Travel Reports » UNESCO Cultural Heritage


UNESCO Weltkulturerbe

UNESCO’s World Heritage List was first opened in 1978 and today comprises 1,121 sites in more than 167 countries (as of May 2020), which are of global significance in their uniqueness, authenticity and integrity. Among them are currently 869 cultural monuments, 213 natural sites and 39 mixed natural and cultural sites. The basis for the designation and registration as UNESCO World Heritage Site is the site’s outstanding universal value. That is, a cultural and/or natural significance that is so exceptional that it transcends national boundaries and is of importance to both present and future generations of all mankind. Cultural sites represent a masterpiece of human creativity in the field of architecture, technology, large-scale sculpture, town planning or landscape design. In addition, the sites are a unique testimony to a cultural tradition or an existing or perished culture.