. These barns and storehouses mainly stood on stilts with round stone slabs on top to prevent rodents and insects from entering. The roofs on these typical Valais-style buildings were covered with shingles and flat stone slabs. There are about 50,000 of these agricultural buildings till in existence. The ancestors of the people of Zermatt, the Walsers, who settled the valley were skilled builders. They appreciated the advantages of using larch wood. The larch is a kind of symbol of Valais as some 29 percent of its trees are larches. The larch is the heaviest and hardest of the indigenous conifers. The wood is highly resinous, which repels vermin, and its core substances make it extremely durable. It has good strength and elasticity properties and is weather resistant. At Hinter Dorf, visitors love looking at these antique looking houses and taking beautiful pictures with touch of present and past. During summer, the green pastures and flowers blooming around the area add beautiful color to the old houses and during winter the snows cover the roofs allowing to give a fairy tale like taste attracting many visitors.
12. 5-Seenweg or Five Lakes Walk is a hike that allows visitors to experience all faces and colors of Zermatt. This trail is very popular because it takes hikers through lakes of Stellisee, Grindjisee, Grunsee, Moosjisee and Leisee taking visitors through different terms of shapes, colors, characters and sizes with its own special attractions. The trail is full of variety. The Leisee is good for swimming and children absolutely love it. The Grunsee looks out over a rather more rugged landscape, where Swiss stone pines nevertheless manage to grow among the scree and sand. The shores of the Grindjisee are home to rare flowers and so on each one promising a unique experience. The reflection of the Matterhorn is absolutely breath taking at Stellisee and Grindjisee lake, and at Leisee and Grunsee, hikers can either dip their feet in the crystal clear water or swim in the beautiful lake with the views of the surrounding alpine mountains. Leisee is perfect place for having a picnic or barbecue with the view of the Matterhorn. If you like hiking and want to experience the beauty of alpine lakes, this is the hike you just can’t miss.
