Hospental is located directly at the foot of the Gotthard Pass, in the middle of the Ursern Valley. The village is a good starting point for, among other things, hiking in summer and cross-country skiing in winter.

The last village before heading south towards the Gotthard enjoyed great attention in the days of the muleteers. The name itself, Hospental, derives from the Latin ‘hospitale’, inn. The basis of the village was in fact a hostelry founded by the Disentis monastery around the 9th/10th century. In the 12th century, in an area previously populated only by Romans, the Walser founded the settlement of Zumdorf, which today belongs to the municipality of Hospental. Duties were imposed and the locals braved the storms and survived the war campaigns north of the Gotthard. As in 1799, for example, when Russian General Suworow confronted Napoleon’s troops. The village centre of Hospental is worth a visit, as the houses still date back to the days of prosperity and create a harmonious image of the village. The most striking building in the landscape is the ‘Tower of the Lords of Hospental’, built in the first half of the 13th century. Formerly used as a residential tower, it has not been inhabited since the 15th century. Today, the viewing platform, which is accessible to the public, offers a spectacular panoramic view. The baroque Maria Himmelfahrt Church (built between 1706 and 1708) with its magnificent altars is also worth a visit. There are also numerous wooden houses in the village centre, rebuilt after the fire of 1669. Finally, Zumdorf is known not only as the smallest village in the Andermatt holiday region, but also in the whole of Switzerland. Only four people live in Zumdorf all year round.