Kronborg Castle

Brief Description

Located on a strategically important site commanding the Sund, the stretch of water between Denmark and Sweden, the Royal castle of Kronborg at Helsingør (Elsinore) is of immense symbolic value to the Danish people and played a key role in the history of northern Europe in the 16th-18th centuries. Work began on the construction of this outstanding Renaissance castle in 1574, and its defences were reinforced according to the canons of the period's military architecture in the late 17th century. It has remained intact to the present day. It is world-renowned as Elsinore, the setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Denmark

Island of Sjaelland, City of Helsingör, Capital Region of Denmark

N56 2 20.004 E12 37 15

Date of Inscription: 2000

Criteria: (iv)

Ref: 696rev
Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra

Brief Description

The 2.5 million hectare Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra site comprises three national parks: Gunung Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. The site holds the greatest potential for long-term conservation of the distinctive and diverse biota of Sumatra, including many endangered species. The protected area is home to an estimated 10,000 plant species, including 17 endemic genera; more than 200 mammal species; and some 580 bird species of which 465 are resident and 21 are endemic. Of the mammal species, 22 are Asian, not found elsewhere in the archipelago and 15 are confined to the Indonesian region, including the endemic Sumatran orang-utan. The site also provides biogeographic evidence of the evolution of the island.

Indonesia

Provinces of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Sumatra Utara (North Sumatra), Jambi, Sumatra Barat (West Sumatra), Sumatra Selatan (South Sumatra), Bengkulu, and Lampung on the Island of Sumatra

S2 30 0 E101 30 0

Date of Inscription: 2004

Criteria: (vii)(ix)(x)

Property : 2,595,124 ha

Ref: 1167

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Brief Description

This site contains two of the most active volcanoes in the world, Mauna Loa (4,170 m high) and Kilauea (1,250 m high), both of which tower over the Pacific Ocean. Volcanic eruptions have created a constantly changing landscape, and the lava flows reveal surprising geological formations. Rare birds and endemic species can be found there, as well as forests of giant ferns.

United States of America

Hawaii

N19 24 3 W155 7 25

Date of Inscription: 1987

Criteria: (viii)

Property : 87,940 ha

Ref: 409

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Sacred City of Kandy

Brief Description

This sacred Buddhist site, popularly known as the city of Senkadagalapura, was the last capital of the Sinhala kings whose patronage enabled the Dinahala culture to flourish for more than 2,500 years until the occupation of Sri Lanka by the British in 1815. It is also the site of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (the sacred tooth of the Buddha), which is a famous pilgrimage site.

Sri Lanka

Central Province

N7 17 37 E80 38 25

Date of Inscription: 1988

Criteria: (iv)(vi)

Ref: 450

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. The site's outstanding scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest.

Viet Nam

Province: Quang Ninh

N20 53 60 E107 5 60

Date of Inscription: 1994

Extension: 2000

Criteria: (vii)(viii)

Property : 150,000 ha

Ref: 672bis
Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes

Brief Description

Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes, brings together two historic railway lines that cross the Swiss Alps through two passes. Opened in 1904, the Albula line in the north western part of the property is 67 km long. It features an impressive set of structures including 42 tunnels and covered galleries and 144 viaducts and bridges. The 61 km Bernina pass line features 13 tunnels and galleries and 52 viaducts and bridges. The property is exemplary of the use of the railway to overcome the isolation of settlements in the Central Alps early in the 20th century, with a major and lasting socio-economic impact on life in the mountains. It constitutes an outstanding technical, architectural and environmental ensemble and embodies architectural and civil engineering achievements, in harmony with the landscapes through which they pass.

Italy

Switzerland

N46 29 54 E9 50 47

Date of Inscription: 2008

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 152 ha

Buffer zone: 109,386 ha

Ref: 1276

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Old Rauma

Brief Description

Situated on the Gulf of Botnia, Rauma is one of the oldest harbours in Finland. Built around a Franciscan monastery, where the mid-15th-century Holy Cross Church still stands, it is an outstanding example of an old Nordic city constructed in wood. Although ravaged by fire in the late 17th century, it has preserved its ancient vernacular architectural heritage.

Finland

Region of Satakunta, Province of Western Finland (formerly Province of Turku-Pori)

N61 7 41.016 E21 30 42.012

Date of Inscription: 1991

Minor modification inscribed year: 2009

Criteria: (iv)(v)

Property : 29 ha

Buffer zone: 142 ha

Ref: 582bis
Source:  http://whc.unesco.org

Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula

Brief Description

The late prehistoric rock-art sites of the Mediterranean seaboard of the Iberian peninsula form an exceptionally large group. Here the way of life during a critical phase of human development is vividly and graphically depicted in paintings whose style and subject matter are unique.

Spain

Autonomous Communities of Andalusia, Aragón, Castille-La Mancha, Catalonia, Murcia and Valencia

N39 47 23.82 W1 1 59.916

Date of Inscription: 1998

Criteria: (iii)

Ref: 874

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Historic Centre of Brugge

Brief Description

Brugge is an outstanding example of a medieval historic settlement, which has maintained its historic fabric as this has evolved over the centuries, and where original Gothic constructions form part of the town's identity. As one of the commercial and cultural capitals of Europe, Brugge developed cultural links to different parts of the world. It is closely associated with the school of Flemish Primitive painting.

Belgium

N51 12 32.076 E3 13 30.972

Date of Inscription: 2000

Criteria: (ii)(iv)(vi)

Property : 410 ha

Buffer zone: 168 ha

Ref: 996

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Bahla Fort

Brief Description

The oasis of Bahla owes its prosperity to the Banu Nebhan, the dominant tribe in the area from the 12th to the end of the 15th century. The ruins of the immense fort, with its walls and towers of unbaked brick and its stone foundations, is a remarkable example of this type of fortification and attests to the power of the Banu Nebhan.

Oman

Oasis of Bahla, 25 km west of Nazwa

N22 57 51.012 E57 18 3.996

Date of Inscription: 1987

Criteria: (iv)

Ref: 433

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic City of Ayutthaya

Brief Description

Founded c. 1350, Ayutthaya became the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai. It was destroyed by the Burmese in the 18th century. Its remains, characterized by the prang (reliquary towers) and gigantic monasteries, give an idea of its past splendour.

Thailand

Ayutthaya Province

N14 20 52.008 E100 33 38.016

Date of Inscription: 1991

Criteria: (iii)

Property : 289 ha

Ref: 576

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Rila Monastery

Brief Description

Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex which played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. Destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century, the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862. A characteristic example of the Bulgarian Renaissance (18th–19th centuries), the monument symbolizes the awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following centuries of occupation.

Bulgaria

On the slopes of Rila, the highest Balkan Peninsula Mountain, in the valley of the Rilska River, 29 km east of the Sofia-Thessaloniki Highway. Rila, Kyustendil Province

N42 7 0 E23 23 60

Date of Inscription: 1983

Criteria: (vi)

Property : 11 ha

Buffer zone: 1,290 ha

Ref: 216

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Ancient City of Nessebar

Brief Description

Situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, the more than 3,000-year-old site of Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement (Menebria). At the beginning of the 6th century BC, the city became a Greek colony. The city’s remains, which date mostly from the Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress date from the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses built in the 19th century are typical of the Black Sea architecture of the period.

Bulgaria

Burgas Province

N42 39 21.996 E27 43 48

Date of Inscription: 1983

Criteria: (iii)(iv)

Property : 27 ha

Buffer zone: 1,246 ha

Ref: 217

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Tugendhat Villa in Brno

Brief Description

The Tugendhat Villa in Brno, designed by the architect Mies van der Rohe, is an outstanding example of the international style in the modern movement in architecture as it developed in Europe in the 1920s. Its particular value lies in the application of innovative spatial and aesthetic concepts that aim to satisfy new lifestyle needs by taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by modern industrial production.

Czech Republic

South Moravian Region

N49 12 25.86 E16 36 57.8

Date of Inscription: 2001

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 0.73 ha

Buffer zone: 2,825 ha

Ref: 1052
Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications

Brief Description

The site, extensively fortified from the 17^th to 19^th centuries, represents the largest bulwarked dry-ditch system in the world. Within its walls, the town contains barracks and other military buildings as well as churches and monasteries. While Elvas contains remains dating back to the 10th century ad, its fortification began when Portugal regained independence in 1640. The fortifications designed by Dutch Jesuit padre Cosmander represent the best surviving example of the Dutch school of fortifications anywhere. The site also contains the Amoreira aqueduct, built to enable the stronghold to withstand lengthy sieges.

Portugal

N38 52 50.23 W7 9 47.96

Date of Inscription: 2012

Criteria: (iv)

Property : 179 ha

Buffer zone: 608 ha

Ref: 1367

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)

Brief Description

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945. Through the efforts of many people, including those of the city of Hiroshima, it has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing. Not only is it a stark and powerful symbol of the most destructive force ever created by humankind; it also expresses the hope for world peace and the ultimate elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Japan

Hiroshima Prefecture

N34 22 60 E132 26 60

Date of Inscription: 1996

Criteria: (vi)

Property : 0.40 ha

Buffer zone: 43 ha

Ref: 775
Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park

Brief Description

The location of this unique site in Central America, where Quaternary glaciers have left their mark, has allowed the fauna and flora of North and South America to interbreed. Tropical rainforests cover most of the area. Four different Indian tribes inhabit this property, which benefits from close co-operation between Costa Rica and Panama.

Costa Rica

Panama

Provincias de Bocas del Toro y Chiriqui, Panama; San Jose, Cartago, Limon and Puntarenas Provinces, Costa Rica

N9 24 25.5 W82 56 19.7

Date of Inscription: 1983

Extension: 1990

Criteria: (vii)(viii)(ix)(x)

Property : 570,045 ha

Ref: 205bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Dazu Rock Carvings

Brief Description

The steep hillsides of the Dazu area contain an exceptional series of rock carvings dating from the 9th to the 13th century. They are remarkable for their aesthetic quality, their rich diversity of subject matter, both secular and religious, and the light that they shed on everyday life in China during this period. They provide outstanding evidence of the harmonious synthesis of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.

China

Dazu County, Chongqing Municipality

N29 42 3.996 E105 42 18

Date of Inscription: 1999

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iii)

Property : 20 ha

Buffer zone: 211 ha

Ref: 912

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

At-Turaif District in ad-Dir'iyah

Brief Description

This property was the first capital of the Saudi Dynasty, in the heart of the Arabian Penisula, north-west of Riyadh. Founded in the 15th century, it bears witness to the Najdi architectural style, which is specific to the centre of the Arabian peninsula. In the 18th and early 19th century, its political and religious role increased, and the citadel at at-Turaif became the centre of the temporal power of the House of Saud and the spread of the Wahhabi reform inside the Muslim religion. The property includes the remains of many palaces and an urban ensemble built on the edge of the ad-Dir’iyah oasis.

Saudi Arabia

N24 44 2.88 E46 34 20.88

Date of Inscription: 2010

Criteria: (iv)(v)(vi)

Property : 29 ha

Buffer zone: 238 ha

Ref: 1329

Source: http://whc.unesco.org