This little linguistic study presents a semantic analysis of the word 'landscape' as it occurs in a number of government texts of the last 40 years that are fundamental for nature and landscape protection in Switzerland. The use of the word 'landscape' in each text mirrors the political development of the concept, which in turn is a response to the outcome of implemented policies.
We first observe a shift from the original 'picture' concept of landscape as a visual experience and at the same time an emotional experience, landscape as home for people, to the concept of landscape as a physical location where biological processes take place.
Then there is a shift back to the social and psychological aspects of the landscape focussing on people's needs and activities in the landscape so that the invisible aspects of the landscape become the dominant features and the idea of the picture finally disappears.