The Swiss National Park ( rm, Parc Naziunal Svizzer; german: Schweizerischer Nationalpark; it, Parco Nazionale Svizzero; french: Parc National Suisse) is located in the

Western Rhaetian Alps The Western Rhaetian Alps ( it, Alpi Retiche occidentali, german: Westliche Rätische Alpen) are a mountain range in the central part of the Alps. Geography Administratively the range mainly belongs to the Italian region of Lombardy, the Swiss c ...

, in eastern

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 ...

. It is within the

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

of Graubünden, between

Zernez Zernez is a village and a municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Lavin and Susch merged into the municipality of Zernez. Zernez is a major node ...

, S-chanf, Scuol, and the

Fuorn Pass Fuorn Pass or Ofen Pass ( Romansh: ''Pass dal Fuorn'', german: Ofenpass, it, Passo del Forno) (el. 2149 m.) is a high alpine mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The name is based on the ovens that were used in ironworks i ...

in the Engadin valley on the border with

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is part of the worldwide UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Description

It was founded on 1 August 1914, the national holiday of Switzerland. It was one of the earliest national parks in Europe. As of 2022, it is the only

National Park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

in Switzerland, though there are plans to create more. It has an area of 174.2 km² and is the largest protected area of the country. In the park, it's not allowed to leave marked paths; light a fire; or sleep outside the ''Chamanna Cluozza,'' the

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization d ...

located in the park. It is also forbidden to disturb animals or plants, or to take home anything found in the park. Dogs are not allowed, even on a leash. Due to these strict rules, the Swiss National Park is the only park in the Alps which has been categorized by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

as a strict nature reserve, the highest protection level. A visitor centre is located in

. The road through the park leads over the

(or ''Ofenpass'') to

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

in Italy. In addition to the Swiss National Park, Switzerland also has sixteen regional

nature park A nature park, or sometimes natural park, is a designation for a protected natural area by means of long-term land planning, sustainable resource management and limitation of agricultural and real estate developments. These valuable landscape ...

s.Overview of the Swiss parks
Federal Office for the Environment (page visited on 27 July 2016).

Notable peaks

Piz Pisoc Piz Pisoc is a mountain in the Sesvenna Range of the Alps, overlooking Tarasp in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. With an elevation of 3,173 metres above sea level, it is the highest summit of the Sesvenna Range west of Pass Costainas (2,251 me ...

, 3173 m. *

Piz Quattervals Piz Quattervals ( Romansh lit. "peak of the four valleys") is a mountain of the Livigno Alps, located in Graubünden, Switzerland. With a height of 3,165 metres above sea level, Piz Quattervals is the highest mountain of the chain north of Pas ...

, 3165 m. *

Piz da l'Acqua Piz da l'Acqua is a mountain of the Livigno Alps, located on the border between Italy and Switzerland. The northern side of the mountain ( Graubünden) is part of the Swiss National Park. The southern side of the mountain ( Lombardy) is part of ...

, 3126 m. *

Piz Chaschauna Piz Chaschauna (also known as Piz Casana) is a mountain of the Livigno Alps, located on the border between Italy and Switzerland. The northern side of the mountain ( Graubünden) is part of the Swiss National Park. The eastern side of the mounta ...

, 3071 m.

Gallery

File:Swiss National Park 023.JPG Image:Swiss_National_Park_130.JPG Image:Swiss_National_Park_038.JPG Image:Swiss_National_Park_060.JPG Image:Swiss_National_Park_123.JPG Image:Piz Nair and Buffalora P10 .jpg File:Tafel Nationalpark Macun.JPG

References

External links

Official website

Swiss National Park Facts
* * {{Portal bar, Environment, Ecology, Switzerland National parks of Switzerland Biosphere reserves of Switzerland Rhaetian Alps Geography of Graubünden 1914 establishments in Switzerland Protected areas established in 1914 Tourist attractions in Graubünden Protected areas of the Alps S-chanf Scuol Val Müstair Zernez

Description

Notable peaks

Gallery

See also

References

External links