The 2023 Wakker Prize has been awarded to the town of Lichtensteig in the canton of St.Gallen. The conference of presidents of the Swiss Heritage Society is thereby recognizing the work of the town in Toggenburg to revitalize brownfield sites and the old town and to find new uses for large spaces and sites.
The Prize has been awarded each year since 1972. It honors municipalities that develop their townscapes and settlements in a special way.
With its arcades and old town houses from the 16th to 18th centuries, Lichtensteig is a national cultural treasure. The old town and its industrial buildings are a testament to Lichtensteig being a wealthy trading town in the rural Toggenburg region for centuries. Famous former residents include the mathematician, astronomer and instrument maker Jost Bürgi (1552 to 1632), who reportedly invented the second here.
However, from the 1970s the local economy started its slow decline and hundreds of jobs were lost. Until recently, the population was steadily shrinking. Politicians, entrepreneurs and locals then joined forces to take action. Now, as the jury acknowledges, Lichtensteig is a proud “Mini.Stadt” that offers space at reasonable prices for people to realize their visions and ideas.
For example, the Areal Stadtufer industrial area has been given a new identity as a collective, considered and varied space, transformed into a cultural center with workshops, craft shops and housing. Through this and other initiatives, Lichtensteig’s “active strategy” has enabled the town to “attract new residents and keep existing inhabitants, encourage cultural projects and strengthen the town’s character as a hub for the rural region”.
