By Bill Harby
Congratulations Moudon. This enchanting hamlet is the newest official member of a coterie of beautiful historic Swiss villages.
Moudon, Vaud. Source: Roland Zumbühl of Picswiss
Generally, the Swiss don’t like to brag. Even when it comes to cheeses, chocolate and direct democracy, they’re more likely to just offer you a taste and let you decide for yourself.
But when it comes to the many historic villages that dot the countryside, the taciturn Swiss can get quite gabby. They even have a formal beauty contest each year to name the country’s most beautiful villages.
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The Association of the Most Beautiful Swiss Villages currently lists 27 little towns – 14 within the western French-speaking region, 8 within the German-speaking area, and 5 within the Italian-speaking south. To be eligible, a village must have fewer than 10,000 residents and show commitment to preserving its heritage. It also helps if the village looks like it’s out of a fairytale with a small castle and/or medieval clock tower.
Swiss village beauty goes global – Spain, June 2017
In June 2017, Swiss representatives travelled to Spain to have the Swiss association join the international Federation of The Most Beautiful Villages of the World. At the stroke of a pen Switzerland’s 27 village beauties became part of the world’s 500 most photogenic small towns.
Here’s the list of Switzerland’s 2017 winners.
More on this:
Moudon town press release (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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