With its seven-kilometre-long terraces, Lavaux is one of the most famous wine-growing regions in Switzerland. The first terraces were created by monks in the 12th century. The area, which is located between Lausanne and Vevey, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2007.

Lavaux is a magnificent terraced landscape on Lake Geneva. The region between Lausanne and Vevey is one of the best known wine-growing areas in Switzerland. Many painters and poets have been inspired by the picturesque wine villages and the magnificent view across Lake Geneva to the Savoie mountain peaks.

The vines benefit from the sunlight reflected by the lake and the heat that remains stored in the stone walls.

The Bishop of Lausanne gave various lands the Cistercian Order in the 12th century. The monks reclaimed the steep land by creating artificial terraces for wine growing. Today, Lavaux is a cultural landscape formed by generations of wine growers.

As an international acknowledgement of the uniqueness of this man-made landscape, the Lavaux wine-growing area was inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2007.

Nature reserves and landscape protection areas
A large part of this area is listed, inter alia, in the following federal inventories:

• Federal Inventory of Landscape and Natural Monuments of National Importance (BLN object no 1202 “Lavaux”)
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• Interactive map browser displaying the object included in the BLN (available in German and French)
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Other links

• All of the federal Swiss inventories can be displayed on an interactive map using this map browser (available in German and French)
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• Detailed information on the effects of outdoor sport and leisure activities on nature (available in German and French)
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• Tourism information about the region (in German and French)
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• Additional information on the UNESCO world heritage sites in Switzerland (in German and French)
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