Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk [ˈnɛpəˌmʊk] at Zelená Hora [zɛlɛˈnaː ˈɦɔra] - Czechia
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/690This pilgrimage church, built in honour of St John of Nepomuk, stands at Zelená Hora, not far from Ždár nad Sázavou in Moravia. Constructed at the beginning of the 18th century on a star-shaped plan, it is the most unusual work by the great architect Jan Blazej Santini, whose highly original style falls between neo-Gothic and Baroque. 2024-04-26 WHS cowpoke
As-Salt [æt-sɑlt] - The Place of Tolerance and Urban Hospitality - Jordan
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/689Built on three closely-spaced hills in the Balqa highland of west-central Jordan, the city of As-Salt, was an important trading link between the eastern desert and the west. During the last 60 years of the Ottoman period, the region prospered from the arrival and settlement of merchants from Nablus, Syria, and Lebanon who made their fortunes in trade, banking, and farming. This prosperity attracted skilled craftsmen from different parts of the region who worked on transforming the modest rural s WHS cowpoke
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) - Japan
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/688Built in A.D. 794 on the model of the capitals of ancient China, Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan from its foundation until the middle of the 19th century. As the centre of Japanese culture for more than 1,000 years, Kyoto illustrates the development of Japanese wooden architecture, particularly religious architecture, and the art of Japanese gardens, which has influenced landscape gardening the world over. 2024-04-26 WHS cowpoke
Völklingen [ˈfœlk.lɪŋən] Ironworks - Germany
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/687The ironworks, which cover some 6 ha, dominate the city of Völklingen. Although they have recently gone out of production, they are the only intact example, in the whole of western Europe and North America, of an integrated ironworks that was built and equipped in the 19th and 20th centuries and has remained intact. 2024-04-25 WHS cowpoke
Miguasha [mɪˈɡwɑːʃə] National Park - Canada
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/686The palaeontological site of Miguasha National Park, in south-eastern Quebec on the southern coast of the Gaspé peninsula, is considered to be the world's most outstanding illustration of the Devonian Period known as the 'Age of Fishes'. Dating from 370 million years ago, the Upper Devonian Escuminac Formation represented here contains five of the six fossil fish groups associated with this period. Its significance stems from the discovery there of the highest number and best-pres... WHS cowpoke
Doñana [doˈɲana] National Park - Spain
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/685Doñana National Park in Andalusia occupies the right bank of the Guadalquivir river at its estuary on the Atlantic Ocean. It is notable for the great diversity of its biotopes, especially lagoons, marshlands, fixed and mobile dunes, scrub woodland and maquis. It is home to five threatened bird species. It is one of the largest heronries in the Mediterranean region and is the wintering site for more than 500,000 water fowl each year. 2024-04-25 WHS cowpoke
Rwenzori [ɾweˈnzɔɾi] Mountains National Park - Uganda
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/684The Rwenzori Mountains National Park covers nearly 100,000 ha in western Uganda and comprises the main part of the Rwenzori mountain chain, which includes Africa's third highest peak (Mount Margherita: 5,109 m). The region's glaciers, waterfalls and lakes make it one of Africa's most beautiful alpine areas. The park has many natural habitats of endangered species and a rich and unusual flora comprising, among other species, the giant heather. 2024-04-24 WHS cowpoke
Bwindi [bwiːndi] Impenetrable National Park - Uganda
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/682Located in south-western Uganda, at the junction of the plain and mountain forests, Bwindi Park covers 32,000 ha and is known for its exceptional biodiversity, with more than 160 species of trees and over 100 species of ferns. Many types of birds and butterflies can also be found there, as well as many endangered species, including the mountain gorilla. 2024-04-24 WHS cowpoke
Complex of Hué [hwej˧˥] Monuments - Viet Nam
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/678Established as the capital of unified Viet Nam in 1802, Hué was not only the political but also the cultural and religious centre under the Nguyen dynasty until 1945. The Perfume River winds its way through the Capital City, the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Inner City, giving this unique feudal capital a setting of great natural beauty. 2024-04-24 WHS cowpoke
Baroque [bəˈroʊk] Churches of the Philippines - Philippines
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/677These four churches, the first of which was built by the Spanish in the late 16th century, are located in Manila, Santa Maria, Paoay and Miag-ao. Their unique architectural style is a reinterpretation of European Baroque by Chinese and Philippine craftsmen. 2024-04-23 WHS cowpoke
Historic Centre of Zacatecas [sakaˈtekas] - Mexico
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/676Founded in 1546 after the discovery of a rich silver lode, Zacatecas reached the height of its prosperity in the 16th and 17th centuries. Built on the steep slopes of a narrow valley, the town has breathtaking views and there are many old buildings, both religious and civil. The cathedral, built between 1730 and 1760, dominates the centre of the town. It is notable for its harmonious design and the Baroque profusion of its façades, where European and indigenous decorative elements are found side WHS cowpoke
Joya de Cerén [ˈxɔʝa ðe seˈɾen] Archaeological Site - El Salvador
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/675Joya de Cerén was a pre-Hispanic farming community that, like Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy, was buried under an eruption of the Laguna Caldera volcano c. AD 600. Because of the exceptional condition of the remains, they provide an insight into the daily lives of the Central American populations who worked the land at that time. 2024-04-23 WHS cowpoke
Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago - Viet Nam
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/672Ha Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islands and islets featuring spectacular limestone pillars rising from the sea, the eroded notches, arches and caves creating a picturesque and beautiful landscape. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. Seven key ecosystem types are found here and the area is home to threatened endemic species such as the Cat Ba Langur (<em>Trachypithecus poliocephalus</em>),... WHS cowpoke
The Sassi [ˈsas.si] and the Park of the Rupestrian [ruːˈpɛstriən] Churches of Matera [maˈte.ra] - Italy
Rupestrian - adj: (of art) done on rock or cave walls.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/670This is the most outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean region, perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem. The first inhabited zone dates from the Palaeolithic, while later settlements illustrate a number of significant stages in human history. Matera is in the southern region of Basilicata. 2024-04-22 WHS cowpoke
Routes of Santiago de Compostela: <I>Camino Francés</I> and Routes of Northern Spain - Spain
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/669A network of four Christian pilgrimage routes in northern Spain, the site is an extension of the Route of Santiago de Compostela, a serial site inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. The extension represents a network of almost 1,500 km: coastal, interior of the Basque Country–La Rioja, Liébana and primitive routes. It includes a built heritage of historical importance created to meet the needs of pilgrims, including cathedrals, churches, hospitals, hostels and even bridges. The extension WHS cowpoke
Angkor [ʔɑŋ.koʔ] - Cambodia
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/668Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 400 km2, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations. UNESCO has set up a wide-ranging programme to safeguard this symbolic site and its surroundings. 2024 WHS cowpoke
Lumbini [lumbini], the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha - Nepal (speaks Nepali)
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/666Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative pillars there. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature. 2024-04-21 WHS cowpoke
Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe [ˈsanta maˈɾi.a ðe ɡwaðaˈlupe] - Spain
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/665The monastery is an outstanding repository of four centuries of Spanish religious architecture. It symbolizes two significant events in world history that occurred in 1492: the Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula by the Catholic Kings and Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas. Its famous statue of the Virgin became a powerful symbol of the Christianization of much of the New World. 2024-04-21 WHS cowpoke
Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida [ˈme.ɾi.ða] - Spain
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/664The colony of Augusta Emerita, which became present-day Mérida in Estremadura, was founded in 25 B.C. at the end of the Spanish Campaign and was the capital of Lusitania. The well-preserved remains of the old city include, in particular, a large bridge over the Guadiana, an amphitheatre, a theatre, a vast circus and an exceptional water-supply system. It is an excellent example of a provincial Roman capital during the empire and in the years afterwards. 2024-04-20 WHS cowpoke
Shirakami-Sanchi [白神山地] - Japan
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/663Situated in the mountains of northern Honshu, this trackless site includes the last virgin remains of the cool-temperate forest of Siebold's beech trees that once covered the hills and mountain slopes of northern Japan. The black bear, the serow and 87 species of birds can be found in this forest. 2024-04-20 WHS cowpoke
