Romanshorn, canton Thurgau: Sycamore (plane) trees are among the toughest.
Michel Brunner
Büetingen, canton Bern: Lombardy poplars help protect crops from the wind.
Michel Brunner
Alberswil, canton Lucerne: This hornbeam arcade is a late Baroque garden element of a nearby castle. It serves as a windbreak for walkers.
Michel Brunner
Maienfeld, canton Graubünden: This striking avenue of Lombardy poplars stretches 2.8km (1.7 miles) long.
Michel Brunner
Yverdon-les-Bains, canton Vaud: These poplars alongside a canal help prevent erosion and flooding.
Michel Brunner
Chézard-Saint-Martin, canton Neuchâtel: It is a wonder that these 90-year-old trees are thriving on a limited amount of nutrients, water and light.
Michel Brunner
Delémont, canton Jura: Declared a natural monument in 1980, this linden oak avenue gets fresh trees whenever needed.
Michel Brunner
Collina d’Oro, canton Ticino: The column cypress, also known as the Italian cypress, is one of the most typical avenue trees in southern Europe.
Michel Brunner
Satigny, canton Geneva: The trunk circumference of a hybrid nut tree can be up to 4.65 metres. These trees are nearly 200 years old.
Michel Brunner
Feldbrunnen-St Niklaus, canton Solothurn: Created in 1685, this tilia avenue is supposed to link heaven and earth.
Michel Brunner
Kriens, canton Lucerne: Because it was a poor region when avenues were all the rage, central Switzerland has few like this one featuring larch trees.
Michel Brunner
Schlosswil, canton Bern: Teeming with castles, canton Bern also has many avenues such as this linden one from the early 18th century.
Michel Brunner
Düdingen, canton Fribourg: With its mixed tree avenue, this landscape is considered one of the most picturesque in Switzerland.
Michel Brunner
Like dutiful guards, the trees stand at attention. The peace, the play of shadows and the rustling of the leaves make it a special nature experience. A new book features the tree-lined avenues of Switzerland.
Michel Brunner (photographer), Ester Unterfinger (picture editor)
Avenues have been significant and versatile components of cultivated landscapes for centuries. Their history goes back to antiquity. They were created for reasons of aesthetics, protection, timber production and landscaping. Switzerland adopted the concept of the landscaped avenue from France.
In the 17th century, avenues made their way into the German-speaking world as tree-lined shade paths became a typical part of Baroque gardens. In addition, rows of elms were planted in the open countryside, and their wood was used to produce military wagons. From the 18th to the early 20th century, leafy streets conquered the landscape.
Not even half remain
But countless trees fell victim to the widening of old streets and the construction of new ones. According to a study by the Swiss Foundation for Landscape ConservationExternal link, far more than half of all European avenues disappeared in the second half of the 20th century.
With his photo book Alleen der SchweizExternal link (Swiss Avenues), photographer Michel Brunner highlights the beauty of this cultural asset while fostering support for its protection. The tree-lover has photographed and inventoried over 3,000 old and unusual trees and large bushes around Switzerland.
Include non-native species in biodiversity reports, says study
This content was published on
Biodiversity studies should include not only indigenous species but also the contributions of introduced species, says a Geneva University study.
This content was published on
In autumn, Switzerland’s beech trees are aflame with red leaves. However, they struggle with the higher temperatures that come with climate change.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.