The Grand Canal

The Grand Canal is a vast waterway system in the north-eastern and central-eastern plains of China, running from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang province in the south. Constructed in sections from the 5thcentury B.C. onwards, it was conceived as a unified means of communication for the Empire for the first time in the 7th century A.D (Sui Dynasty). This led to a series of gigantic worksites, creating the world’s largest and most extensive civil engineering project prior to the Industrial Revolution. It formed the backbone of the Empire’s inland communication system, transporting grain and strategic raw materials, and supplying rice to feed the population. By the 13th century it consisted of more than 2,000 kilometres of artificial waterways, linking five of China’s most important river basins. It has played an important role in ensuring the country’s economic prosperity and stability and continues today as a major means of internal communication.

 China

N34 41 38 E112 28 06

Date of Inscription: 2014

Criteria: (i)(iii)(iv)(vi)

Ref: 1443

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex

 

Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex

The Plantin-Moretus Museum is a printing plant and publishing house dating from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Situated in Antwerp, one of the three leading cities of early European printing along with Paris and Venice, it is associated with the history of the invention and spread of typography. Its name refers to the greatest printer-publisher of the second half of the 16th century: Christophe Plantin (c. 1520–89). The monument is of outstanding architectural value. It contains exhaustive evidence of the life and work of what was the most prolific printing and publishing house in Europe in the late 16th century. The building of the company, which remained in activity until 1867, contains a large collection of old printing equipment, an extensive library, invaluable archives and works of art, among them a painting by Rubens.

 Belgium

City of Antwerp, Flanders Region

N51 13 5.988 E4 23 52.008

Date of Inscription: 2005

Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)

Ref: 1185

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California

Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California

The site comprises 244 islands, islets and coastal areas that are located in the Gulf of California in north-eastern Mexico. The Sea of Cortez and its islands have been called a natural laboratory for the investigation of speciation. Moreover, almost all major oceanographic processes occurring in the planet’s oceans are present in the property, giving it extraordinary importance for study. The site is one of striking natural beauty in a dramatic setting formed by rugged islands with high cliffs and sandy beaches, which contrast with the brilliant reflection from the desert and the surrounding turquoise waters. It is home to 695 vascular plant species, more than in any marine and insular property on the World Heritage List. Equally exceptional is the number of fish species: 891, 90 of them endemic. The site, moreover, contains 39% of the world’s total number of species of marine mammals and a third of the world’s marine cetacean species

 Mexico

States of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit

N27 37 36.012 W112 32 44.988

Date of Inscription: 2005

Minor modification inscribed year:2007, 2011

Criteria: (vii)(ix)(x)

Property : 688,558 ha 

Buffer zone: 1,210,477 ha

Ref: 1182ter

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Shrines and Temples of Nikko

Shrines and Temples of Nikko

The shrines and temples of Nikko, together with their natural surroundings, have for centuries been a sacred site known for its architectural and decorative masterpieces. They are closely associated with the history of the Tokugawa Shoguns.

 Japan

Tochigi Prefecture

N36 44 51 E139 36 38

Date of Inscription: 1999

Criteria: (i)(iv)(vi)

Property : 51 ha 

Buffer zone: 373 ha

Ref: 913

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Situated in the north-west of Sichaun Province, the Huanglong valley is made up of snow-capped peaks and the easternmost of all the Chinese glaciers. In addition to its mountain landscape, diverse forest ecosystems can be found, as well as spectacular limestone formations, waterfalls and hot springs. The area also has a population of endangered animals, including the giant panda and the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey.

 China

Songpan County, Sichuan Province

N32 45 15.012 E103 49 19.992

Date of Inscription: 1992

Criteria: (vii)

Property : 60,000 ha 

Ref: 638

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Site of Lyons

Historic Site of Lyons

The long history of Lyons, which was founded by the Romans in the 1st century B.C. as the capital of the Three Gauls and has continued to play a major role in Europe's political, cultural and economic development ever since, is vividly illustrated by its urban fabric and the many fine historic buildings from all periods.

 France

Department of Rhône, Region of Rhône-Alpes 

N45 46 1.992 E4 49 59.988

Date of Inscription: 1998

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 427 ha 

Buffer zone: 323 ha

Ref: 872

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Erbil Citadel

Erbil Citadel

Erbil Citadel (Iraq) is a fortified settlement on the top of an imposing ovoid-shaped tell (a hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot) Located in the  Kurdistan region, Erbil Governorate.  A continuous wall of tall 19th century facades still conveys the visual impression of an impregnable fortress, dominating the city of Erbil. The Citadel features a peculiar fan-like pattern, dating back to Erbil’s late Ottoman phase. Written and iconographic historical records document the antiquity of settlement on the site – Erbil corresponds to ancient Arbela, an important Assyrian political and religious centre – while archaeological finds and investigations suggest that the mound conceals the levels and remains of previous settlements.

 Iraq

N36 11 28 E44 00 33

Date of Inscription: 2014

Criteria: (iv)

Ref: 1437

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Struve Geodetic Arc

Norway

Finland

Ukraine

Russia

Belarus

The Struve Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through 10 countries and over 2,820 km. These are points of a survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, which represented the first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian. This helped to establish the exact size and shape of the planet and marked an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping. It is an extraordinary example of scientific collaboration among scientists from different countries, and of collaboration between monarchs for a scientific cause. The original arc consisted of 258 main triangles with 265 main station points. The listed site includes 34 of the original station points, with different markings, i.e. a drilled hole in rock, iron cross, cairns, or built obelisks.

Belarus

Estonia

Finland

Latvia

Lithuania

Moldova, Republic of

Norway

Russian Federation

Sweden

Ukraine

N59 3 28 E26 20 16

Date of Inscription: 2005

Criteria: (ii)(iii)(vi)

Ref: 1187

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Monastic Island of Reichenau

Monastic Island of Reichenau

The island of Reichenau on Lake Constance preserves the traces of the Benedictine monastery, founded in 724, which exercised remarkable spiritual, intellectual and artistic influence. The churches of St Mary and Marcus, St Peter and St Paul, and St George, mainly built between the 9th and 11th centuries, provide a panorama of early medieval monastic architecture in central Europe. Their wall paintings bear witness to impressive artistic activity.

 

Germany

District of Freiburg, State of Baden-Württemberg

N47 41 55.4 E9 3 40.7

Date of Inscription: 2000

Criteria: (iii)(iv)(vi)

Ref: 974

 

Source:  http://whc.unesco.org

Nahanni National Park

Located along the South Nahanni River, one of the most spectacular wild rivers in North America, this park contains deep canyons and huge waterfalls, as well as a unique limestone cave system. The park is also home to animals of the boreal forest, such as wolves, grizzly bears and caribou. Dall's sheep and mountain goats are found in the park's alpine environment.

Canada

Northwest Territories

N61 32 50 W125 35 22

Date of Inscription: 1978

Criteria: (vii)(viii)

Property : 476,560 ha

Ref: 24

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine

Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine

Situated in the eastern fringe of Central Europe, the transnational property numbers a selection of sixteen tserkvas (churches). They were built of horizontal wooden logs between the 16th and 19th centuries by communities of Orthodox and Greek Catholic faiths. The tserkvas bear testimony to a distinct building tradition rooted in Orthodox ecclesiastic design interwoven with elements of local tradition, and symbolic references to their communities’ cosmogony.  The tserkvas are built on a tri-partite plan surmounted by open quadrilateral or octagonal domes and cupolas. Integral to tserkvasare iconostasis screens, interior polychrome decorations, and other historic furnishings. Important elements of some tserkvas include wooden bell towers, churchyards, gatehouses and graveyards.

 Poland

 Ukraine

N49 32 2 E21 1 56

Date of Inscription: 2013

Criteria: (iii)(iv)

Property : 7.03 ha 

Buffer zone: 93 ha

Ref: 1424

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning

La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning

The site of La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle watchmaking town-planning consists of two towns situated close to one another in a remote environment in the Swiss Jura mountains, on land ill-suited to farming. Their planning and buildings reflect watchmakers’ need of rational organization. Planned in the early 19th century, after extensive fires, the towns owed their existence to this single industry. Their layout along an open-ended scheme of parallel strips on which residential housing and workshops are intermingled reflects the needs of the local watchmaking culture that dates to the 17th century and is still alive today. The site presents outstanding examples of mono-industrial manufacturing-towns which are well preserved and still active. The urban planning of both towns has accommodated the transition from the artisanal production of a cottage industry to the more concentrated factory production of the late 19th and 20th centuries. The town of La Chaux-de-Fonds was described by Karl Marx as a “huge factory-town” in Das Kapital where he analyzed the division of labour in the watchmaking industry of the Jura.

 Switzerland

N47 6 14 E6 49 58

Date of Inscription: 2009

Criteria: (iv)

Property : 284 ha 

Buffer zone: 4,488 ha

Ref: 1302

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve

Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve

Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve comprises karstic landscapes and limestone uplands cut into impressive 'tsingy' peaks and a 'forest' of limestone needles, the spectacular canyon of the Manambolo river, rolling hills and high peaks. The undisturbed forests, lakes and mangrove swamps are the habitat for rare and endangered lemurs and birds.

 Madagascar

Centre Ouest, dans le Fivondronana d’Antsalova et le Faritany de Mahajanga

S18 40 0.012 E44 45 0

Date of Inscription: 1990

Criteria: (vii)(x)

Property : 152,000 ha 

Ref: 494rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Town of Ouro Preto

Historic Town of Ouro Preto

Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto (Black Gold) was the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil’s golden age in the 18th century. With the exhaustion of the gold mines in the 19th century, the city’s influence declined but many churches, bridges and fountains remain as a testimony to its past prosperity and the exceptional talent of the Baroque sculptor Aleijadinho.

Brazil

State of Minas Gerais

S20 23 20 W43 30 20

Date of Inscription: 1980

Criteria: (i)(iii)

Ref: 124

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina

Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina

Diamantina, a colonial village set like a jewel in a necklace of inhospitable rocky mountains, recalls the exploits of diamond prospectors in the 18th century and testifies to the triumph of human cultural and artistic endeavour over the environment.

Brazil

State of Minas Gerais

S18 13 60 W43 36 0

Date of Inscription: 1999

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 29 ha

Ref: 890

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas

This sanctuary in Minais Gerais, south of Belo Horizonte was built in the second half of the 18th century. It consists of a church with a magnificent Rococo interior of Italian inspiration; an outdoor stairway decorated with statues of the prophets; and seven chapels illustrating the Stations of the Cross, in which the polychrome sculptures by Aleijadinho are masterpieces of a highly original, moving, expressive form of Baroque art.

 

Brazil

State of Minas Gerais, City of Congonhas

S20 29 59 W43 51 28

Date of Inscription: 1985

Criteria: (i)(iv)

Ref: 334

Source: http://whc.unesco.org