2.28.2017

unesco world heritage sites i have visited

The United Nations Educational, Scientic, and Cultural Organization -- better known as UNESCO -- has created a list of natural and human-made sites that "are of outstanding universal value" and meet a selection criteria. UNESCO:
Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.
The list helps identify sites that are at risk because of war, environmental degradation, neglect, or tourism.

I love the very idea of this list -- that all the peoples of the world share a common heritage. All our pasts are linked, as is our future.

I went through the list by country, and picked out the sites I have visited. Sites I want to visit -- that's pretty much the full list minus whatever I've seen. That's not a realistic travel goal! So when we plan travel, I do like to know if there are any UNESCO sites on the itinerary.

Here's my list, by country.

Belgium
La Grand-Place, Brussels

Canada
L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
Historic District of Old Québec
Gros Morne National Park
Rideau Canal

Egypt
Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis
Historic Cairo
Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur
Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae

France
Chartres Cathedral
Palace and Park of Versailles
Amien Cathedral
Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments
Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
Paris, Banks of the Seine

Ireland
Brú na Bóinne - Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne (Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth)

Italy
Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci
Historic Centre of Rome
Historic Centre of Florence
Piazza del Duomo, Pisa
Venice and its Lagoon
Historic Centre of San Gimignano
Historic Centre of Naples
Historic Centre of Siena
Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata
Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological Sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula
City of Verona
Mount Etna

Jordan
Petra

Mexico
Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco
Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán
Historic Centre of Puebla
Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque
Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan
Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza
Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal

Netherlands
Defence Line of Amsterdam
Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht

Peru
City of Cuzco
Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
Chavin (Archaeological Site)
Chan Chan Archaeological Zone
Historic Centre of Lima
Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa
Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa
Sacred City of Caral-Supe

Spain
Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
Historic Centre of Cordoba
Works of Antoni Gaudí
Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain
Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct
Historic Walled Town of Cuenca
Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona

United Kingdom
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
Blenheim Palace
City of Bath
Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret's Church
Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church
Tower of London
Dorset and East Devon Coast

United States of America
Yellowstone National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Independence Hall
Redwood National and State Parks
Olympic National Park
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Statue of Liberty
Yosemite National Park
Chaco Culture
Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville

It's interesting to see what is on the list, and what isn't. The criteria is here.

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