Croatia. Historic City of Trogir

Date of Inscription: 1997
Criteria: (ii)(iv)
Property : 6.4000 ha
Buffer zone: 4.8000 ha
County of Split-Dalmatia
N43 30 45 E16 15 6.012
Ref: 810  
 
Trogir is a remarkable example of urban continuity. The orthogonal street plan of this island settlement dates back to the Hellenistic period and it was embellished by successive rulers with many fine public and domestic buildings and fortifications. Its beautiful Romanesque churches are complemented by the outstanding Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/810

With many thanks to Jelena from Croatia!

Germany. Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen

Date of Inscription: 2001
Criteria: (ii)(iii)
State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
N51 29 29 E7 2 46
Ref: 975  
 
The Zollverein industrial complex in Land Nordrhein-Westfalen consists of the complete infrastructure of a historical coal-mining site, with some 20th-century buildings of outstanding architectural merit. It constitutes remarkable material evidence of the evolution and decline of an essential industry over the past 150 years.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/975

With many thanks to Anja from Germany!

Brazil. Historic Town of Ouro Preto

Date of Inscription: 1980
Criteria: (i)(iii)
State of Minas Gerais
S20 23 20 W43 30 20
Ref: 124  
 
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.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/124

Many thanks to Sissy from Brazil!

Belarus. Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh

Date of Inscription: 2005
Criteria: (ii)(iv)(vi)
Minsk Province (Minskaya Voblasts')
N53 13 22.0 E26 41 29.0
Ref: 1196  
 
The Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh is located in central Belarus. The Radziwill dynasty, who built and kept the ensemble from the 16th century until 1939, gave birth to some of the most important personalities in European history and culture. Due to their efforts, the town of Nesvizh came to exercise great influence in the sciences, arts, crafts and architecture. The complex consists of the residential castle and the mausoleum Church of Corpus Christi with their setting. The castle has ten interconnected buildings, which developed as an architectural whole around a six-sided courtyard. The palaces and church became important prototypes marking the development of architecture throughout Central Europe and Russia.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1196

With many thanks to Julia from Hrodno, Nika from Minsk and to Helena from Hrodno!

Netherlands. Seventeenth-century canal ring area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht

Date of Inscription: 2010
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)
Property : ha
Buffer zone: ha
N52 21 54 E4 53 16
Ref: 1349  

Brief Description

The historic urban ensemble of the canal district of Amsterdam was a project for a new ‘port city’ built at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries. It comprises a network of canals to the west and south of the historic old town and the medieval port that encircled the old town and was accompanied by the repositioning inland of the city’s fortified boundaries, the Singelgracht. This was a long-term programme that involved extending the city by draining the swampland, using a system of canals in concentric arcs and filling in the intermediate spaces. These spaces allowed the development of a homogeneous urban ensemble including gabled houses and numerous monuments. This urban extension was the largest and most homogeneous of its time. It was a model of large-scale town planning, and served as a reference throughout the world until the 19th century.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1349

Thanks to Lotty!

Italy. Historic Centre of Naples

Date of Inscription: 1995
Criteria: (ii)(iv)
City and Province of Naples, Campania
N40 51 05 E14 15 46
Ref: 726  
 
From the Neapolis founded by Greek settlers in 470 B.C. to the city of today, Naples has retained the imprint of the successive cultures that emerged in Europe and the Mediterranean basin. This makes it a unique site, with a wealth of outstanding monuments such as the Church of Santa Chiara and the Castel Nuovo.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/726

Thanks to Natalie!

France. Sites mégalithiques de Carnac

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/224/

Thanks to Marie Therese! 

Bosnia and Herzegovina. Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar

Date of Inscription: 2005
Criteria: (vi)
Herzegovina-Neretva Canton
N43 20 53.232 E17 48 39.312
Ref: 946rev  

The historic town of Mostar, spanning a deep valley of the Neretva River, developed in the 15th and 16th centuries as an Ottoman frontier town and during the Austro-Hungarian period in the 19th and 20th centuries. Mostar has long been known for its old Turkish houses and Old Bridge, Stari Most, after which it is named. In the 1990s conflict, however, most of the historic town and the Old Bridge, designed by the renowned architect Sinan, was destroyed. The Old Bridge was recently rebuilt and many of the edifices in the Old Town have been restored or rebuilt with the contribution of an international scientific committee established by UNESCO. The Old Bridge area, with its pre-Ottoman, eastern Ottoman, Mediterranean and western European architectural features, is an outstanding example of a multicultural urban settlement. The reconstructed Old Bridge and Old City of Mostar is a symbol of reconciliation, international co-operation and of the coexistence of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious communities.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/946

Thanks to Marie!

Czech Republic. Historic Centre of Český Krumlov

Date of Inscription: 1992
Criteria: (iv)
Property : 51.9100 ha
Buffer zone: 1073.3100 ha
South Bohemian Region
N48 49 0 E14 19 0
Ref: 617  
 
Situated on the banks of the Vltava river, the town was built around a 13th-century castle with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. It is an outstanding example of a small central European medieval town whose architectural heritage has remained intact thanks to its peaceful evolution over more than five centuries.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/617

Thanks to Emerich from Czech Republic and to Natalie from Ukraine!

Hungary. Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue

Date of Inscription: 1987
Extension: 2002
Criteria: (ii)(iv)
Property : 473.3000 ha
Buffer zone: 493.8000 ha
Budapest
N47 28 56.712 E19 4 14.412
Ref: 400bis  

This site has the remains of monuments such as the Roman city of Aquincum and the Gothic castle of Buda, which have had a considerable influence on the architecture of various periods. It is one of the world's outstanding urban landscapes and illustrates the great periods in the history of the Hungarian capital.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/400

Thanks to Natalie!

Netherlands. Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout

Date of Inscription: 1997
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)
Municipalities of Alblasserdam and Nieuw-Lekkerland, Province of Zuid-Holland
N51 52 57 E4 38 58
Ref: 818  
 
The outstanding contribution made by the people of the Netherlands to the technology of handling water is admirably demonstrated by the installations in the Kinderdijk-Elshout area. Construction of hydraulic works for the drainage of land for agriculture and settlement began in the Middle Ages and have continued uninterruptedly to the present day. The site illustrates all the typical features associated with this technology – dykes, reservoirs, pumping stations, administrative buildings and a series of beautifully preserved windmills.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/818

Thanks a lot, Elisabeth!

Ukraine.Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral with Related Monastic Buildings, St. Cyril's and St. Andrew's Churches, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

St. Cyril's Church,  St. Andrew's Church

(extension of Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5423/

Thanks to Ksenia!

Romania. Danube Delta

Date of Inscription: 1991
Criteria: (vii)(x)
Property : 312440.0000 ha
Tulcea County, Dobruja Region
N45 4 59.988 E29 30 0
Ref: 588  

The waters of the Danube, which flow into the Black Sea, form the largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas. The Danube delta hosts over 300 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and marshes.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/588

With many thanks again to Gabriela!

Poland. Gdansk - Town of Memory and Freedom

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/530/

With thanks to Sylwia!

Poland. Cracow's Historic Centre

Date of Inscription: 1978
Criteria: (iv)
Property : 149.6500 ha
City and County of Cracow, Lesser Poland (Malopolska) Voivodship
N50 4 0.012 E19 57 34.992
Ref: 29  

The historic centre of Cracow, the former capital of Poland, is situated at the foot of the Royal Wawel Castle. The 13th-century merchants' town has Europe's largest market square and numerous historical houses, palaces and churches with their magnificent interiors. Further evidence of the town's fascinating history is provided by the remnants of the 14th-century fortifications and the medieval site of Kazimierz with its ancient synagogues in the southern part of town, Jagellonian University and the Gothic cathedral where the kings of Poland were buried.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/29

With thanks again to Sylwia!

Poland. Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork

Poland
Date of Inscription: 1997
Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)
Property : 18.0380 ha
City and County of Malbork, Pomeranian Voivodship (formerly Elblag Voivodship)
N54 2 30 E19 1 60
Ref: 847  

This 13th-century fortified monastery belonging to the Teutonic Order was substantially enlarged and embellished after 1309, when the seat of the Grand Master moved here from Venice. A particularly fine example of a medieval brick castle, it later fell into decay, but was meticulously restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the conservation techniques now accepted as standard were evolved here. Following severe damage in the Second World War it was once again restored, using the detailed documentation prepared by earlier conservators.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/847

Thanks to Sylwia from Poland!

Poland. Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945)

Date of Inscription: 1979
Criteria: (vi)
Oswiecim County, Lesser Poland (Malopolska) Voivodship (formerly Bielsko-Biala)
N50 4 0 E19 21 0
Ref: 31  

The fortified walls, barbed wire, platforms, barracks, gallows, gas chambers and cremation ovens show the conditions within which the Nazi genocide took place in the former concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest in the Third Reich. According to historical investigations, 1.5 million people, among them a great number of Jews, were systematically starved, tortured and murdered in this camp, the symbol of humanity's cruelty to its fellow human beings in the 20th century.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/31

Many thanks to Sylwia!

Postcrossing - Five years of smiles!

http://vimeo.com/13809748

:) 

Uzbekistan. Historic Centre of Bukhara

Date of Inscription: 1993
Criteria: (ii)(iv)(vi)
Bukhara region
N39 46 28.992 E64 25 42.996
Ref: 602rev  

Bukhara, which is situated on the Silk Route, is more than 2,000 years old. It is the most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia, with an urban fabric that has remained largely intact. Monuments of particular interest include the famous tomb of Ismail Samani, a masterpiece of 10th-century Muslim architecture, and a large number of 17th-century madrasas.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/602

With thanks again to Alice!

Uzbekistan. Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures

Date of Inscription: 2001
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)
Property : 965.0000 ha
Samarkand Region
N39 40 6.996 E67 0 0
Ref: 603rev  

The historic town of Samarkand is a crossroad and melting pot of the world's cultures. Founded in the 7th century B.C. as ancient Afrasiab, Samarkand had its most significant development in the Timurid period from the 14th to the 15th centuries. The major monuments include the Registan Mosque and madrasas, Bibi-Khanum Mosque, the Shakhi-Zinda compound and the Gur-Emir ensemble, as well as Ulugh-Beg's Observatory.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/603

With many-many thanks to Alice!

Russia. Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad

Date of Inscription: 1993
Criteria: (ii)(iv)
Moscow region, town Sergiev-Posad (ex Zagorsk)
N56 18 37.3 E38 07 52.3
Ref: 657  

This is a fine example of a working Orthodox monastery, with military features that are typical of the 15th to the 18th century, the period during which it developed. The main church of the Lavra, the Cathedral of the Assumption (echoing the Kremlin Cathedral of the same name), contains the tomb of Boris Godunov. Among the treasures of the Lavra is the famous icon, The Trinity, by Andrei Rublev.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/657

Thanks to Tatjana!

Russia. Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl

Date of Inscription: 2005
Criteria: (ii)(iv)
Yaroslavl Oblast
N57 39 10.0 E39 52 34.0
Ref: 1170  

Situated at the confluence of the Volga and Kotorosl Rivers some 250 km north-east of Moscow, the historic city of Yaroslavl developed into a major commercial centre from the 11th century. It is renowned for its numerous 17th-century churches and is an outstanding example of the urban planning reform Empress Catherine the Great ordered for the whole of Russia in 1763. While keeping some of its significant historic structures, the town was renovated in the neoclassical style on a radial urban master plan. It has also kept elements from the 16th century in the Spassky Monastery, one of the oldest in the Upper Volga region, built on the site of a pagan temple in the late 12th century but reconstructed over time.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1170

Thanks to Tatjana!

Russia. Russian Kremlins

Ensemble of the Pskov Kremlin

Ensemble of the Astrakhan Kremlin

Ensemble of the Uglich Kremlin

Coordinates:

1. Ensemble of the Astrakhan Kremlin: N46 20 58 E48 01 52

2. Ensemble of the Uglich Kremlin: N57 31 43 E30 19 3

3. Ensemble of the Pskov Kremlin: N57 49 34 E28 19 36

 

Russian Kremlins are unique, exclusive phenomenon of word history and architecture.

It should be especially emphasized that Kremlins exist in Russia only. No other nation has ever built such edifices as Russian Kremlins.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5517/

Thanks to Debora, Maria and Tatjana!

Russia. Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands

Date of Inscription: 1992
Criteria: (iv)
Property : 28834.0000 ha
Arkhangelsky region, Solovetsky district.
N65 05 E35 40
Ref: 632  

The Solovetsky archipelago comprises six islands in the western part of the White Sea, covering 300 km2. They have been inhabited since the 5th century B.C. and important traces of a human presence from as far back as the 5th millennium B.C. can be found there. The archipelago has been the site of fervent monastic activity since the 15th century, and there are several churches dating from the 16th to the 19th century.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/632

Many thanks to Tatjana!

Russia. The Valamo archipelago

The Valamo archipelago together with the surrounding waters of Lake Ladoga represents a cultural and ecological complex with more than 200 relicts of the past. The overwhelming majority of the architectural assemble are concentrated on Valamo island. The most considerable of them are as such: the Main Monastery with the main church of the Transfiguration -1887-1896- ; the Outer square of the main Monastery buildings (1807-1910) with the church of the Apostoles Peter and Paul above the Holy gate and some other memorials of the main monastery. The archaeological remains are also to be regarded as memorials which reflect both the history of archipelago and that of those tribes and generations who used to live on the North west of Russia.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/572/

Thanks to Tatjana!

Malaysia. Kinabalu Park

Date of Inscription: 2000
Criteria: (ix)(x)
Property : 75370.0000 ha
State of Sabah
N6 15 0 E116 30 0
Ref: 1012  

Kinabalu Park, in the State of Sabah on the northern end of the island of Borneo, is dominated by Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. It has a very wide range of habitats, from rich tropical lowland and hill rainforest to tropical mountain forest, sub-alpine forest and scrub on the higher elevations. It has been designated as a Centre of Plant Diversity for Southeast Asia and is exceptionally rich in species with examples of flora from the Himalayas, China, Australia, Malaysia, as well as pan-tropical flora.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1012

With many thanks to SL Liew!

Poland. The Dunajec River Gorge in the Pieniny Mountains

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2102/

With many thanks to Sylwia!