Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region

PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

country. Japan

year of inscription. 2018

criteria. Cultural

Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region

PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

country. Japan

year of inscription. 2017

criteria. Cultural

Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan

country. Japan

year of inscription. 2019

criteria. Cultural

The WHS comprises of ancient tombs from the Kofun period (3rd – 6th century CE). Comprising of 49 kofun (Japanese for old mounds) out of a total of 160,000 found throughout Japan, these earthen tombs were used for the burial of the elite class of the era. Varying in size and geometric shapes (like keyhole, scallop, square, or circle), they are evidence of the development of a social order and advanced funerary system.

Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range

country. Japan

year of inscription. 2004 (modification: 2016)

criteria. Cultural

This WHS marks ancient pilgrimage routes and its associated sacred sites dating back some 1,200 years. The three sacred sites of Yoshino and Omine, Kumano Sanzan, and Koyasan are set in the forests of the Kii Mountains. These sites are connected by pilgrimage routes, which are further linked to the ancient capital cities of Nara and Kyoto. Worship customs in these areas date back some 1,200 years and incorporates ancient Japanese animistic practices, Shinto traditions, as well as Buddhist rituals. Besides the three main sites, this WHS also includes pilgrimage routes and sub-routes, sacred natural objects like trees, forests, and mountains, as well as stone mausolea and stupas.

Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 2019

criteria. Cultural

The Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies UNESCO WHS is composed of serial sites located in the provinces of North Gyeongsang, North Jeolla, South Chungcheong, South Gyeongsang, and South Jeolla as well as Daegu Metropolitan City. This property is composed of Neo-Confucian academies from the Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE). The seowon was an academy for learning which focused on the imparting of Confucian teachings. Their design took into account the appreciation of nature to cultivate the mind and body. As such, they were often situated near mountains and water sources and the buildings were constructed to facilitate connections to the landscape upon which they stand.

Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 2009

criteria. Cultural

The Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty UNESCO WHS is located in eighteen locations in Seoul Special City as well as the Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces of South Korea. It is composed of forty tombs of members of the royal family of the House of Yi, which ruled Korea between 1392 and 1910. These tombs were built over a timespan of more than five centuries, from 1408 to 1966. They represent the ultimate forms of royal tomb architecture on the Korean Peninsula, an architectural history which goes back some 5,000 years. Their layouts are shaped by the principles of pungsu (classical Korean geomancy) and create a setting for the tradition of ancestral worship and its rites.

Jongmyo Shrine

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 1995

criteria. Cultural

The Jongmyo Shrine UNESCO WHS can be found in Seoul Special City, South Korea. It was a royal shrine for the monarchs of the Joseon Dynasty. Dedicated to the royal forebears of the Korean Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE), the shrine has existed in its current form since the 16th century CE. Housing the spirit tablets of departed Joseon kings and queens, it is also the place where the reigning king will go to perform the rituals of ancestral worship, in accordance to Confucian beliefs. The site has been in use since the 14th century; however, a Japanese invasion in the 16th century destroyed the original building, It was rebuilt in the 17th century, and the layout of buildings since then has been preserved.

Hwaseong Fortress

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 1997

criteria. Cultural

The Hwaseong Fortress UNESCO WHS is located in Gyeonggi province, South Korea. It is a fortification built in the 18th century CE during the Korean Joseon Dynasty. King Jeongjo (1752CE – 1800CE, r. 1776CE – 1800CE) of the Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE) reinterred remains of his father, Crown Prince Jangheon (1735CE – 1762CE) in the city of Suwon at the end of the 18th century. He then further embarked on a project to build strong defensive fortifications to surround the tomb. The structures incorporated the latest technological know-how then from both the East and the West. The fortress walls run for 5.7km, enclosing a land area of 130ha. Other defense features include flood- and land gates, observation towers, command posts, attack towers, bastions, ravelins, and bunkers. The architecture of the fortress differed from contemporary ones in China and Japan and was pivotal to the development of Korean architecture, urban planning, and landscape design.

Town of Bamberg

country. Germany

year of inscription. 1993

criteria. Cultural

In the 10th century, Bamberg grew to be an important town with links to the Slavic peoples from Poland and Pomerania. In 1007, when Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, was crowned king of Germany, he appointed Bamberg as the seat of a bishopric, intending for it to become a “second Rome”. The town prospered especially in the 12th century, and its resultant architecture was to influence other urban areas in northern Germany and Hungary. In the 18th century, it was the centre of Enlightenment in southern Germany, with eminent philosophers and writers like Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and E. T. A. Hoffman basing themselves there.

Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Western Segment)

countries. Austria, Germany, and Slovakia

year of inscription. 2021

criteria: Cultural

At its zenith, the boundary of the Roman Empire stretched over 5,000km, from the Atlantic coast of northern Britain, through Europe from the North Sea to the Black Sea, and then to the Red Sea and across North Africa to the Atlantic coast. The modern term for this border defence and delimiting system is limes, and existed in the form of walls, ditches, forts, fortresses, watchtowers, and civilian settlements. Today, elements of the limes have been destroyed, excavated, or reconstructed.

The conservation of the limes as WHS has been categorised into the following three distinct sites:

• Frontiers of the Roman Empire
• Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Western Segment)
• Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes

The Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Western Segment) WHS is composed of the sites along the western segment of the Danube River, which demarcated the parts of the northern reach of the Empire. There are a total of 77 component sites and locations: 24 locations in Germany, 47 locations in Austria, and 6 locations in Slovakia. Hungary, which was one of the constituent countries seeking to list this WHS, withdrew its participation at short notice. Nonetheless, the remaining three state parties proceeded and the WHS was inscribed in 2021.

Frontiers of the Roman Empire (formerly: Hadrian's Wall)

country. Germany and United Kingdom

year of inscription: 1987; extension & re-naming: 2005; extension: 2008

criteria: Cultural

At its zenith, the boundary of the Roman Empire stretched over 5,000km, from the Atlantic coast of northern Britain, through Europe from the North Sea to the Black Sea, and then to the Red Sea and across North Africa to the Atlantic coast. The modern term for this border defence and delimiting system is limes, and existed in the form of walls, ditches, forts, fortresses, watchtowers, and civilian settlements. Today, elements of the limes have been destroyed, excavated, or reconstructed.

The conservation of the limes as WHS has been categorised into the following three distinct WHS:

• Frontiers of the Roman Empire
• Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Western Segment)
• Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes

The Frontiers of the Roman Empire WHS is composed of the following components:

• Hadrian’s Wall: remnants of a 118km-long wall in England, United Kingdom, built in 122 CE, marking the northern boundary of the Roman province of Britannia, declared a WHS in 1987
• Upper German-Raetian Limes: a 550km-long stretch of fortifications between the Rhine and Danube in Germany, built in stages in the course of the 2nd century CE, marking a cultural divide between the Romanised world and non-Romanised Germanic peoples; added to the WHS in 2005
• Antonine Wall: remains of a 60km wall in Scotland, United Kingdom, built in 140s CE, between River Forth and River Clyde, in an attempt to extend the reach of the Roman Empire in Britain; added to the WHS in 2008

Altogether, the three components are registered across 439 locations.

This WHS was first inscribed in 1987 as Hadrian’s Wall. With the addition of the Upper German-Raetian Limes in 2005, it was re-named to its current title, and further extended in 2008.

Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg

country. Germany

year of inscription. 1996

criteria. Cultural

Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) and Philip Melanchthon (1497 – 1560) objected to the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church then and their resulting protests launched the Protestant Reformation. This ushered in a new era in the religious – and consequently, political – history of the Western world. The component sites in the towns of Eisleben and Wittenberg, which are places associated with the lives of these two reformers, including the castle church in Wittenberg where Luther posted his 95 Theses in 1517, were inscribed as a WHS in 1996.

Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau (formerly: Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau)

country. Germany

year of inscription. 1996; extension & re-naming: 2017

criteria. Cultural

The Bauhaus School, originally in Weimar and then in Dessau, revolutionised architectural and artistic thought and practice from 1919 – 1933. The professors – Henry van de Velde, Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Wassily Kandinsky – of the school launched the Modern Movement, which went on to deeply influence 20th century architecture. The properties listed in this WHS are quintessential examples of Classical Modernism. In its original listing, it was made up of three buildings in Weimar and eight in Dessau. Its 2017 extension went on to include another five buildings in Dessau and one in Bernau.

Berlin Modernism Housing Estates

country. Germany

year of inscription. 2008

criteria. Cultural

Between 1910 and 1933, Germany was under the Weimar Republic, and its capital city of Berlin was regarded as being progressive in many aspects, including socially, politically, and culturally. In attempts to better the lives of people with lower incomes, novel housing development projects providing new technical and aesthetic takes on architecture, urban planning, and garden design were created. Architects who worked with these projects include: Bruno Taut, Martin Wagner, and Walter Gropius.

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

country. South Korea
year of inscription. 1995

criteria. Cultural

Seokguram Grotto was established in the 8th century CE under the auspices of the Silla Kingdom. It is a man-made cave that consists of a monumental statue of the Buddha facing towards the sea. Surrounding the statue are other Buddhist wall sculptures portraying Bodhisattvas, deities, and disciples. The nearby Bulguksa Temple was built a little later in 774CE. The temple complex comprises a set of wooden religious buildings erected on raised stone terraces. Together, they are representative of Korean religious art-form from that era.

Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 2010

criteria. Cultural

The Historic Korean Villages: Hahoe and Yangdong UNESCO WHS is located in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea. The two component sites are representative of traditional Korean clan villages. The two villages were established in the 14th – 15th centuries and are reflective of the prevailing aristocratic Confucian culture of the earlier centuries of the Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE). The physical surrounding of the villages includes forests, mountains, and a riverfront alongside open agricultural fields. Wooden buildings erected served as residences for the clansmen of the aristocracy, pavilions, study halls, and Neo-Confucian academies, while mud-walled, thatch-roofed houses were used by the commoners.

Palaces and Gardens of Potsdam and Berlin

country. Germany

year of inscription. 1990 (extensions: 1992, 1999)

criteria. Cultural

This ensemble of sites includes some 500 ha of parks and 150 buildings that were constructed between 1730 CE and 1916 CE, and designed by the most regarded architects and landscape gardeners of northern Germany in their time. The whole complex extends from Potsdam into the district of Berlin-Zehlendorf, Berlin, in a region with a natural setting of rivers, lakes, and hills, based on conceptual plans by Peter Joseph Lenné made after the mid-1800s.

Water Management System of Augsburg

country. Germany

year of inscription. 2019

criteria. Cultural

The site is composed of a system of man-made structures which exhibits technical knowledge in harnessing water for use. The network includes: sources of potable spring water and process river water, a network of canals and a complex of watercourses, water towers dating from the 15th – 17th centuries that housed both water wheels and turbines that served as water pumps, a water-cooled butchers’ hall from the 17th century, a system of three monumental, artistic water fountains, the Hochablass Waterworks which represents modern cutting-edge hydraulic engineering of the late-19th century, hydropower stations, and hydroelectric power stations that continue to function today.

Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Lower German Limes

country. Germany and Netherlands

year of inscription. 2021

criteria. Cultural
At its zenith, the boundary of the Roman Empire stretched over 5,000km, from the Atlantic coast of northern Britain, through Europe from the North Sea to the Black Sea, and then to the Red Sea and across North Africa to the Atlantic coast. The modern term for this border defence and delimiting system is limes, and existed in the form of walls, ditches, forts, fortresses, watchtowers, and civilian settlements. Today, elements of the limes have been destroyed, excavated, or reconstructed.

The conservation of the limes as WHS has been categorised into the following three distinct sites:

• Frontiers of the Roman Empire
• Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Western Segment)
• Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes

The Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes WHS is composed of the boundary that ran for 400 km along the Lower Rhine, along the north-eastern boundary of the Roman frontier province of Germania Inferior, to the North Sea coast (of today’s Netherlands). The waterlogged, wetland conditions under which some of these limes sites were constructed reflect the military engineering mastery of the Romans then.

Namhansanseong

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 2014

criteria. Cultural

The Namhansanseong WHS is located in Gyeonggi province. It served as an emergency capital of the Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE). The area was settled from as early as the 7th century CE, and was rebuilt several times. Its importance increased in the 17th century CE, pending a potential attack from the Qing Dynasty in China. In its current form, it takes in Chinese and Japanese influences and incorporates military defence ideas of that era, and has become a symbol of Korean sovereignty.