The 5 Objectives

To strengthen awareness of the Alps

The Alpine Town of the Year is part of the Alps and therefore has a share in this precious living, cultural and natural environment in the heart of Europe. The Alpine Town of the Year assumes a special responsibility for the preservation of the cultural and natural heritage, and endeavours to ensure that it is developed in a sustainable way.

To involve the population

The activities and events organised as part of the Alpine Town of the Year are public. All interested persons and associations (from trade and industry, art and ecology) can and should take part with their own projects. Children and adolescents are to be given special scope as they should be allowed to develop and articulate their needs and interests as adults of the future.

To consolidate ties with the region

Towns are bridges: firstly to neighbouring regions and secondly to more distant areas beyond the alpine region itself. The Alpine Town of the Year reflects its functions and interactions with the regions in question. It seeks genuine opportunities for a "new partnership" between the urban and the rural.

To shape the future sustainably

The Alpine Town of the Year acknowledges the principles of the Alpine Convention, its concept for sustainable development in the alpine region. The Alpine Town of the Year undertakes to take real and innovative steps towards implementation in as many of the twelve areas of the Alpine Convention (e.g. energy, transport, culture, protection of nature, etc.) as possible, and to see them through.

To develop co-operation

The Alpine Town of the Year develops and nurtures close contacts with other towns in the Alps to exchange experience and draw up common interests as alpine towns. In the following year the Alpine Town puts special emphasis on towns outside the alpine region, particularly in its partner towns.