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Enge Alpenquai

UNESCO World Heritage Site
The site of the prehistoric settlement
Location	Enge, Zürich, Zürich District, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland
Part of	Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps
Criteria	Cultural: (iv), (v)
Reference	1363-055
Inscription	2011 (35th Session)
Area	2.93 ha (7.2 acres)
Buffer zone	17.4 ha (43 acres)
Website	www.palafittes.org/en/index.html
Coordinates	47°21′52.07″N 8°32′19.48″E / 47.3644639°N 8.5387444°E / 47.3644639; 8.5387444
Location of Zürich–Enge Alpenquai in Canton of ZürichShow map of Canton of ZürichZürich–Enge Alpenquai (Switzerland)Show map of Switzerland

Zürich–Enge Alpenquai is one of the 111 serial sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, of which 56 are located in Switzerland.

Geography

Located on the then-swampland between Limmat and Lake Zurich around Sechseläutzenplatz on small islands and peninsulas in Zürich, the settlements were set on piles to protect against occasional flooding by the Linth and Jona Rivers. Because the lake has grown in size over time, most of the original piles are now around 4 metres (13 ft) to 7 metres (23 ft) under the water level of 406 metres (1,332 ft), giving modern observers the false impression that they always had been underwater. Zürich–Enge Alpenquai is located on Lake Zurich lakeshore in Enge, a locality of the municipality of Zürich in the Canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The settlement comprises 2.93 hectares (7.24 acres), and the buffer zone, including the lake area, comprises 17.40 hectares (43.00 acres) in all. It was neighbored by the settlements at Kleiner Hafner and Grosser Hafner on a then peninsula respectively island in the effluence of the Limmat, within an area of about 0.2 square kilometres (49.42 acres) in the city of Zürich.

Description

Alpenquai in the city of Zürich is one of the most important Late Bronze Age lakeside settlements in Central Europe; its huge size and its almost uninterrupted occupation from 1050 BC to 800 BC, rich imports, and the excellent state of preservation of the layers with unique organic finds and architectural elements, mark it as a cultural heritage site of worldwide importance. In addition, the final phase dates from the transition to the Iron Age, a period otherwise rarely found.

Finds

On the occasion of construction works, investigation conducted by probes and probing ditches occurred in 1970. Despite the dredging for the construction of the Seequai between 1916 and 1919, an amazingly big area of approximately 2.8 hectares (7 acres) with two cultural layers, reperesneting distinct eras of settlement, was preserved. Both, the upper and the lower cultural layer, were separated by an about 10 centimetres (3.94 in) cm thick layer of lake marl composed of several layers of different materials. There were found pile shoes, indicators of prehistoric dwellings, at different altitudes in the cultural layers and rich bar decoration of ceramics occurred exclusively in the lower layer, while the decoration on cannelure groups was limited to the upper layer, as well as some graphite-decorated fragments.

So-called Potin lumps, of which the largest weighs 59.2 kilograms (131 lb), were found at Alpenquai in 1890. They consist of a large number of fused Celtic coins, which are mixed with charcoal remnants. Some of the about 18,000 coins originate from Eastern Gaul, while others are of the Zürich type, that were assigned to the local Helvetii, and date to around 100 BC. The find is so far unique, and the scientific research assumes that the melting down of the lumps was not completed, and therefore the aim was to form cultic offerings. The site of the find was at that time at least 50 metres (164 ft) from the lake shore, and probably 1 metre (3 ft) to 3 metres (10 ft) deep in the water.

Protection

As well as being part of the 56 Swiss sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, the settlement is also listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as a Class A object of national importance. This status declares it a historical site under federal protection under the Swiss Federal Act on Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage (German: Bundesgesetz über den Natur- und Heimatschutz NHG) of 1 July 1966. Under article 24, intentionally damaging such a site, or artifacts within it, is a criminal offense.

See also

• Bürkliplatz
• Prehistoric pile dwellings around Lake Zurich

Literature

• Peter J. Suter, Helmut Schlichtherle et al.: Pfahlbauten – Palafittes – Palafitte. Palafittes, Biel 2009. ISBN 978-3-906140-84-1.
• Margrit Balmer: Zürich in der Spätlatène- und frühen Kaiserzeit. Vom keltischen Oppidum zum römischen Vicus Turicum. (Monographien der Kantonsarchäologie Zürich 39). Hochbaudepartement der Stadt Zürich, Stadtarchäologie. FO Print & Media AG, Zürich and Egg 2009, ISBN 978-3-905681-37-6.
• Beat Eberschweiler: Ur- und frühgeschichtliche Verkehrswege über den Zürichsee: Erste Ergebnisse aus den Taucharchäologischen Untersuchungen beim Seedamm. In: Mitteilungen des Historischen Vereins des Kantons Schwyz, Volume 96, Schwyz 2004.

References

1. "Prehistoric Pile Dwellings in Switzerland". Swiss Coordination Group UNESCO Palafittes (palafittes.org). Retrieved 2014-12-10.
2. "World Heritage". palafittes.org. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
3. "Sites Switzerland: Zürich–Enge Alpenquai (CH-ZH-09)". palafittes.org. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
4. "Ältere Eisenzeit = Premier Age du Fer = Prima Età del Ferro". Jahrbuch der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Ur- und Frühgeschichte = Annuaire de la Société Suisse de Préhistoire et d'Archéologie = Annuario della Società Svizzera di Preistoria e d'Archeologia 59/1976. 1975. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
5. Keltisches Geld in Zürich: Der spektakuläre «Potinklumpen». Amt für Städtebau der Stadt Zürich, Stadtarchäologie, Zürich October 2007.
6. Michael Nick. "75 kilogrammes of Celtic small coin - Recent research on the "Potinklumpen" from Zürich" (PDF). Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, España. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
7. "A-Objekte KGS-Inventar" (PDF). Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Amt für Bevölkerungsschutz. 2015-01-01. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
8. "Bundesgesetz über den Natur- und Heimatschutz (NHG)" (PDF) (in German). Hochbaudepartement Stadt Zürich. 2014-10-12. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
9. Beat Eberschweiler (2004). "Ur- und frühgeschichtliche Verkehrswege über den Zürichsee: Erste Ergebnisse aus den Taucharchäologischen Untersuchungen beim Seedamm" (in German). ETH Bibliothek. Retrieved 2014-12-08.

External links

• Official website
• Stadt Zürich Unterwasserarchäologie (in German)

v t e Prehistoric pile dwellings in Switzerland
Espace Mittelland	Freienbach–Hurden Rosshorn Freienbach–Hurden Seefeld Rapperswil-Jona/Hombrechtikon–Feldbach Rapperswil-Jona–Technikum Erlenbach–Winkel Greifensee–Storen/Wildsberg Meilen–Rorenhaab Wädenswil–Vorder Au Wetzikon-Robenhausen Wauwilermoos Zürich–Enge Alpenquai Zürich–Grosser Hafner Zürich–Kleiner Hafner
Nationwide	Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps
Shared with Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia

v t e Lake Zurich (Zürichsee)
Switzerland Canton of Zürich Horgen Meilen Zürich Canton of St. Gallen See-Gaster Canton of Schwyz Höfe March
Settlements	Altendorf Au Bäch Erlenbach Feldbach Feldmeilen Freienbach Herrliberg Horgen Hurden Kehlhof Kilchberg Küsnacht Lachen Männedorf Meilen Oberrieden Pfäffikon Rapperswil-Jona Bollingen Busskirch Rapperswil Jona Kempraten Richterswil Rüschlikon Schmerikon Stäfa Thalwil Tuggen Uerikon Uetikon Wädenswil Wangen Nuolen Zollikon Zurich Altstadt Enge Seefeld Wollishofen Archeological Centum Prata Pile Dwellings Enge Alpenquai Feldbach Hurden Seefeld Kleiner Hafner Rorenhaab Rosshorn Technikum Vorder Au Winkel Turicum
Islands	Au Peninsula Bauschänzli Grosser Hafner Hurden Peninsula Lützelau Saffa Ufenau
Rivers	Jona Limmat Linth Schmerikoner Aa Sihl Steinenbach Wägitaler Aa
Valleys	Küsnachter Tobel Limmattal Sihltal
Mountains	Adlisberg Albis Buechberg Etzel Pfannenstiel Uetliberg Zimmerberg Zürichberg
Landmarks	Felsenegg Frauenwinkel Ganymed statue Goldküste Hurden canal Lindenhof (Rapperswil) Obersee Quaibrücke Rapperswil–Hurden bridge Seedamm Zürichhorn Buildings Alt Rapperswil Castle Alt Wädenswil Castle Au Castle Bollingen Tower Grynau Castle Heilig Hüsli Pavillon Le Corbusier Pfäffikon Castle Rapperswil Castle Saint John's parish church Wulp Castle Wurmsbach Abbey Parks/Resorts Frauenbad Stadthausquai Zürich Quaianlagen Arboretum Belvoir Park Bürkliplatz Chinagarten Mythenquai Sechseläutenplatz Tiefenbrunnen Utoquai
Transportation	Forchbahn Horgen–Meilen ferry LAF cable car St. Gallen S-Bahn SZU VBZ Voralpen Express VZO Zimmerbergbus ZSG shipping lines Zürich S-Bahn ZVV VBZ tram lines 2 4 5 8 9 11 15 Lake Zurich left-bank railway line S2 S8 S24 S25 Lake Zurich right-bank railway line S6 S7 S16 S20 Rapperswil–Pfäffikon railway line S5 S40 Rapperswil–Ziegelbrücke railway line S4 S6 S17 Railway stations Altendorf Au ZH Bäch Blumenau Bollingen Erlenbach ZH Feldbach Freienbach SBB Herrliberg-Feldmeilen Horgen Hurden Kempraten Kilchberg Küsnacht Goldbach Küsnacht ZH Lachen Männedorf Meilen Oberrieden Pfäffikon SZ Rapperswil Richterswil Rüschlikon Schmerikon Stäfa Thalwil Uerikon Uetikon Wädenswil Winkel am Zürichsee Zollikon Zürich Stadelhofen Zürich Tiefenbrunnen Zürich Wollishofen
People	Gerold Späth House of Rapperswil Elisabeth Johann I Johann II Lydia Escher Rudolf Brun Media Obersee Nachrichten Radio Zürisee Zürichsee-Zeitung

• Prehistoric pile dwellings in Switzerland
• History of Zurich
• Lake Zurich
• Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Zurich