The story is beyond simple: a young man in 19th century Switzerland whose father was killed trying to climb the Citadel (which is what the Matterhorn is called here) wants to become a mountaineer himself, and of course climb to the top of the Citadel, which no man has done.

While "The Citadel" is not the official name of the Matterhorn, the mountain is famously referred to by that name in literature and film. This alternative title originated in James Ramsey Ullman's 1955 Newbery Honor-winning book, Banner in the Sky, which tells the story of a young man’s quest to climb an "unconquerable" peak. When Walt Disney adapted the book into the 1959 film Third Man on the Mountain, the mountain was explicitly called The Citadel to heighten its legendary and intimidating status. Because the film was shot on-location in Zermatt, Switzerland, and at the Matterhorn itself, the name became forever linked to the peak in the minds of many cinema and Disney history enthusiasts. This association eventually influenced the development of the "Matterhorn Bobsleds" attraction at Disneyland, which was inspired by Walt’s time in the Alps during the filming of the movie. Therefore, while you won't find "The Citadel" on a standard topographical map of the Swiss Alps, it remains a significant and widely recognized cultural moniker for the iconic mountain.