UNESCO
UNESCO's World Heritage mission is to ensure the protection of countries’ natural and cultural heritage, and to encourage international cooperation in the conservation of our world's cultural and natural heritage. The natural World Heritage Sites include sites of outstanding natural beauty or with exceptional value to science or conservation. UNESCO has been identifying and listing World Heritage Sites for more than thirty years. The "List", to help preserve places of world importance in cultural and natural history, includes 27 in the United Kingdom - everything from castles and factories to prehistoric landscapes.
What is the UNESCO World Heritage List?
UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is an agency of the United Nations and was established in 1945. Its purpose is to contribute to peace by promoting international collaboration in the areas of education, science, culture, and communication. One way UNESCO achieves this goal is through the World Heritage List. The World Heritage mission is to promote worldwide involvement and local participation in the recognition, protection and conservation of our cultural and natural heritage. The sites are categorized as cultural, natural, or a mix of the two.
The World Heritage Centre beautifully explains the importance of protecting these sites: “Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations.”
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe
The range of World Heritage sites is amazingly broad, but then, so is human history. Don’t think of the list as stuffy or predictable! The World Heritage sites of Europe include, just for starters:
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A radio station
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A Roman palace
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Medieval towns
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Prehistoric drawings
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Dracula’s Birthplace
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Railways
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Birthplace of a goddess
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Fossil pits
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Standing stones
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Mountains
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Fortresses
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A geodetic arc
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Forests
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Salt works
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Vineyards
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Hamlet’s hangout
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Caves
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A giant’s footpath
Sample Europe’s World Heritage sites on our regional pages, or investigate the UNESCO World Heritage List itself. This is a great source of ideas for not-to-be-missed additions to your itinerary or as a tool to pursue a special interest. You can easily search the UNESCO World Heritage List site by country or by site name to find out when and why the site was accepted to the list. You can also learn about sites under qualification and sites in danger.
You can plan a fascinating trip to Europe by organizing your holiday around visits to UNESCO World Heritage sites!