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Welcome to the Sardona World Heritage Visitor Pavilion

The “Magic Line” is a Surface

The “magic line” seen in the Tschingelhörner is not a military road or a hiking path. Instead, it’s a natural phenomenon: the Glarus Thrust. This curved surface rises steeply from the Rhine Valley, peaks under the Piz Sardona and the Tschingelhörner, and slopes downwards to the north.

Different rock types lie above and below the thrust. These rock packages, known as “nappes,” were pushed over one another during the formation of the Alps. The Glarus Thrust is one of the clearest examples of such a geological structure visible in three dimensions anywhere in the world.

For the first Alpine geologists, a thrust of such magnitude was beyond their imagination. They explored alternative explanatory models. After an epic scientific debate, the nappe theory eventually prevailed. This is why the “magic line” is also a piece of scientific history.

The globally unique visibility of the thrust in the landscape, its exemplary research history, and its ongoing significance for geological studies were the primary reasons UNESCO added this area to the World Heritage List in 2008.


Tectonic Arena Sardona – what does this mean?

Tectonic
Tectonics is a branch of geology focusing on the structure, formation, and large-scale movements of the Earth’s crust.

Arena

The Glarus Thrust is clearly visible in three dimensions around the Piz Sardona, creating an arena-like impression for visitors.

Sardona
The 3,056-meter-high Piz Sardona mountain was chosen as the namesake for the World Heritage site for three reasons:


Why a World Heritage Site?

UNESCO – Guardians of Peace
Some things are so valuable that all of humanity must protect them: uniquely beautiful cities, landscapes, cultural treasures—and peace. “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.”

This is the guiding principle of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, founded in 1945.

The World Heritage Concept
In 1972, UNESCO adopted the convention for the protection of global cultural and natural heritage. Switzerland signed the convention in 1975. A central requirement for a World Heritage site is its global uniqueness, referred to as “outstanding universal value” (OUV).

In addition to uniqueness, UNESCO World Heritage sites are also characterized by two core values: “authenticity” and “integrity”.

How Did the Tectonic Arena Sardona Make It to the World Heritage List?
The globally unique visibility of natural mountain-building phenomena, its exemplary research history, and its ongoing significance for geological studies were the reasons UNESCO awarded this region the designation of a World Natural Heritage Site in 2008.

Additionally, the Tectonic Arena Sardona, situated in a pristine landscape, features an unusually high density of natural values as well as nationally significant biotopes and geotopes.

The Tectonic Arena Sardona is in the “same league” as the Grand Canyon, the Galapagos Islands, the Great Barrier Reef, or the Hawaiian Volcanoes! This is an incredible distinction—but also a responsibility for the three participating cantons and 13 World Heritage municipalities to care for this area over the long term.