Zermatt is famed as a ski resort and as a general tourist destination. Until the mid-19th century, it was predominantly an agricultural community — its name, as well as that of the Matterhorn itself, derives from the alpine meadows or matten in the valley. In the German language, the town is "Zur Matte", or "in the meadow", hence the name. It was "discovered" mid-century by British mountaineers, most notably Edward Whymper, whose conquest of the Matterhorn made the village famous worldwide.