THE Swiss Heritage Society — (Schweizer Heimatschutz / Patrimoine Suisse) dedicates itself to preserving Swiss culture in the shape of its buildings and national monuments as well as its open spaces, including parks and walking trails.
IF, like me, you enjoy combining walking and discovering landscapes, architecture, history and local culture, then you’ll enjoy the Society’s Destination Heritage guidebooks.
The first guidebook, Destination Heritage, Volume 1: Historic Trails is dedicated to connecting history and nature-lovers with the 35 most beautiful and historically significant transit routes in the country.
From bridges with a daring structure, old mule tracks, and Napoleonic alpine roads to romantic Belle Époque routes through the countryside, these historic trails shine a light on the country’s social and political developments as much as its architectural and technical ones.
Communication routes are cultural property
In Destination Guidebook Volume 2, entitled Ripe Fruit and Golden Hay, walkers are led to discover the beauty and diversity of 23 traditional rural landscapes, many of which have been transformed over the centuries.
And Volume 3 will set adventurers on an exploration of urban as well as rural settings, taking them from Cities to Villages along 23 different trails.
Practical and informative
The guidebooks come as a portable box set with a glossary of historical and practical details relating to each trail, as well as detachable inserts that feature a map and descriptive details on one side of the insert and photos on the other.
Volume 1 is available in German and French (both the glossary and inserts), while volumes 2 and 3 have inserts in either German/French or German/Italian, depending on the region they cover. The glossary is available in German, French and Italian.
The hikes are between two and three hours, but can be shortened or lengthened, and are described as being “not particularly demanding”, which sounds right up my alley…or walking trail, as it were. ♣
Destination Heritage, Volumes 1, 2, 3
Box sets include: 1 brochure (glossary) and 23/24 or 35 detachable itineraries covering different geographical regions
Format: 167 x 122 x 33mm
Price: CHF 28.- / Members: CHF 18.-
Order online at Swiss Heritage.
Creative Living Geneva 