Medieval Monuments in Kosovo

Medieval Monuments in Kosovo

The four edifices of the site reflect the high points of the Byzantine-Romanesque ecclesiastical culture, with its distinct style of wall painting, which developed in the Balkans between the 13th and 17th centuries. The Dečani Monastery was built in the mid-14th century for the Serbian king Stefan Dečanski and is also his mausoleum. The Patriarchate of Peć Monastery is a group of four domed churches featuring series of wall paintings. The 13th-century frescoes of the Church of Holy Apostles are painted in a unique, monumental style. Early 14th-century frescoes in the church of the Holy Virgin of Ljevisa represent the appearance of the new so-called Palaiologian Renaissance style, combining the influences of the eastern Orthodox Byzantine and the Western Romanesque traditions. The style played a decisive role in subsequent Balkan art.

Serbia

Autonomous province of Kosovo

N42 39 40 E20 15 56

Date of Inscription: 2004

Extension: 2006

Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)

Property : 2.88 ha

Buffer zone: 115 ha

Ref: 724bis

Source:  http://whc.unesco.org

Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata

Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata

When Vesuvius erupted on 24 August AD 79, it engulfed the two flourishing Roman towns of Pompei and Herculaneum, as well as the many wealthy villas in the area. These have been progressively excavated and made accessible to the public since the mid-18th century. The vast expanse of the commercial town of Pompei contrasts with the smaller but better-preserved remains of the holiday resort of Herculaneum, while the superb wall paintings of the Villa Oplontis at Torre Annunziata give a vivid impression of the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by the wealthier citizens of the Early Roman Empire.

Italy

Province of Naples, Campania

N40 45 0 E14 28 60

Date of Inscription: 1997

Criteria: (iii)(iv)(v)

Property : 98 ha

Buffer zone: 24 ha

Ref: 829

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

The Dolomites

  The Dolomites

The site of the Dolomites comprises a mountain range in the northern Italian Alps, numbering 18 peaks which rise to above 3,000 metres and cover 141,903 ha. It features some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere, with vertical walls, sheer cliffs and a high density of narrow, deep and long valleys. A serial property of nine areas that present a diversity of spectacular landscapes of international significance for geomorphology marked by steeples, pinnacles and rock walls, the site also contains glacial landforms and karst systems. It is characterized by dynamic processes with frequent landslides, floods and avalanches. The property also features one of the best examples of the preservation of Mesozoic carbonate platform systems, with fossil records.

Italy

N46 36 47 E12 9 47

Date of Inscription: 2009

Criteria: (vii)(viii)

Property : 141,903 ha

Buffer zone: 89,267 ha

Ref: 1237rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora

Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora

The site features the remains of a city founded by Dorian Greeks in the 5th century BC on the northern shores of the Black Sea. It encompasses six component sites with urban remains and agricultural lands divided into several hundreds of chora, rectangular plots of equal size. The plots supported vineyards whose production was exported by the city which thrived until the 15th century. The site features several public building complexes and residential neighbourhoods, as well as early Christian monuments alongside remains from Stone and Bronze Age settlements; Roman and medieval tower fortifications and water supply systems; and exceptionally well-preserved examples of vineyard planting and dividing walls. In the 3rd century AD, the site was known as the most productive wine centre of the Black Sea and remained a hub of exchange between the Greek, Roman and Byzantine Empires and populations north of the Black Sea. It is an outstanding example of democratic land organization linked to an ancient polis, reflecting the city’s social organization.

Ukraine

N44 36 39 E33 29 29

Date of Inscription: 2013

Criteria: (ii)(v)

Property : 259 ha

Buffer zone: 3,041 ha

Ref: 1411

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Construction of the Dujiangyan irrigation system began in the 3rd century B.C. This system still controls the waters of the Minjiang River and distributes it to the fertile farmland of the Chengdu plains. Mount Qingcheng was the birthplace of Taoism, which is celebrated in a series of ancient temples.

China

Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province

N31 0 6.012 E103 36 19.008

Date of Inscription: 2000

Criteria: (ii)(iv)(vi)

Ref: 1001

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

  Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

The ensemble of buildings, sports facilities and open spaces of the Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), was built from 1949 to 1952 by more than 60 architects, engineers and artists who were involved in the project. As a result, the campus constitutes a unique example of 20th-century modernism integrating urbanism, architecture, engineering, landscape design and fine arts with references to local traditions, especially to Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past. The ensemble embodies social and cultural values of universal significance and is one of the most significant icons of modernity in Latin America.

Mexico

Mexico City

N19 19 56 W99 11 17

Date of Inscription: 2007

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)

Property : 177 ha

Buffer zone: 1,102 ha

Ref: 1250

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco

 Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco

Built in the 16th century by the Spanish on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the old Aztec capital, Mexico City is now one of the world's largest and most densely populated cities. It has five Aztec temples, the ruins of which have been identified, a cathedral (the largest on the continent) and some fine 19th- and 20th-century public buildings such as the Palacio de las Bellas Artes. Xochimilco lies 28 km south of Mexico City. With its network of canals and artificial islands, it testifies to the efforts of the Aztec people to build a habitat in the midst of an unfavourable environment. Its characteristic urban and rural structures, built since the 16th century and during the colonial period; have been preserved in an exceptional manner.

Mexico

District Federal. Delegations: Cuauhtemoc, Venustiano Carranza et Xochimilco

N19 25 5.988 W99 7 58.008

Date of Inscription: 1987

Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)(v)

Ref: 412

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Central Sikhote-Alin

The Sikhote-Alin mountain range contains one the richest and most unusual temperate forests of the world. In this mixed zone between taiga and subtropics, southern species such as the tiger and Himalayan bear cohabit with northern species such as the brown bear and lynx. The site stretches from the peaks of Sikhote-Alin to the Sea of Japan and is important for the survival of many endangered species such as the Amur tiger.

Russian Federation

Ternejski, Krasnoarmejski, Dalnegorski, and Pozharski Districts, Primorski Region

N45 19 60 E136 10 0

Date of Inscription: 2001

Criteria: (x)

Property : 406,177 ha

Ref: 766rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret

The city of Le Havre, on the English Channel in Normandy, was severely bombed during the Second World War. The destroyed area was rebuilt according to the plan of a team headed by Auguste Perret, from 1945 to 1964. The site forms the administrative, commercial and cultural centre of Le Havre. Le Havre is exceptional among many reconstructed cities for its unity and integrity. It combines a reflection of the earlier pattern of the town and its extant historic structures with the new ideas of town planning and construction technology. It is an outstanding post-war example of urban planning and architecture based on the unity of methodology and the use of prefabrication, the systematic utilization of a modular grid, and the innovative exploitation of the potential of concrete.

France

Department of Seine-Maritime, Region of Haute-Normandie

N49 29 34.008 E0 6 27

Date of Inscription: 2005

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 133 ha

Buffer zone: 114 ha

Ref: 1181

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay

Perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to powerful tides between Normandy and Brittany stand the 'Wonder of the West', a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the archangel St Michael, and the village that grew up in the shadow of its great walls. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, the abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force, having had to adapt to the problems posed by this unique natural site.

France

Department of Manche, Region of Basse-Normandie

N48 38 8.016 W1 30 38.016

Date of Inscription: 1979

Minor modification inscribed year: 2007

Criteria: (i)(iii)(vi)

Property : 6,560 ha

Buffer zone: 57,510 ha

Ref: 80bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island

Brief Description

The Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island site coincides with the core zone of La Réunion National Park. The property covers more than 100,000 ha or 40 % of La Réunion, an island comprising two adjoining volcanic massifs located in the south-west of the Indian Ocean. Dominated by two towering volcanic peaks, massive walls and three cliff-rimmed cirques, the property includes a great variety of rugged terrain and impressive escarpments, forested gorges and basins creating a visually striking landscape. It is the natural habitat for a wide diversity of plants, presenting a high level of endemism. There are subtropical rainforests, cloud forests and heaths creating a remarkable and visually appealing mosaic of ecosystems and landscape features.

France

S21 5 58 E55 28 48

Date of Inscription: 2010

Criteria: (vii)(x)

Property : 105,838 ha

Buffer zone: 11,729 ha

Ref: 1317

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Strasbourg – Grande île

 
Surrounded by two arms of the River Ill, the Grande Ile (Big Island) is the historic centre of the Alsatian capital. It has an outstanding complex of monuments within a fairly small area. The cathedral, the four ancient churches and the Palais Rohan – former residence of the prince-bishops – far from appearing as isolated monuments, form a district that is characteristic of a medieval town and illustrates Strasbourg's evolution from the 15th to the 18th century.

France

Department of Bas-Rhin, Alsace Region

N48 34 53 E7 43 48

Date of Inscription: 1988

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)

Property : 94 ha

Ref: 495

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari

Brief Description

Discovered in 1982 near the village of Sveshtari, this 3rd-century BC Thracian tomb reflects the fundamental structural principles of Thracian cult buildings. The tomb has a unique architectural decor, with polychrome half-human, half-plant caryatids and painted murals. The 10 female figures carved in high relief on the walls of the central chamber and the decoration of the lunette in its vault are the only examples of this type found so far in the Thracian lands. It is a remarkable reminder of the culture of the Getes, a Thracian people who were in contact with the Hellenistic and Hyperborean worlds, according to ancient geographers.

Bulgaria

Razgrad Province

N43 40 0.012 E26 40 0.012

Date of Inscription: 1985

Criteria: (i)(iii)

Property : 648 ha

Ref: 359

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Boyana Church

Brief Description

Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The eastern church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second two storey building to be erected next to it. The frescoes in this second church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. The ensemble is completed by a third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art.

Bulgaria

Boyana district, Sofia

N42 38 60 E23 16 0

Date of Inscription: 1979

Criteria: (ii)(iii)

Property : 0.68 ha

Buffer zone: 14 ha

Ref: 42

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Srebarna Nature Reserve

Brief Description

The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube and extending over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, many of which are rare or endangered. Some 80 other bird species migrate and seek refuge there every winter. Among the most interesting bird species are the Dalmatian pelican, great egret, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill.

Bulgaria

Village of Srebarna, Province of Silistra; 16 km west of the town of Silistra and 1 km south of the Danube

N44 6 51.984 E27 4 41.016

Date of Inscription: 1983

Minor modification inscribed year: 2008

Criteria: (x)

Property : 638 ha

Buffer zone: 673 ha

Ref: 219bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak

Brief Description

Discovered in 1944, this tomb dates from the Hellenistic period, around the end of the 4th century BC. It is located near Seutopolis, the capital city of the Thracian king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis. The tholos has a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing Thracian burial rituals and culture. These paintings are Bulgaria’s best-preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period.

Bulgaria

Kazanlak, Province of Stara Zagora

N42 37 0 E25 23 60

Date of Inscription: 1979

Criteria: (i)(iii)(iv)

Property : 0.02 ha

Buffer zone: 7.09 ha

Ref: 44

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Madara Rider

Brief Description

The Madara Rider, representing the figure of a knight triumphing over a lion, is carved into a 100-m-high cliff near the village of Madara in north-east Bulgaria. Madara was the principal sacred place of the First Bulgarian Empire before Bulgaria’s conversion to Christianity in the 9th century. The inscriptions beside the sculpture tell of events that occurred between AD 705 and 801.

Bulgaria

Village of Madara, Province of Shumen

N43 17 60 E27 8 60

Date of Inscription: 1979

Criteria: (i)(iii)

Property : 1.20 ha

Buffer zone: 502 ha

Ref: 43

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley

 Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley

Situated in the lush Lenggong Valley, the property includes four archaeological sites in two clusters which span close to 2 million years, one of the longest records of early man in a single locality, and the oldest outside the African continent. It features open-air and cave sites with Palaeolithic tool workshops, evidence of early technology. The number of sites found in the relatively contained area suggests the presence of a fairly large, semi-sedentary population with cultural remains from the Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Metal ages.

Malaysia

N5 4 4.47 E100 58 20.38

Date of Inscription: 2012

Criteria: (iii)(iv)

Property : 399 ha

Buffer zone: 1,787 ha

Ref: 1396

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn

Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn

The protohistoric site of Bat lies near a palm grove in the interior of the Sultanate of Oman. Together with the neighbouring sites, it forms the most complete collection of settlements and necropolises from the 3rd millennium B.C. in the world.

Oman

Al Dhahira region

N23 16 11.496 E56 44 42

Date of Inscription: 1988

Criteria: (iii)(iv)

Ref: 434

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Levuka Historical Port Town

 

Brief Description

The town and its low line of buildings set among coconut and mango trees along the beach front was the first colonial capital of Fiji, ceded to the British in 1874. It developed from the early 19th century as a centre of commercial activity by Americans and Europeans who built warehouses, stores, port facilities, residences, and religious, educational and social institutions around the villages of the South Pacific island’s indigenous population. It is a rare example of a late colonial port town that was influenced in its development by the indigenous community which continued to outnumber the European settlers. Thus the town, an outstanding example of late 19th century Pacific port settlements, reflects the integration of local building traditions by a supreme naval power, leading to the emergence of a unique landscape.

Fiji

S17 41 0.16 E178 50 4.32

Date of Inscription: 2013

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 70 ha

Buffer zone: 363 ha

Ref: 1399

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc

Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc

This memorial column, erected in the early years of the 18th century, is the most outstanding example of a type of monument specific to central Europe. In the characteristic regional style known as Olomouc Baroque and rising to a height of 35 m, it is decorated with many fine religious sculptures, the work of the distinguished Moravian artist Ondrej Zahner.

Czech Republic

Olomouc Region

N49 35 38.17 E17 15 01.65

Date of Inscription: 2000

Criteria: (i)(iv)

Property : 0.02 ha

Buffer zone: 75 ha

Ref: 859rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė)

 Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė)

The Kernavė Archaeological site, about 35 km north-west of Vilnius in eastern Lithuania, represents an exceptional testimony to some 10 millennia of human settlements in this region. Situated in the valley of the River Neris, the site is a complex ensemble of archaeological properties, encompassing the town of Kernavė, forts, some unfortified settlements, burial sites and other archaeological, historical and cultural monuments from the late Palaeolithic Period to the Middle Ages. The site of 194,4 ha has preserved the traces of ancient land-use, as well as remains of five impressive hill forts, part of an exceptionally large defence system. Kernavė was an important feudal town in the Middle Ages. The town was destroyed by the Teutonic Order in the late 14th century, however the site remained in use until modern times.

Lithuania

Vilnius county, Širvintos district, Kernave town.

N54 53 16 E24 49 50

Date of Inscription: 2004

Criteria: (iii)(iv)

Property : 194 ha

Buffer zone: 2,455 ha

Ref: 1137

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

The island of Itsukushima, in the Seto inland sea, has been a holy place of Shintoism since the earliest times. The first shrine buildings here were probably erected in the 6th century. The present shrine dates from the 12th century and the harmoniously arranged buildings reveal great artistic and technical skill. The shrine plays on the contrasts in colour and form between mountains and sea and illustrates the Japanese concept of scenic beauty, which combines nature and human creativity.

Japan

Hiroshima Prefecture

N34 17 39.9 E132 19 28.7

Date of Inscription: 1996

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)(vi)

Property : 431 ha

Buffer zone: 2,634 ha

Ref: 776

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)

 Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)

Built in A.D. 794 on the model of the capitals of ancient China, Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan from its foundation until the middle of the 19th century. As the centre of Japanese culture for more than 1,000 years, Kyoto illustrates the development of Japanese wooden architecture, particularly religious architecture, and the art of Japanese gardens, which has influenced landscape gardening the world over.

Japan

Kyoto and Shiga prefectures

N34 58 50 E135 46 10

Date of Inscription: 1994

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 1,056 ha

Buffer zone: 3,579 ha

Ref: 688

Source: http://whc.unesco.org