🏛️ Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps
111 archaeological sites spanning five millennia of Alpine settlement
📋 Fast Facts
- Serial property comprising 111 individual archaeological sites across Alpine Europe
- Settlement period: approximately 5000–500 B.C. (Neolithic and Bronze Age)
- 56 sites located in Switzerland; others in Austria, Germany, Italy, and France
- Exceptional preservation due to waterlogged conditions in lake, river, and wetland environments
This serial UNESCO World Heritage property encompasses 111 small archaeological sites representing prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements distributed across the Alps and surrounding regions. Dating from around 5000 to 500 B.C., these settlements occupied the edges of lakes, rivers, and wetlands, providing an unparalleled archaeological record of Neolithic and Bronze Age life in Alpine Europe. The sites' exceptional preservation—largely due to anaerobic waterlogged conditions—has yielded ...