The three castles of Bellinzona, canton Ticino
Keystone
The old town of Switzerland's capital, Bern is surrounded by the river Aare
swiss-image.ch
A Rhaetian Railway train travels along the Bernina line by the side of Lago Bianco in canton Graubünden
Keystone
La Chaux-de-Fonds, canton Neuchâtel was the world centre of watchmaking for over a hundred years
Aline Henchoz
The convent of St Gallen and the Abbey district
swiss-image.ch
The Aletsch glacier, in Fiesch, canton Valais
Keystone
The terraced vineyards of Lavaux, above Lake Geneva, run for around 14km
Régis Colombo/diapo.ch
Fossils dating back 240 million years were found at the Monte San Giorgio site in canton Ticino
Markus Felber
Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, here seen in Cortaillod-Est, canton Neuchâtel
SCG UNESCO
The Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona
Keystone
The eighth century Benedictine Convent of St. John in Müstair, canton Graubünden
Keystone
Villa Le Lac by the side of Lake Geneva is one of 17 of Le Corbusier sites on the list
FLC/ADAGP
Switzerland is home to 12 of the world’s 1,052 UNESCO world heritage sites, and a special weekend of events hopes to bring people in to explore these unique places.
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A British multimedia journalist who moved to Switzerland in 2010, Jo has worked in TV, radio and online. She leads a team of video journalists, picture editors, a graphic designer, data journalist and community developer, and specialises in social media. Initials: jf
Switzerland’s heritage sites are mostly classified as “cultural” areas of significance, though three out of the 12 are on the United Nations cultural organisation’s list because of their value in terms of nature.
The old city of Bern with its cobbled streets, deep cellars and covered walkways has been on the list since 1938, as a location showing medieval development in Europe. And the “Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch” site, first added to the list in 2001, stands out as the largest glaciated area in Europe. Apart from its natural beauty, the area also provides insights into how mountains were formed and how climate change is affecting the planet.
To be included on the list, sites have to be of “outstanding universal value” and they have to fit at least one of 10 different requirements, such as “contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance”.
The other Swiss UNESCO heritage sites all reveal something of Swiss culture or European history, whether in terms of religion, engineering or society.
The World Heritage DaysExternal link programme beginning on June 9 includes tours of the areas and a chance to meet expert guides.
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.
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The medieval pearl on the Aare
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It is the only Swiss Unesco site for which the UN heritage body has declared that its loss would be “irreparable for the world”. Eager not to lose this recognition, the city authorities have developed a special conservation policy. Their aim is to find the right balance between Bern’s contemporary needs and maintaining its historical…
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Despite being home to 11 World Heritage sites, the Swiss don’t grasp the full extent of this cultural richness and the special conservation efforts needed, warns a Swiss UNESCO official.
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The answer is that these places are all on Unesco’s list of World Heritage Sites, and are thus considered to have “outstanding value to humanity”. The United Nations cultural body has brought countries together to protect the wonders of the world for future generations. Since the world heritage label’s inception in 1972, the United Nations…
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Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has currently around 9000 sites “of outstanding universal value” in more than 140 countries. There are 66 sites in Switzerland – 63 cultural (including 56 pile dwelling sites) and three natural.
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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.