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A general view taken on July 25, 2023 shows St. Mark's Square in Venice after a high tide event of 0.85 meters
Image: Marco Sabadin/AFP/Getty Images

UNESCO World Heritage

More than 1,000 sites around the world have been identified by UNESCO as being of special value to humanity. These locations, of both natural and cultural significance, are given special protection and attention.

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All Content on this topic

Neuer Anlauf für UNESCO-Welterbe Naumburger Dom

Welcoming the new 2018 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

At its meeting in Bahrain, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has named new World Heritage Sites. Here is a selection.
TravelJuly 1, 201811 images
Norddeutschland Wikingermuseum Haithabu

Vikings win UNESCO World Heritage title

The Viking sites Haithabu and Danevirke in northern Germany have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
TravelJune 30, 2018
Ghana Accra Präsident Nana Akufo-Addo

Africa Link on Air - 29 June 2018

Ghana's President fires electoral body head citing misconduct+++Kenya's Lake Turkana put on World Heritage danger list
PoliticsJune 29, 201829:59 min
Aerial view of rainforest Leuser Mountain National Park, Indonesia

Endangered natural world heritage

UNESCO has updated its List of World Heritage in Danger. A coral reef was saved, but dozens of sites remain endangered.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 29, 20188 images
Weimar

The World Heritage Quiz

Cultural landscapes, natural and urban areas: Germany's UNESCO World Heritage is diverse. What do you know about it?
TravelJune 28, 2018
An illustration of Red Riding Hood

5 German traditions listed by UNESCO

UNESCO's Cultural Heritage list not only aims to protect monuments and buildings, but also customs and traditions
CultureJune 26, 2018
Little Red Riding Hood

5 German traditions now considered UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

UNESCO's Cultural Heritage list not only aims to protect monuments and buildings, but also customs and traditions.
CultureJune 26, 20185 images
UNESCO Welterbe (Bildergalerie) Wikingersiedlung Haithabu in Schleswig-Holstein

On the trail of the Vikings in Europe

The Vikings left traces of their presence in Germany and elsewhere in northern and central Europe.
TravelJune 25, 201810 images
Soldier standing amongst war graves at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing

WWI memorials candidate for UNESCO World Heritage

Almost 30 sites are on the shortlist to be designated World Heritage. Among them: WWI graveyards in France and Belgium.
CultureJune 24, 2018
Rock painting in Chiribiquete National Park Kolumbien (Jorge Mario Álvarez Arango)

Monasteries and memorials: 10 UNESCO World Heritage contenders

In July, UNESCO will announce the new entries on its World Heritage list. Here are 10 candidates from across the world!
SocietyJune 24, 201810 images
Euromaxx Mühlen Niederlande

European Traditions: The miller's trade

In 2017, the Dutch miller's craft was listed as part of the World Intangible Cultural Heritage.
LifestyleJune 24, 201804:55 min
DW Sendung Euromaxx Dudelsack

Europe's Traditions: Uilleann Pipes

Kevin Rowsome plays the Uilleann Pipes, a specifically Irish bagpipe, just like his ancestors.
MusicJune 23, 201804:50 min
Euromaxx Orgelbau Orgel

UNESCO cultural heritage: organ building and music

There are about 50,000 organs in all of Germany. Building them has a long tradition here.
LifestyleJune 20, 201805:08 min
Eritrean Catholic church of "Our Lady of the Rosary" (photo: DW/Y.Tegenewerk)

Africa's newest World Heritage sites

In July, UNESCO is to decide which sites get World Heritage status. DW introduces Africa's newcomers of recent years.
CultureJune 15, 201810 images
Deutschland, St. Goarshausen: Vorstellung der neuen Loreley

New "Loreley" promotes iconic World Heritage on the Rhine

The romantic Rhine rock Loreley in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley has a new representative: Tasmin Sophie Fetz (19).
TravelJune 11, 2018
Iran Sehenswürdigkeiten in Schiraz Persepolis

Blogger Steve Hänisch on the road in Iran

Shiraz – ancient civilization, religious art and poetry.
CultureJune 9, 201803:20 min
Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte, Völklingen, Saarland

Völklingen Ironworks

TravelJune 1, 201801:01 min
Aachener Dom

UNESCO World Heritage, an award that commits

42 World Heritage Sites in Germany invite you to guided tours and events on UNESCO World Heritage Day on 3 June.
TravelJune 1, 2018
Bildergalerie - Zehn Gründe für Hessen

10 reasons to love Hesse

It covers all from the Brothers Grimm fairytale landscapes in the north to the city of Frankfurt am Main in the south.
TravelMay 29, 201810 images
Welterbe Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies

TravelMay 28, 201801:02 min
Tansania Selous Reservat

Tanzania's biggest wildlife reserve under threat

The Tanzanian government plans to start building a hydropower dam inside a UNESCO-protected nature reserve this July.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 24, 2018
West Balkan Länder - Kroatien - Silbersee

Croatia: Pristine Nature in Peril

A lake area in Croatia, famous as a movie location, is endangered by tourism and illegal building.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 24, 201805:11 min
Deutschland - Stephan Füssel hat Faksimile der Gutenberg-Bibel herausgegeben

The Gutenberg Bible re-published 550 years after his death

Scholar Stephan Füssel has published a facsimile edition of the legendary Gutenberg Old Testament Bible of 1454.
CultureMay 23, 2018
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Touring Budapest on an amphibious bus

An amphibious bus takes sightseers on a tour of Budapest by both land and water.
LifestyleMay 22, 201804:27 min
Bildergalerie Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel

TravelMay 17, 201801:03 min
Bildergalerie Gothic-Hildesheim

Ever been to Hildesheim?

This northern German city is perhaps best known for its goth music festival. But it’s got a lot more to offer too.
TravelMay 15, 201814 images
India's Gond community tries to revive their language

World in Progress: Reviving India's Gondi language

Gondi speakers have teamed up to put together their first dictionary in an effort to save their language.
SocietyMay 9, 201806:22 min
Deutschland Rhein

Rhine border of the Romans strives for world heritage status

The Lower German Limes between Bad Breisig and Katwijk is to be considered for World Heritage status.
TravelMay 2, 2018
Deutschland Stadt Köln - Kölner Dom

Cologne Cathedral

TravelMay 2, 201800:57 min
Sendung Euromaxx 22.03.2018 - Bergbaustadt Røros

The quaint mining town of Røros

The quaint mining town of Røros, with its tradtional timber houses, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
LifestyleMarch 23, 201805:03 min
Nationaltheater in Weimar 2009

Classical Weimar

TravelMarch 20, 201800:59 min
Schloss im Wörlitzer Park in Wörlitz mit Magnolienblüte

Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz

TravelMarch 12, 201801:03 min
Welterbe Potsdam - Park und Schloss Sanssouci

Brandenburg Quiz

How did Prussia's kings live, and what attracts film stars to Brandenburg? Test your knowledge of Brandenburg!
TravelFebruary 22, 2018
Dw Euromaxx Basler Fastnacht

UNESCO World Heritage: Basel carnival

The carnival in the Swiss city of Basel rings in the 40 days of Lent. Its rituals and costumes are so unique that, in December, 2017, UNESCO listed the festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
LifestyleFebruary 20, 201805:05 min
Fire at the sacred Jokhang Monastery

Fire reported at sacred Tibetan monastery

The more than 1,300-year-old monastery is one of the most sacred locations in Tibetan Buddhism.
CatastropheFebruary 18, 2018
Zehn Gründe für die Nordsee Wattenmeer Nordfriesland

The Wadden Sea

TravelFebruary 16, 201801:05 min
Schloss Augustusburg Brühl 33

Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl

TravelFebruary 9, 201801:05 min
Deutschland Lutherstadt Wittenberg Reformationstag

Old Town of Wittenberg

TravelFebruary 2, 201800:59 min
Sklaverei - Kunst erinnert an Menschenhandel

Heritage site threatened by rising seas

Gorée island, off the coast of Senegal, was once a transit point for the Atlantic slave trade and is now a World Heritage Site. But as the sea level rises, the island is being eroded away and protective dikes have collapsed under heavy rains, threating a unique piece of history.
Nature and EnvironmentFebruary 1, 201807:39 min
D-Day Landung Kanadische Soldaten

D-Day landing site proposed for World Heritage List

Along with France's bid, Germany also proposed areas and landmarks that they would like to see join the UNESCO list.
CultureJanuary 31, 2018
Peru Nazca Lines

Peru Nazca Lines: UNESCO World Heritage Site damaged

A 2,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site, Peru's Nazca Lines has been damaged by a truck driver.
CultureJanuary 31, 2018
Swiss yodeling festival

Switzerland offers first yodeling degree

A three-year bachelors or two-year masters degree in yodeling has been launched by a university in Switzerland.
MusicJanuary 31, 2018
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St Mary’s Cathedral and St Michael’s Church at Hildesheim

TravelJanuary 24, 201801:02 min
Deutschland Trier - Deutschlands älteste Stadt

Roman Monuments in Trier

TravelJanuary 15, 201801:04 min
Weltkulturerbe UNESCO - Italien Pizza aus Neapel

UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage

A look at the protected objects that comprise the world's cultural diversity and creative expression.
CultureJanuary 13, 20188 images
French football fans hold up baguettes before a football game with Spain

Macron wants UNESCO status for French baguette

Emmanuel Macron has joined bakers in calling for the baguette to be included on UNESCO's "intangible heritage" list.
SocietyJanuary 13, 2018
Bildergalerie Höhlen in der Schwäbischen Alb

Germany's UNESCO World Heritage site: the oldest Ice Age artworks

Six caves with Ice Age artworks in the Swabian Jura region were given UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
TravelJanuary 11, 201811 images
Hamburger Speicherstadt

The Speicherstadt in Hamburg

TravelJanuary 5, 201801:18 min
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Bremen

TravelJanuary 5, 201801:12 min
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Hanseatic Cities Wismar and Stralsund

TravelJanuary 5, 201801:06 min