Monte Rosa

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The Dufour peak in the Pennine Alps, 4,634 meters above sea level. M. the highest peak in Switzerland and the entire German-speaking world and one of the Seven Second Summits.

The mountain summit is part of the Monte Rosa massif on the border with Italy. The mountain peak is around 160 m away from the state border on Swiss territory. The entire mountain range is usually considered Italian -Swiss border mountain, so that the role of the highest mountain which lies entirely on Swiss territory, the Cathedral ( also in the Valais Alps ) belongs.

Originally this was called summit in Switzerland " Gornerhorn " ( = strong or big mountain) and in Italy " Highest Peak ". Only the topography of the 19th century has shown that Gornerhorn and highest peak were identical. In 1863 it was renamed by the Federal Council in honor of the Swiss general and cartographer Guillaume -Henri Dufour ( 1787-1875 ). Dufour was editor of the first accurate maps work in Switzerland, named after him Dufour map. The previous name Gornerhorn comes from the Walser.

The first ascent took place by a run by Charles Hudson roped on 1 August 1855. Other participants in the rope team were John Birkbeck, Edward J. W. Stephenson and the brothers Christopher and James G. Smyth. The mountain guide John and Matthew Zumtaugwald from Zermatt and Ulrich Lauener from Lauterbrunnen paved the English way. Charles Hudson crashed ten years later at the first ascent of the Matterhorn in descent from fatal.

The classic route over the east was first celebrated in 1872 by the British Richard and William Pendlebury and Charles Taylor, the Swiss Ferdinand Imseng, the Austrians Gabriel Spechtenhauser and the Italian Giovanni Oberto.

Starting point for an ascent of the Dufour from the Swiss side on the regular is the Monte Rosa Hut ( 2'883 m above sea level. M. ).