Zürich has recognised “techno culture” as part of its UNESCO “intangible cultural heritage.”
“The development of techno culture in Zürich, with the Street Parade and a very distinctive club scene, lends Zürich a young, open, hedonistic and international reputation,” Walter Leimgruber, professor of cultural studies at Basel university and a member of the steering committee who helped make the UNESCO selections, told Limmattaler Zeitung.
The decision acknowledges dance music’s importance to Zürich but doesn’t bring with it any laws, funding or tax breaks. (In Berlin, Berghain received significant tax breaks after a German court ruled it was a place of cultural value alongside theatres and museums.)
The UNESCO website says that the idea behind giving things “intangible cultural heritage” status is “to support Member States in their efforts to preserve the world’s cultural diversity in a constantly changing international environment.”
There were 35 new entries to the list from across Switzerland, mostly focussing on urban traditions.