Zurich’s party hotspot Langstrasse shoots for UNESCO World Heritage status

While not always praised for its nightlife, Switzerland certainly has one place that is known for a good party. So much so that the owner of Olé Olé Bar in Zurich believes that the city’s party street, Langstrasse, should be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Why a Zurich bar owner launched the UNESCO campaign 

Switzerland already boasts 13 UNESCO World Heritage sites, and most of these are set in the idyllic Swiss countryside rather than the country’s urban metropolises. This could all change as a petition has been launched which, if successful, could see Zurich’s Langstrasse recognised by UNESCO.

Elena Nierlich, owner of the Olé Olé Bar, is collecting signatures because she believes that Langstrasse, an area in Zurich known for its nightlife, is “Zurich’s cultural melting pot.”

Nierlich wants to collect enough support to ask the Zurich council to apply to UNESCO. Signature forms are available at the Olé Olé Bar and at 12 other bars and restaurants in the area. According to Watson, the proposal is “already receiving prominent support.”

Zurich’s Langstrasse offers a different side of Switzerland

The street can be found west of Zurich Hauptbahnhof, where residents can hop from restaurant to bar to nightclub until late at night. In contrast to the country’s mountains and lakes, “Langstrasse represents a different Switzerland”, continues Watson.

“Anyone who has ever philosophised with a taxi driver at four in the morning on the side of the road with a doner kebab in hand knows that this experience is unique in the world," continues Nierlich.

Getting added to the UNESCO World Heritage List requires applicants to meet one of 10 requirements, ranging from “represent[ing] a masterpiece of human creative genius” to “exhibit[ing] an important interchange of human values”. Read more about the process on the UNESCO World Heritage Convention website.