Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps
Cultural
1363
2011
Cultural
Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural, inscribed in 2011 (WHS 1363).
Criteria & Perimeter
Inscription criteria
(iv)(v)
Category
Cultural
Summary
This serial property of 111 small individual sites encompasses the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. Excavations, only conducted in some of the sites, have yielded evidence that provides insight into life in prehistoric times during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Alpine Europe and the way communities interacted with their environment. Fifty-six of the sites are located in Switzerland. The settlements are a unique group of exceptionally well-preserved and culturally rich archaeological sites, which constitute one of the most important sources for the study of early agrarian societies in the region.
Monuments in the Zone
Selection of protected monuments
- Eglise Saint-Loup de Herry — Herry
- Ensemble des bâtiments de l'ancienne usine de préparation de la chaux — Teloché
- Cathédrale Saint-Julien — Le Mans
- Château dénommé Châteaufer — Bruère-Allichamps
- Eglise Saint-Symphorien — Saint-Symphorien
- Maison dite des Chanoines ou hôtel d'Hector de Sanxerre — Orléans
- Château de Montgarnaud — Parnac
- Maison ancienne dite la Communale — Fontaines-en-Sologne
- Ancien château de l'Ilôt-les-Tours — Nalliers
- Immeuble de Langeais — Langeais
- Maison du 16e siècle de Mennetou-sur-Cher — Mennetou-sur-Cher
- Eglise paroissiale Saint-Maixent — Veigné
- Maison, dite Hôtel Jacques de Moulins ou Hôtel de Rochefort — Blois
- Maison de bois, dite Maison Saint-Jacques — Levroux
- Eglise paroissiale Saint-Hilaire — Sazilly
Appellations of the Landscape
Most-reviewed Loire appellations
| Appellation | Avg score | Reviews | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sancerre | 89.3 | 554 | White |
| Muscadet Sèvre et Maine | 88.6 | 237 | White |
| Pouilly-Fumé | 89.6 | 153 | White |
| Vouvray | 88.4 | 153 | White |
| Touraine | 86.3 | 85 | White |
| Chinon | 88.7 | 72 | Red |
| Menetou-Salon | 87.3 | 69 | White |
| Crémant de Loire | 87.5 | 54 | Sparkling |
| Val de Loire | 85.6 | 41 | White |
| Saumur | 88.4 | 40 | White |
| Anjou | 87.6 | 36 | White |
| Rosé d'Anjou | 84 | 35 | Rosé |
Data source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (data.culture.gouv.fr). Last updated: April 14, 2026.