# Schweizer Seilbahninventar

Schweizer Seilbahninventar (also French: Inventaire suisse des installations à câbles, Italian: Inventario svizzero degli impianti a fune, literally Swiss Inventory of Cableways) was published in 2011 by the Federal Office of Culture. Of about 3000 cableways in Switzerland, the heritage inventory assesses 67 as of national importance and 44 as of regional importance in terms of the Swiss Federal Act on the nature and cultural heritage. It also includes 18 noteworthy more recent systems. Installations are included for their cultural or technological significance. The inventory covers aerial cableways (aerial tramways, gondola lifts, chair lifts, material ropeways), funiculars and ski lifts. Classifications applied are those of Swiss authorities. It does not cover inclined elevators, mobile lifts and installations part of residential, military or industrial building complexes.

## Project

Mandated by the Federal Office of Culture, the inventory was prepared by Karin Zaugg, Michael Gerber, Peter Bannwart, Thomas Batschelet, Erwin Bloch, Stefan Kraus, Brigitte Müller and Rudolf Saum.
They were advised by a commission from the following agencies and organisations:
* Federal Office of Transport BAV/OFT: Urs Wohlwend
* Federal Commission for Monument Preservation [de] EKD/CFMH: Bernhard Furrer
* Verband Seilbahnen Schweiz/Remontées Mécaniques Suisses SBS: Anna Amacher Hoppler and Fulvio Sartori
* Interkantonales Konkordat für Seilbahnen und Skilifte/Concordat intercantonal sur les téléphériques et les téléskis IKSS/CITT: Reto Canale
* Society for Art History in Switzerland GSK/SHAS: Nina Mekacher
At the Federal Office of Culture, Oliver Martin was in charge of the project and Reto Müller of the publication
The project started in January 2008 and most onsite inspections took place in 2009. The inventory was completed in 2010 and aimed to reflect the state at end of 2010.
From the initial list of 2934 installations, 175 were evaluated in detail and 129 included in the published list.
All installations existed in 2010, but may not have been operational in years or have been dismantled since.

## Entries

Each entry includes:
* two identifiers:
** an alphanumeric or numeric identifier.
** a 5-digit identifier.
* location
* the initials of the evaluators for the entry: on-site visit and inventorisation
* general description of the cableway
* summary evaluation
* detailed evaluation: concept, technology, architecture, authenticity, history, location, local infrastructure
* appendices:
** technical data
** years of components
** other inventories/heritage registries
** images
Each section of a cableway is generally included separately.
Cableways by type and importance :
| Type | National | Regional | Recent | Total |
| Aerial cableways | 43 | 22 | 13 | 78 |
| Funiculars | 12 | 13 | 3 | 28 |
| Skilifts | 12 | 9 | 2 | 23 |
| Total | 67 | 44 | 18 | 129 |
Cableways by canton and importance :
| Canton | National | Regional | Recent | Total |
| Bern | 18 | 8 | 2 | 28 |
| Valais | 10 | 5 | 5 | 20 |
| Ticino | 6 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| Graubünden | 8 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| Nidwalden | 7 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Glarus | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| Schwyz | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| Vaud | 3 | 2 | - | 5 |
| St. Gallen | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Uri | - | 5 | - | 5 |
| other | 7 | 5 | 4 | 16 |
| Total | 67 | 44 | 18 | 129 |

## Funiculars

Of the 129 cableways, 28 are funiculars.

### Funiculars of national importance

Twelve funiculars are considered of national importance, these are:
Operating in 2022:
* Giessbachbahn
* Handegg – Gelmersee
* Interlaken – Heimwehfluh
* Reichenbachfallbahn
* Neuveville – St-Pierre (Fribourg)
* Kehrsiten – Bürgenstock
* Stans – Kälti
* Locarno – Madonna del Sasso
* Les Avants – Sonloup
Others:
* Lugano Angioli, closed 4 October 1986 (38 years ago) (1986-10-04)
* Harissenbucht (Stansstad) – Fürigen, closed 31 October 2005 (19 years ago) (2005-10-31)
* Le Châtelard VS – Les Montuires, closed in 2022

### Funiculars of regional importance

13 of regional importance consists of:
* Kriens – Sonnenberg
* Lugano Paradiso – M. San Salvatore
* Treib – Seelisberg
* Niesenbahn (2 sections)
* Monté Bré (2 sections)
The sections are included separately.
Also the following not built for commercial transport of persons:
* Handegg – Handeggfluh
* Piotta – Ritom
* Urweid – Chapf
* Lochezen
* Schiebuwaldji
* Bootstransportbahn Rupperswil-Auenstein

### Recent funiculars

3 recent funiculars were included:
* Université de Neuchâtel - Gare CFF, Fun'Ambule
* Sierre - Montana-Crans
* Airside-Center - Dock-E (Skymetro)

## Editions

The inventory is published online. The public version only lists the installations of importance (129). A summary booklet was published in print and as pdf. The German original was partially translated into French and Italian and prefaced by Jean-Frédéric Jauslin of the Federal Office of Culture.
The online version includes a history of cableways in Switzerland by Karin Zaugg, Seilbahnen in der Schweiz. Hintergrund.
The website was conceived to be editable. As of April 2023, year on "impressum" is 2011.

## Use

The inventory is meant to guide the federal and cantonal agencies (notably Federal Office of Transport and the IKSS/CITT office) when delivering concessions for the infrastructure.
A review published in 2018 found that a large part of the installations had ceased operation or continued operation was endangered. A detailed overview for aerial cableways was included.
Aerial cableways in 2018 :
| Operational status | National | Regional | Recent | Total |
| red (dismantled or ceased operation) | 9 | 7 | | 16 |
| orange (operation unclear or endangered) | 8 | 3 | | 11 |
| green (operational) | 26 | 12 | 13 | 51 |
| Total | 43 | 22 | 13 | 78 |
The canton of Nidwalden took it in account when elaborating its 2019 strategy on cableways.