Swiss Civil Code

¹Own­er­less and pub­lic ob­jects are sub­ject to the sov­er­eignty of the can­ton on whose ter­rit­ory they are situ­ated.

²No rights of private own­er­ship ap­ply to pub­lic wa­ters or to land not suit­able for cul­tiv­a­tion, such as rocks and scree, firn and gla­ciers, or to springs rising there­from, un­less proof to the con­trary is pro­duced.

³The can­tons shall en­act the pro­vi­sions re­quired to gov­ern the ap­pro­pri­ation of own­er­less land, ex­ploit­a­tion and com­mon use of pub­lic ob­jects such as roads, town and vil­lage squares, wa­ter­ways and ri­ver­beds.