The Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps are the remains of prehistoric settlements in the lakes and moors around the Alps. The World Heritage Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps consists of 111 locations spread over six countries around the Alps: Austria, France, Germany, Slovenia, Switzerland and Italy. The prehistoric pile dwellings, also known as palafittes or stilt houses, were built between 5000 and 500 BC. The remains of these prehistoric pile dwellings provide a lively insight into the lives of the early agricultural societies and the development of ancient farming techniques around the Alps. Due to the rising water level most of the remains of the prehistoric wooden pile dwellings are not visible, now they only can be found underwater. A number of pile dwelling museums houses collections of objects discovered by archaeologists during their research, the objects mainly include pottery and tools, they fell into the lakes during the prehistoric daily life or when the wooden pile dwellings collapsed over the course of time. Some locations of the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps are the Islet of Virginia on Lake Varese in Italy, the Mondsee Lake in Austria and Unteruhldingen on Lake Constance (German: Bodensee) in Germany. The Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2011. World Heritage Art: Palafitte
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The Islet of Virginia is one of the locations of the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps in northern Italy. Excavations in the 19th century revealed the remains of prehistoric pile dwellings on the Islet of Virginia. The islet is situated on Lake Varese, it is part of the Italian municipality of Biandronno. On the Islet of Virginia is a small museum and an outdoor didactic path, only open on Saterday and Sunday. The Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2011.
