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Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces
| Site number: | 1243 |
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| Type of site: | Cultural | |
| Date: | 11th century | |
| Date of Inscription: | 2007 | |
| Location: | Europe, Switzerland, Region Lavaux, District Vaud | |
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| Description: | Stretching 30km the length of Lake Geneva’s northern shores from the Chateau de Chillon, to the eastern borders of Lausanne (in the Vaud Region), the Lavaux vineyard terraces envelop the lower slopes of the mountain side between the lake and the villages. The current vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century (even though some evidence suggests that vines were grown in Roman times); afterwards Benedictine and Cistercian Monasteries ran the area. Suggestive of the ten centuries of a changing system of production and patronage are the site’s villages, small towns and intensively planted vines. The large house, mill, and fortified tower remains, and much of the landscape reveal the manner in which wine production evolved over this period. Through highly evident means, the cultural landscape of the Lavaux vineyard displays its evolution and development of almost a thousand years, by means of its maintained landscape and buildings, as well as the persistence and adjustment of venerable cultural traditions, exclusive to its region. The centuries-long interaction between people and their environment optimized local assets in an attempt to create a highly esteemed wine, vital to the home economy. Local communities have refused to give in to the fast-growing urban settlements that could imperil the area; they have thus strongly supported security measures. --WHMNet paraphrase from the description at WHC Site, where additional information is available. | |
| The Lavaux is a region is the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, mostly in the district of Lavaux. It was built mostly by monks about 800 years ago and consists of 830 hectares of terraced wineyards. It benefits of a temperate climate, but the southern aspect of the terraces with the reflection of the sun in the lake and the stone walls gives a mediterranean character to the region. The main wine grape variety grown here is the Chasselas. Under cantonal law, the vineyards of the Lavaux are protected from development. Since July 2007, the Lavaux is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. --Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. | ||
| Source: | http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1243 | |
| Reference: | 1. UNESCO World Heritage Center, Site Page. | |