A diver brings a piece of stilt to the surface (April 22, 2021)
Keystone / Urs Flueeler
Archaeologists have, for the first time, found traces of a Bronze Age lakeside village under the surface of Lake Lucerne. The find shows that the city of Lucerne area was already populated 3,000 years ago.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/Canton of Lucerne/ilj
Español
es
Hallan vestigios de la Edad de Bronce bajo un lago suizo
This is 2,000 years earlier than previously thought, researchers said on Thursday.
Traces of a pile dwelling (or stilt house) village came to light while laying a pipeline in the natural harbour area. The remnants were found by underwater archaeologists around four metres below the water surface.
A diver from Zurich’s unterwater archaeology department at work in Lake Lucerne
Unterwasserarchäologie UWAD Zürich/Canton Lucerne
“This finally confirms the theory that, in earlier times, the Lucerne lake basin was a suitable settlement area,” a canton Lucerne statementExternal link said.
Proof of settlement
Archaeologists had been looking for proof of settlement for some time, but had been hampered by a thick layer of mud at the bottom of the lake. Work on the pipeline however revealed around 30 prehistoric wooden piles or stilts and five pieces of pottery.
The wood and pottery have been tested and dated to the late Bronze Ages, so around 1,000 years BC.
An artist’s impression of life at a Lucerne area stilt village
Joe Rohrer/Canton of Lucerne
The find coincides with the 10th anniversary of prehistoric lakeside pile dwellings in Alpine countries – including in Switzerland – being given Unesco World Heritage Site status.
Unesco describes the groupExternal link of dwellings as “one of the most important sources for the study of early agrarian societies in the region”.
More
More
Life on stilts
This content was published on
Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and France have successfully campaigned to have 111 of the most important lakeside pile dwellings in the Alps designated World Heritage sites. Of these, 56 are in Switzerland.
L’Oréal acquires South Korean subsidiary of Migros’ cosmetics brand
This content was published on
French cosmetics firm L'Oréal is acquiring Gowoonsesang Cosmetics, the South Korean subsidiary of the Migros-owned Mibelle group, for an undisclosed sum.
Sharp hike in number of protected historic monuments in Switzerland
This content was published on
In 2022, there were close to 91,000 protected historic monuments in Switzerland, 21% more than in 2016, said the Federal Statistical Office.
Switzerland adopts further EU sanctions against Russia
This content was published on
Switzerland has added several dozen names to its list of sanctioned persons or entities from Russia after adopting the amendments made by the European Union.
Snowfall causes travel restrictions in much of Switzerland
This content was published on
Heavy snowfall in several regions of Switzerland caused restrictions in road and rail traffic on Monday morning, though conditions eased by the afternoon.
Swiss major-general named acting head of UN observer force in Golan Heights
This content was published on
Major-General Patrick Gauchat has been appointed acting head of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights.
Accidents up sharply among older skiers in Switzerland
This content was published on
People over the age of 40 account for more than half of all ski injuries in Switzerland, a new study by insurance firm Suva shows.
Switzerland proposes strengthening rights of people with disabilities
This content was published on
The Swiss government is proposing a package of new legislative measures to promote inclusion of people with disabilities in all areas of life.
This content was published on
The Swiss artist Kurt Laurenz Metzler, known for his colorful sculptures made of fiberglass and polyester, has died in Zurich at the age of 83.
Historic Swiss bathhouse on Lake Constance destroyed in a fire
This content was published on
In the northern Swiss town of Rorschach, the 100-year-old Badhütte (bathing hut) on the shores of Lake Constance burned down early Monday morning.
Trump picks Callista Gingrich as ambassador to Switzerland
This content was published on
Incoming United States president Donald Trump has named Callista Gingrich as the next ambassador to Switzerland. Gingrich was posted to the Vatican under Trump's previous term.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Prehistoric find located beneath the waves
This content was published on
Since it was made of wood scientists used dendrochronology – the technique of dating by tree rings – to give a precise figure of 3863 BC. The find in Lake Biel, northwest of the Swiss capital, Bern, was described as “sensational” by Albert Hafner, who is in charge of underwater archaeology in the region. Divers…
This content was published on
Stretching across six European countries, they were added to the Unesco World Heritage List in June 2011. There are 111 sites in all, with 56 of them in Switzerland. The dwellings in France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and Slovenia, lie deep in lakes or buried in sand on lake shores. Yet for Unesco, they qualify…
Archaeological discovery confirms Lake Geneva tsunami research
This content was published on
Roman remains uncovered by Vaud archaeologists appear to confirm previous research about a giant tsunami on Lake Geneva in 563AD.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.