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🏛️ Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps

Archaeology & Antiquity Switzerland Europe

🏛️ Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps
Serial UNESCO World Heritage property of 111 archaeological sites across Alpine Europe


🕐 2 min read · Updated 1 Apr 2026 at 13:40

UNESCOUNESCO World Heritage Site

📋 Fast Facts
  • Serial property comprising 111 archaeological sites across six countries
  • Occupied period: approximately 5000–500 BCE (Neolithic and Bronze Age)
  • 56 sites located in Switzerland; additional sites in Austria, Germany, France, Italy, and Slovenia
  • Settlements found on edges of lakes, rivers, and wetlands in and around the Alps

The Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps represent a unique serial archaeological property encompassing 111 small individual sites across six Alpine countries. These settlements, built from around 5000 to 500 BCE, occupy the edges of lakes, rivers, and wetlands and constitute one of the most important sources for understanding early agrarian societies in prehistoric Alpine Europe. The exceptional preservation conditions afforded by waterlogged environments have yielded remarkably intact ...

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