Storen, UNESCO World Heritage Site in Canton of Zürich, Switzerland
Storen is an archaeological site in Greifensee in the Zürich region where remains of settlements from different cultures have been found spanning several millennia. The remains lie partly underwater and include wooden posts, pottery, flint and copper tools, and other everyday objects from the Neolithic period through the Corded Ceramic culture.
The settlement of Storen was built in different phases over several centuries, with finds from the Pfyn, Horgen, and Corded Ceramic cultures. Scientists have determined that one of these settlements was destroyed by fire after about ten years and was never rebuilt.
The name Storen comes from the local landscape and refers to the shoreline location where early communities built their homes. Today, visitors walking through the area can see the land as these people used it thousands of years ago, understanding how closely their lives were tied to the lake and surrounding forests.
The site is easily accessible from nearby towns via walking and cycling paths, and there are wheelchair-accessible routes along the shoreline. The best time to visit extends from early spring through late autumn when the weather is mild and paths are easy to navigate.
The wooden posts of the ancient settlement lie several meters underwater, but when water levels drop, they sometimes become visible and offer visitors a rare glimpse of the original structure of the houses. This phenomenon makes Storen a special place where the distant past can literally surface.
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