Archaeological finds dating back to 4000 BC indicate that the Urseren was already populated in the
Neolithic period. During Roman times this Alpine valley was probably inhabited by some
Helvetic Celtic tribes. However, the origins of Andermatt can only be traced back to
Alemannic tribes, the
Walsers, who established settlements in the area, where the current town of Andermatt is situated. The
parish of Andermatt was not mentioned until 1203; it was
held by the
Benedictine Disentis Abbey. This first mention refers to it as
de Prato. In 1290 it was mentioned as
A der Matte. Plans to build a series of reservoirs in the valley of Andermatt, the
Urseren, encountered fierce resistance by the locals in 1946 and were abandoned four years later. A huge reservoir was built instead in the next valley, the Göschenertal. Several avalanches, in particular
in the winters of 1951 and 1975, have caused havoc in some residential areas of Andermatt, killing some residents. , east side By the 1930s the village's income from tourism had seriously declined, and many of the Ursental's hotels were abandoned or changed use. The Grand Hotel Bellevue, which was built by the aristocratic Müller family from neighbouring Hospental (who at one time or another owned many other hotels nearby including the Hotel Furkablick and Hotel Furka Passhöhe - as well as hotels in
Flüelen,
Alpnachstad,
Herisau and
Neuchâtel) was converted in the 1970s into apartments, but by 1990 it had been abandoned and was demolished with explosives. By the turn of the 21st century, as an alternative to the expensive
ski resorts
St Moritz and
Gstaad, Andermatt steadily expanded its ski resort. Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis are now three interconnected all-season resorts and serviced by the
Glacier Express train. ==Demographics==