The Notion of World Heritage

In 1960, UNESCO called on the nations of the world to save the unique temples of Abu Simbel and Philae in Egypt as part of the heritage of humankind. The temples were on the verge of being flooded by the construction of the Aswan Dam and would have been lost forever. In an exemplary campaign, UNESCO appealed for international help to save them. The notion of the World Heritage Convention was born.

What is unique must be protected and preserved at all costs, and World Heritage Sites belong to the whole of humanity. This is the guiding principle of the World Heritage Convention. “UNESCO World Heritage” status comes with the obligation to share and protect.

World Heritage Sites around the world

Hoffelsjökull - Iceland's Vatnajökull National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019. © Thorvardur Arnason
The Cultural World Heritage Site "Classical Weimar" still bears witness to the era of Weimar Classicism. © Klassik Stiftung Weimar
The tropical marshlands of the Everglades in southern Florida (on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 2010). © UNESCO
The historical Water Management System of Augsburg hast been listed as Cultural World Heritage since 2019. © planinghaus architekten