Year-round destination Andermatt
In Andermatt, the Andermatt Reuss district with apartment buildings, hotels and villas has been under construction since 2009. The destination is planned, built and developed by Andermatt Swiss Alps AG based in Andermatt.
«During the journey from Göschenen to Andermatt you can see and feel the power of these rough and massive rocks. It’s a sight I’ll never forget,” says Samih Sawiris, Egyptian visionary and investor, on his first trip to Andermatt. During his visit in 2005, he was supposed to support the Uri government as an advisor in making Andermatt more attractive again after the withdrawal of the Swiss army. But he quickly decided to develop a tourism project for Andermatt himself.
High level of construction activity in recent years
This first visit to Andermatt is now 17 years ago. Andermatt is now in the middle of developing into a prime alpine destination. In the Andermatt Reuss district of the village, 15 apartment buildings were in operation at the beginning of the year, three under construction and several in the planning stage. In addition to the apartment buildings, there are two hotels: The Chedi Andermatt in the village center opened in 2013 and the Radisson Blu Hotel Reussen in 2018. The Gotthard Residences, apartments with hotel service, are connected to the Radisson Blu Hotel Reussen. In accordance with the sustainability principle of the Andermatt Swiss Alps, Andermatt Reuss is car-free, all houses are built to low-energy standards and the electricity comes from renewable sources.
How it all started
The vision for the tourist destination was presented to the population of the Ursern Valley at the end of 2005. In March 2007, the municipality of Andermatt approved with 96% yes votes. As a result, the Swiss army sold a majority of the areas used for military purposes. The Andermatt Reuss part of the village is now being built on this ground. International architectural competitions were announced for the apartment buildings and the design of the master plan.
As a unique project of this scope and because of its national importance, the Federal Council exempted it from the Lex Koller in 2007, which also approved the district design plan.
In addition to real estate and the hotel industry, the tourist offer in the Ursern Valley is also being expanded. At the same time, Andermatt Swiss Alps AG took over the ski area in order to expand and modernize it. Over the course of three years, lifts were renewed or newly created and a continuous network of 120 km of slopes up to Sedrun was realised. Together with Disentis there are even 180 kilometers of pistes.
Year-round destination Andermatt
New offers are also being created for the summer months. The Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course opened in 2015. This was awarded the globally recognized GEO certification. The 18-hole golf course was awarded Swisstainable Level III, leading by Switzerland Tourism. The cultural offer in Andermatt was supplemented in mid-2019 by the highest concert hall in the Alps. The Andermatt concert hall was designed by Studio Seilern Architects under the direction of Christina Seilern.
A further 20,000 m2 of the infrastructure base is currently being created in order to build the next houses and hotels. A total of 42 apartment buildings, 6 four- and five-star hotels and several villas are planned.
