Town of Bamberg

Town of Bamberg UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription: The layout and architecture of medieval and Renaissance Bamberg exerted a strong influence on urban form and evolution in the lands of central Europe from the 11th century onwards. Bamberg is an outstanding and representative example of an early medieval town in central Europe, both in its plan and in …

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Schokland and Surroundings

Schokland and Surroundings - UNESCO World Heritage Site, Netherlands

From the World Heritage inscription for Schokland and Surroundings: The struggle of the people of the Netherlands against water has endured, for more than six thousand years, and still continues today; without constant vigilance, more than half the present area of the country would be entirely submerged or subject to periodic inundation. Schokland was a …

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Beemster Polder

Beemster Polder UNESCO World Heritage Site, Netherlands

From the World Heritage inscription for the Beemster Polder: The Beemster Polder is a cultural landscape located north of Amsterdam, dating from the early 17th century, and an exceptional example of reclaimed land in the Netherlands. It was created by the draining of Lake Beemster in 1612, in order to develop new agricultural land and …

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Kinabalu National Park

Kinabalu National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for Kinabalu National Park: Located in the State of Sabah, Malaysia, on the northern end of the island of Borneo, Kinabalu Park World Heritage property covers 75,370 ha. Dominated by Mount Kinabalu (4,095m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea, it holds a distinctive position for the biota …

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Vredefort Dome

Vredefort Dome UNESCO World Heritage Site, South Africa

From the World Heritage inscription: Vredefort Dome, approximately 120 km south-west of Johannesburg, is a representative part of a larger meteorite impact structure (astrobleme). Dating back 2,023 million years, it is the oldest astrobleme found on Earth so far. With a radius of 190 km, it is also the largest and the most deeply eroded. …

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iSimangaliso Wetland Park

iSimangaliso Wetland Park UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription: The iSimangaliso Wetland Park is one of the outstanding natural wetland and coastal sites of Africa. Covering an area of 239,566 ha, it includes a wide range of pristine marine, coastal, wetland, estuarine, and terrestrial environments which are scenically beautiful and basically unmodified by people. These include coral reefs, long …

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Cape Floral Region Protected Areas

Cape Floral Region Protected Areas UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the Cape Floral Region Protected Areas World Heritage inscription: A serial site – in Cape Province, South Africa – made up of eight protected areas, covering 553,000 ha, the Cape Floral Region is one of the richest areas for plants in the world. It represents less than 0.5% of the area of Africa but …

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Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Martin’s Church

Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church world heritage site

From the World Heritage inscription: Canterbury, in Kent, has been the seat of the spiritual head of the Church of England for almost five centuries. St Martin’s Church, St Augustine’s Abbey and the cathedral are directly and tangibly associated with the history of the introduction of Christianity to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The influence of the …

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Collegiate Church, Castle, and Old Town of Quedlinburg

Collegiate Church, Castle, and Old Town of Quedlinburg UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription: The importance of Quedlinburg rests on three main elements: the preservation of the medieval street pattern; the wealth of urban vernacular buildings, especially timber-framed houses of the 16th and 17th centuries, and the important Romanesque collegiate church of St Servatius. The original urban layout is remarkably well preserved: it is …

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