World Heritage Identification Number: 1243
World Heritage since: 2007
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Agriculture Landscapes, Parks & Gardens
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇨🇭 Switzerland
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces: A Testament to Human-Environment Interaction
The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007, offer a captivating glimpse into the harmonious relationship between humans and their environment, particularly in the realm of viticulture. Stretching for approximately 30 kilometers along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva, these vineyard terraces span the lower slopes of the mountainside between the picturesque villages and the lake.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, stretching for about 30 km along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva from the Chateau de Chillon to the eastern outskirts of Lausanne in the Vaud region, cover the lower slopes of the mountainside between the villages and the lake. Although there is some evidence that vines were grown in the area in Roman times, the present vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area. It is an outstanding example of a centuries-long interaction between people and their environment, developed to optimize local resources so as to produce a highly valued wine that has always been important to the economy.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (iii): The Lavaux vineyard landscape demonstrates in a highly visible way its evolution and development over almost a millennium, through the well preserved landscape and buildings that demonstrate a continuation and evolution of longstanding cultural traditions, specific to its locality.
Criterion (iv): The evolution of the Lavaux vineyard landscape, as evidenced on the ground, illustrates very graphically the story of patronage, control and protection of this highly valued wine growing area, all of which contributed substantially to the development of Lausanne and its Region and played a significant role in the history of the geo-cultural region.
Criterion (v): The Lavaux vineyard landscape is an outstanding example that displays centuries of interaction between people and their environment in a very specific and productive way, optimising the local resources to produce a highly valued wine that was a significant part of the local economy. Its vulnerability in the face of fast-growing urban settlements has prompted protection measures strongly supported by local communities.
Encyclopedia Record: Lavaux
Lavaux is a region in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, in the district of Lavaux-Oron. Lavaux consists of 830 hectares of terraced vineyards that stretch for about 30 km along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva.Additional Site Details
Area: 898 hectares
Number of Components: 1
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
(v) — Outstanding example of traditional human settlement
Coordinates: 46.4919444444 , 6.7461111111
Image
© Lorenz Poffet, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
World Heritage Research
Discover scientific research and academic studies that deepen our understanding of Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces from its history and significance to its conservation, management, and contemporary challenges.
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Agricultural Landscapes – Tangible and Intangible values of Cultural Landscapes
Agricultural landscapes, shaped by natural, agronomic, and intangible factors, offer both tangible and intangible values that must be sustainably managed. This study highlights the importance of considering these landscapes as living cultural assets, requiring approaches that go beyond conservation to include economic viability, transmission of farming practices, and systemic collaboration among stakeholders. Four case studies—including the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyard terraces in Switzerland—demonstrate how complex irrigation systems, sediment management, wooded pastures, and terraced vineyards integrate ecological, agronomic, and cultural dimensions. The research proposes four key recommendations for sustainable management: treating landscapes as dynamic entities, ensuring economic health, preserving intangible practices, and adopting inclusive, systemic approaches involving farmers and other actors.
Reynard, E. (2023). Agricultural Landscapes – Tangible and Intangible values of Cultural Landscapes. The Overarching Issues of the European Area - Moving towards Efficient Societies and Sustainable Ecosystems, 89–103. https://doi.org/10.21747/978-989-9082-88-5/ovea7
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Labellisation UNESCO… et après ?
A decade after their UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces and Swiss watchmaking urbanism sites show limited additional tourist impact but significant intangible benefits. While quantitative indicators of increased visitation are lacking, the inscription has fostered greater local pride, enhanced media visibility, and opened avenues for territorial development projects. This study, based on a literature review and semi-structured interviews with site managers, reveals that UNESCO recognition primarily strengthens social and symbolic value rather than driving measurable tourist growth.
Courvoisier, F. H., & Aguillaume, C. (2021). UNESCO labelling… and then? The Swiss cases of watchmaking urbanism and terrace vineyards. Téoros: Revue de Recherche En Tourisme, 40(2). https://doi.org/10.7202/1084560ar
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L'approche par les prestations paysagères, un cadre analytique et un outil de gestion des géopatrimoines à forte composante paysagère
Lavaux's vineyard terraces, recognized for their cultural and natural significance, benefit from a novel analytical approach that evaluates landscape services to enhance their geopatrimonial quality. This study introduces the 'landscape services approach' as a complementary tool to assess intrinsic and usage values of highly landscaped geomorphosites, applied here to three Swiss sites: Derborence, Pyramides d’Euseigne, and Lavaux's terraces. By using the UNIL method for geopatrimonial quality evaluation and analyzing landscape services, researchers demonstrate that this approach strengthens positive perceptions among non-specialist stakeholders, fostering greater interest in their protection. The findings highlight the potential of integrating landscape services into territorial management strategies for World Heritage Sites with strong visual and ecological value.
Reynard, E., Clivaz, M., Keller, R., & Backhaus, N. (2021). L’approche par les prestations paysagères, un cadre analytique et un outil de gestion des géopatrimoines à forte composante paysagère. Géo-Regards, 14(1), 35–53. https://doi.org/10.33055/georegards.2021.014.01.35
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A vine physiology-based terroir study in the AOC-Lavaux region in Switzerland
A vine physiology-based terroir study in the AOC-Lavaux region revealed that vintage effects significantly influence terroir zones, overshadowing soil groups. The research, conducted over three consecutive seasons across 22 plots with varying expositions, soil types, and altitudes, found spatial temperature variability to be twice as high as annual temporal variation, averaging 395 growing degree days (GDD) between the most extreme plots. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering of vine and berry physiological parameters showed vintage-dependent grouping, highlighting that altitude was the main driver of precocity in all years, independent of vintage. This study underscores the importance of topography in viticultural terroirs and provides insights for optimizing mitigation strategies in the face of global warming.
Rienth, M., Lamy, F., Schoenenberger, P., Noll, D., Lorenzini, F., Viret, O., & Zufferey, V. (2020). A vine physiology-based terroir study in the AOC-Lavaux region in Switzerland. OENO One, 54(4), 699–716. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2020.54.4.3756
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Landschaftsleistungen in Landschaften von nationaler Bedeutung. Forschungsbericht mit Handlungsempfehlungen für Bund, Kantone, Gemeinden, NGOs und Bewirtschaftende. Im Auftrag des Bundesamts für Umwelt BAFU
This research identifies key landscape attributes that significantly enhance human well-being, while addressing the complex balance between conservation and utilization in five Swiss pilot regions, including UNESCO World Heritage Site Lavaux. The study, conducted by the Universities of Zürich and Lausanne for Switzerland's Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), involved interviews with 27 stakeholders across the regions to capture perceived landscape values. Findings reveal a critical gap in communication about the historical significance and ongoing maintenance of cultural landscapes, such as Lavaux, which are often reduced to mere backdrops for tourism. The report proposes actionable measures—such as engaging local communities, improving visitor education, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders—to better preserve these landscapes while meeting modern needs. These insights, rooted in biodiversity and landscape policy, offer a blueprint for similar challenges in other regions.
Keller, R., Clivaz, M., Backhaus, N., & Reynard, E. (2019). Landschaftsleistungen in Landschaften von nationaler Bedeutung. Forschungsbericht mit Handlungsempfehlungen für Bund, Kantone, Gemeinden, NGOs und Bewirtschaftende. Im Auftrag des Bundesamts für Umwelt BAFU. Universität Zürich und Université de Lausanne. https://doi.org/10.5167/UZH-171386
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An example of a vine-physiology based fine-scale terroir study in the AOC Lavaux-region in Switzerland
A vine-physiology based study on the Lavaux vineyard terraces, Switzerland, reveals significant small-scale terroir variations in Chasselas grape cultivation. The research found that altitude was a key driver of budburst and flowering timing, with higher-altitude plots showing earlier phenological development. Notably, while these plots exhibited lower sugar concentrations at maturity (70-84° Oechsle), they accumulated the highest sugar quantities per berry, up to 26% variation. Individual berry weight varied by 35%, highlighting substantial differences in ripening patterns across the 140-ha terraced landscape. This ongoing study demonstrates the potential of vine physiology measurements to characterize terroir at a fine scale, offering insights into grape quality and viticultural practices.
RIENTH, M., LAMY, F., NOLL, D., LORENZINI, F., VIRET, O., & ZUFFEREY, V. (2018). An example of a vine-physiology based fine-scale terroir study in the AOC Lavaux-region in Switzerland. E3S Web of Conferences, 50, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20185002011
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Agricultural Sources of Micropollutants: from the Catchment to the Lake
Agricultural activities, particularly the use of pesticides, significantly contribute to micropollutant levels in freshwater environments. A study focusing on the Lavaux vineyard terraces, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site bordering Lake Geneva, revealed that glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA can be highly mobile despite their strong sorption abilities. This mobility poses environmental risks, as demonstrated by species sensitivity distribution (SSD) curves for these compounds. The research examined the transport dynamics of pesticides from application to their impact on living organisms, highlighting a critical gap in understanding the persistence and movement of micropollutants in catchment areas.
Daouk, S., Copin, P.-J., Chèvre, N., & Pfeifer, H.-R. (2018). Agricultural Sources of Micropollutants: from the Catchment to the Lake. Micropollutants in Large Lakes, 21–60. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781351240291-2
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