The 26th European Heritage Days in Switzerland will explore the theme of "Colours" and its impact on the quality of life.

The role of colours in our everyday lives can be interpreted in the aesthetic, historical, political and economic context. Colours are important to a country's cultural identity and the ways people experience its cities and architecture. On 14 and 15 September, over 300 cultural sites in Switzerland will show their true colours to visitors who are eager to explore the stories behind each colour and technique.

Hundreds of guided tours, walks, workshops and roundtable talks will take place throughout the country to promote the colourful built heritage of Switzerland. Rediscovering the use of colour in public spaces, the theme will answer the questions of how the current revision of the Planning Act influences the choice of colours in public space, and how the choice affects the lives of the people in the region.

Colourful Swiss Heritage to be explored in different Regions

Local and international visitors will have a special opportunity to explore the diverse cultural heritage of Switzerland. With each canton having its characteristic colour, dialect and architectural identity, it will be a unique chance to discover each as a unique cultural landscape and trace its connections to a larger, shared identity.

Dedicated specialists will guide the public through different eras, and analyse the origins of different styles, forms and techniques behind colours of cultural sites. Dark green tapestries, grey concrete churches and polychrome facades of different eras will shine a new light on the importance of the local built heritage. From the powerful purple in the Middle Ages to the Bern green and Basel red today, European Heritage Days in Switzerland will analyse the political, technical and economic implications of colours and their power to evoke different feelings.

European Heritage Days visitors will be offered a wide range of participatory events such as the open day in a paint factory in Bern, where the public will be able to learn more about the manufacture of colours. A cinema walk in Zurich will trace the evolution of colour in cinema, while the Colour Kitchen workshop in Muri will allow visitors to immerse themselves in the creative work of restorers and try different colouring techniques.

The archaeology departments and historical monuments of the Swiss cantons and cities, together with numerous institutions and individual heritage enthusiasts, come together each year to organise the largest heritage festival in the country. The Federal Office of Culture (BAK), the Swiss Foundation Pro Patria and the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences SAGW regularly support the festival with substantial financial contributions. This year, the foundation Ernst Göhner joins the list of contributors. The following organisations are taking part as partners for 2019: The Federation of Swiss Architects BSA, the Society for Swiss Art History GSK, the Conference of Swiss Cantonal Conservators KSD, the Conference of Swiss Cantonal Archaeologists KSKA, the Swiss UNESCO Commission, the Swiss Association for Conservation and Restoration SKR, the Association of Historic Railways Switzerland HECH, the Association for the Preservation of the Audiovisual Cultural Heritage of Switzerland Memoriav. Official sponsors are Fontana & Fontana AG, Keimfarben AG and Max Schweizer AG.

For more information, visit the official website and download the free programme brochure.