The Wakker Prize (German: Wakkerpreis, French: Prix Wakker, Italian: Premio Wakker) is awarded annually by the
Swiss Heritage Society to a
Municipality of Switzerland for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage.
At the beginning, the prize honoured municipalities which did special needs for preservation of the old towns. Recently,[when?] the prize also honours municipalities that develop their townscapes on a specific leading point. This might be an estimated use of an old industrial facility or a successful combination between old and new basic structure of a building.
In 2005, the prize was given to the
Swiss Federal Railways, rather than a municipality, because of the jubilee of the Swiss Heritage Society.
The prize is named for
Henri-Louis Wakker, a banker and benefactor of the Swiss Heritage Society.
Criteria
To get this prize, municipalities have to follow the named criteria:
A visible, qualitative development and upgrading of townscape in a contemporary manner.
To be respectful towards with old settlement pattern.
An active input for above-average architectural quality, due to a good example of the municipality.
The current place-planning prefers the development of the prize.
At the end are following issues important for the overall assessment, protection of the area, sustainability, traffic planning and residential quality.