Official directory of towns and cities
This directory contains the names, perimeters and post codes of all localities in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
All Switzerland’s localities in a single database
A locality (town, city, village) is a geographically defined developed area that is of national importance and which may also incorporate secondary residential zones. Each location is designated by an unambiguous place name and a unique post code.
When searches are carried out on the Internet or with the aid of a navigation device, place names are the most commonly entered search parameters. A place name also forms an integral part of the postal address of a building. The Federal Office of Topography swisstopo compiles, manages and publishes the official directory of towns and cities as a dataset (“PLZO_CH”) listing the names, postcodes and perimeters of all localities in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
Status of the directory
swisstopo constantly updates the data based on input from the cantons and Swiss Post. Every month it posts an updated version online that can be downloaded free of charge.
Utilisation of the directory
The official directory of towns and cities can be used for a broad variety of tasks:
- For carrying out analyses that require a spatial reference to Switzerland’s addressing system
- In combination with other geodata sets
- As a visual background for orientation in global information and CAD systems
- For comprehensive statistical analyses and simulations
- As a reference dataset for the development of information systems.
The directory is a valuable tool in cases in which important localities do not take the form of political municipalities, for example for political analyses or within the framework of initiatives and referenda where there is a need to verify signatures.
Additional information
File formats
The official directory of towns and cities is available in the following file formats:
- ESRI File Geodatabase
- ESRI Shapefile
- Interlis 1
- CSV (Excel)
Coordinate systems
The official directory of towns and cities is available in the following coordinate systems:
- LV03
- LV95
- WGS84 (CSV only)
Updates
The official directory of towns and cities is updated monthly as of the first of each month. Changes relating to the official directory of towns and cities are registered and reported by the relevant cantonal authorities and Swiss Post. If something should nonetheless be overlooked, it can be notified directly to the relevant cantonal surveying authority.
Production information and release notes are not available in English. Please select your preferred language in the navigation bar to view the documents.
P.O. Box
3084 Wabern
- Tel.
- +41 58 469 01 11
Relevant authority
Geodesy and Federal Directorate of Cadastral Surveying