Australia’s national flag has been projected onto the Swiss Alps in a message of hope from Switzerland during the global coronavirus pandemic.

It was projected early in the morning onto Mount Matterhorn on Thursday, local Swiss time.

The mountain is 4,478 metres high and overlooks Zermatt, a town in southern Switzerland.

Australia is having a hard time with the bush fires and now the Coronavirus. Today we think of the Australian people and send hope and courage to get through the crisis well. #Australia #Zermatt #Matterhornhttps://t.co/qFjiKuZNsE pic.twitter.com/qFKgakRlbp

— Zermatt - Matterhorn (@zermatt_tourism) April 23, 2020

Daniel Luggen, spa director of Zermatt-Matterhorn, said the projections are a message to the rest of the world.

"Since almost a month, we're illuminating every night the Matterhorn with different symbols, to give the people hope and show our solidarity to the world," Mr Luggen said in a video posted to Facebook on Wednesday evening, Australian time.

The projections are a project by light artist Gerry Hostetter and are meant to say “thank you to all the people working hard during this crisis”.

"It's empty and quiet in Zermatt and that makes us sad, but soon we look forward to (having) you back here," Mr Luggen said.