EnglishThe World Heritage - a challenge for humanity
The campaign to save Abu-Simbel was the first step towards the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972. This international treaty is based on the revolutionary idea to entrust humanity with the protection and preservation of outstanding cultural achievements and unique natural phenomena that are of outstanding universal value. The World Heritage Convention is a unique success story.
The World Heritage List includes 890 sites, of which 689 are cultural, 176 natural and 25 mixed. They are located in 148 countries.
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Tectonic Arena Sardona
This mountainous area of more than 300 km2 around Piz Sardona, straddling the cantonal borders of St Gall, Glarus and Graubünden, provides a uniquely visible illustration of mountain-building processes through continental collision. Normally, younger rocks are deposited on older rocks, but here rocks dating back 250-300 million years are found on top rocks that are "only" 35-50 million years old, with the two layers separated by the impressive, nearly 40 km long "magic line" of the Glarus Overthrust, visible over considerable distances. A key site for the geological sciences since the 18th century.