Lavaux () is a region in the canton of

Vaud Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, in the district of Lavaux-Oron. Lavaux consists of 830

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s of terraced vineyards that stretch for about 30 km along the south-facing northern shores of

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

. Although there is some evidence that vines were grown in the area in Roman times, the actual vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area. It benefits from 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 A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

variety grown here is the

Chasselas Chasselas or Chasselas blanc is a wine grape variety grown mainly in Switzerland, France, Germany, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, New Zealand, Croatia and Chile. Chasselas is mostly winemaking, vinified to be a full, Dry (wine), dry and fruit ...

World Heritage site

Under cantonal law, the vineyards of Lavaux are protected from development. Since July 2007, Lavaux is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s. Since 2016, the vineyards of Lavaux are not treated with synthetic

pesticide Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and lampri ...

s any more.

Hiking trail

There are many hikes possible through the vineyards of Lavaux. There is a hiking trail ("Terrasses de Lavaux"), going from

Saint-Saphorin Saint-Saphorin is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located on the shore of Lake Geneva, in the district of Lavaux-Oron. History Glerula or Calarona (from la, glarea, 'gravel') was a Gallo-Roman village. The chroniclers Gregory ...

Lutry Lutry () is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the Lavaux-Oron, which includes the Lavaux region, a UNESCO World Heritage site. History Lutry is first mentioned in 908 as ''in Lustraco villam''. In 1124 it was mentioned as ...

, recommended by the Tourism Office of Switzerland.

Legal protection

Plaque commémorative Franz Weber à Puidoux (Lavaux)

In 1977, the voters of the

Canton of Vaud Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...

accepted (55%) the cantonal

popular initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a p ...

"Save Lavaux" Consequently, in 1979, a law was made to protect Lavaux (''Loi sur le plan de protection de Lavaux''). In 2003, the new constitution of the

came into force but did not contain the article about the protection of Lavaux. A second popular initiative "Save Lavaux" was launched to re-introduce it and was accepted in 2005 by 81% of voters. In 2009, Franz Weber launched a third initiative "Save Lavaux" to reduce the possibilities to build new buildings in Lavaux, which was rejected on 19 May 2014 by 68% of voters. The counter-initiative of the regional government (

Council of State of Vaud The Council of State of the Canton of Vaud (french: Conseil d'État du Canton de Vaud) is the executive organ of the Canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. Vaud has a seven-member '' Conseil d'État''. The responsibilities of the Council of State is ...

) was accepted by 68% of voters (strengthening the protection but less strictly than the initiative of Franz Weber).

Influences and tributes

* ''Lavaux'' is the name of a song by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, on his album ''

20Ten ''20Ten'' is the thirty-fifth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on July 10, 2010, by NPG Records as a free covermount with the ''Daily Mirror'' and '' Daily Record'' in the UK and Ireland, and '' Het Nieuwsblad'' ...

'' (2010). * In 2011, the

Swiss Post Swiss Post (french: La Poste suisse, it, La Posta Svizzera, german: Die Schweizerische Post, rm, La Posta Svizra) is the national postal service of Switzerland. A public company owned by the Swiss Confederation, it is the country's second larg ...

issued three special stamps celebrating the region of Lavaux.« Lavaux », three special stamps

(page visited on 4 June 2016).

Gallery

Lake Geneva Lavaux.jpg, Vineyards near

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

File:Lavaux Alpes et Lac léman.jpg,

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

and the

Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss ...

from Lavaux. File:Lavaux+Léman 2.jpeg,

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

from the Lavaux, looking towards

. File:Aran Patrimoine mondial 2007 10 06.JPG, Lavaux Vineyard Terraces. File:Geneva lake.jpg, Lavaux from the railway line going from Lausanne to Palézieux and Bern. File:Lac Léman on sunset.jpg, Lake Geneva seen from the vineyards.

Notes and references

External links

* *
Lavaux Vineyard Terraces hiking trail

Lavaux Vinorama
{{Authority control Geography of Switzerland Wine regions of Switzerland Geography of the canton of Vaud World Heritage Sites in Switzerland