Mediaeval church with frescoes of long-lasting legacy - Boyana Church 42; Bulgarian Chitalishte (Community Cultural Centre): practical experience in safeguarding the vitality of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 00969 Boyana Church What and Why The Boyana Church ( Bulgarian : Боянска Ц ърква, Boyanska Tsărkva ) is a mediaeval Orthodox church built in the 10th century located in the Boyana district, apparently the most well-off area of Sofia (София, Sofiya ) . The church is

Culturally rich Orthodox monastery near the Bulgarian border - Rila Monastery 216 Rila monastery What and Why The Rila monastery ( Bulgarian : Рилски манастир, Rilski manastir ) is one of the greatest monasteries built in Bulgaria (България, Bŭlgariya ) or possibly in the Balkans , and is regarded a s one of the most significant cultural, historical, and spiritual landmarks of the country . The Eastern Orthodox monastery is founded as early as the 10th century and is cont

Mediaeval Serbian Orthodox Christian monastery in a conflict epicentre - Medieval Monuments in Kosovo 724 Visoki Dečani What and Why Visoki Dečani Monastery ( Albanian : Manastiri i Deçanit ) is one of the four mediaeval Serbian Orthodox Christian monasteries in the disputed state of Kosovo ( Kosova ) . The famous historic monastery is commissioned by the King of Serbia (Serbian: Србија, Srbij a ) Stefan Dečanski (Serbian: Стефан Дечански, né Стефан Немањић, Stefan Nema

Venetian fortified town deep in the Mediterranean sea cliff - Natural and Culture-Historical Region of Kotor 125; Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra - Western State Da Mar 1533 Fortification of Kotor What and Why Kotor ( Montenegrin : Котор) is a beautifully landscaped historic fortification built largely by the Republic of Venice (Venetian: Venèçia ) around the Mediterranean inner bay, between the rugged mountains and the serene w

The Pearl of Adriatic as if a page from Games of Thrones - Old City of Dubrovnik 95; Festivity of Saint Blaise, the patron of Dubrovnik 00232; Art of dry stone construction, knowledge and techniques 02106 Dubrovnik What and Why Dubrovnik , known as the ' Pearl of the Adriatic ' by George Byron , is a city that comes out of the page of the mediaeval fantasy stories with the city being beautifully planned and constructed with brown marbles and limestones. The history of the ci

An Ottoman bridge symbolising ethnic diversity and reconciliation - Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar 946 Stari Most from across the bank What and Why Mostar is famous for its gorgeous Old Bridge ( Bosnian : Stari Most ) which connects the eastern and western part of the city across the river Neretva . The bridge is significant in many aspects: It carries history when it was built in the mid-16th century and stood for 427 years until it was blown up during the Bosn

Fusion of Spanish, Oriental and local architecture in churches - Baroque Churches in the Philippines 677; The School of Living Traditions (SLT) 01739 Paoay Church What and Why During the Spanish Colonial Period from the 16th to 19th century, the Spanish missionaries arrived at the Philippines ( Tagalog : Pilipinas ) , spread Christianity and built churches in their new land. The Spanish would like to build new and long-lasting churches to create a proper place to worship an

Asian Spanish colonial city with an old-world charm - Historic City of Vigan 502 Calle Crisologo at night What and Why Vigan is one of the few Spanish East Indies (Spanish: Indias orientales españolas ) colonial towns left in the Philippines ( Tagalog : Pilipinas ) whose old structures have mostly remained intact. The tiny town is well known for its sett and cobblestone pavements, derived from the Spanish Philippines colonial e ra which fuses native Philippine and or

Indentured labour gateway - Aapravasi Ghat 1227; Bhojpuri folk songs in Mauritius, Geet-Gawai 01178 Aapravasi Ghat What and Why The Aapravasi Ghat is another iconic representation of forced labour and slavery in Africa during the colonial times. During the period from mid-19th to early 20th century, Mauritius was a centre for i ndentured , or contracted, labour workforce from many countries due to its extensive requirement for labours in the sugar-cane plantations, manage

A rock that has become a testimony to resistance to slavery - Le Morne Cultural Landscape 1259; Traditional Mauritian Sega 01003 Le Morne Brabant viewed from the sea What and Why Le Morne is the peninsular area at the Southwestern tip of Mauritius , highlighted by a huge and steep 556-m basaltic monolith called Le Morne Brabant . The peninsula is a representation of the history of slavery and its ultimate resistance. The peninsula was a major refuge or hiding place for Mar

Dawn of textile factory system - Derwent Valley Mills 1030 Belper North Mill What and Why The Derwent Valley Mills in the United Kingdom represents the birthplace of the modern mass-production factory system . Stretching around 20 km along the River Derwent area, this particular WHS preserves a number of 18th and 19th century cotton mills and transport infrastructure, all originating and benefitting from the invention of the water frame by Richard Arkwright in the 1770s.

Once the world's largest commercial canal-based city with a picturesque mediaeval urbanscape - Flemish Béguinages 855; Belfries of Belgium and France 943; Historic Centre of Brugge 996; Safeguarding the carillon culture: preservation, transmission, exchange and awareness-raising 01017; Beer culture in Belgium 01062 Boatrip at Rozenhoedkaai What and Why Bruges ( Dutch : Brugge ) was at one point the commercial heart of the world, due its port and rivers. The city connects wi

Mediaeval Old Town and elegant Georgian New Town - Old and New Towns of Edinburgh 728; The Forth Bridge 1485 What and Why Edinburgh ...

Mediaeval castle of power and the longest toponym - Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd 374 Caernarfon Castle What and Why Gwynedd is located in the northern part of now Wales , and was a kingdom by itself from the 5th till the 11th century, when it was conquered by England . The Kingdom of Gwynedd , partly a successor state to the Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Romanum ) , built a number of fortified castles around the area of Caernarfon and Conwy . These cas

Lakes, forests, fells, Beatrix Potter & William Wordsworth - The English Lake District 422 Lake District National Park coastline What and Why The Lake District is a scenic region in Northwest England , which is a very popular holiday destination. It is famous for its lakes, forests and mountains ( fells , from Old Norse meaning 'mountain'). At the heart of this region lies Lake Windermere , the largest natural lake in England and one of the most iconic destinations within

Highest aqueduct in the world, symbolic of the Industrial Revolution - Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal 1303 Pontcysyllte Aqueduct What and Why Canal The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a waterbridge that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in Wales. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure, designed by Thomas Telford, is for use by narrowboats and was completed in 1805 having taken ten years to design and build . It is the longest aqueduct in United Kingdom (UK) a

Symbol of industrial revolution - Ironbridge Gorge 371 Ironbridge What and Why By today's standard, the Ironbridge is now derelict and the bridge is nothing impressive . However ever since its heyday, it has carried the accolade of being the first iron bridge in the world. The bridge runs over the deep River Severn , where the deep exposure of the rocks cut through by the gorge exposed commercial deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and fireclay , which enabled the rapid

Non-royal country house that holds the title of palace once resided by Winston Churchill - Blenheim Palace 425 Blenheim Palace What and Why Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house in Woodstock, United Kingdom. It is the principal residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, and the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest mansions, was built in the early 18th century. The palace is named for th

Spanish missionaries conversion programme - Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina), Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes (Brazil) 275; Chamamé 01600 San Ignacio Mini What and Why During the Age of Discovery in the 17th century, the Spanish conquistadores arrived at the Paraná region of Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil ) . Together with the conquistadores, there were Jesuit ( Latin : Societas Iesu ) mi

Quiet town with a history of colonisation - Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento 747; Tango 00258 Colonia del Sacramento What and Why Colonia del Sacramento , meaning 'Sacrament Colony' in Spanish, was founded in the late 17th century by the Portuguese, sandwiched in between the Portuguese Colonial Brazil ( Portuguese : Brasil Colonial ) and the Spanish Vice Royalty of the River Plate ( Spanish : Virreinato del Río de la Plata ) , which later includes Argen