history Archives | Page 8 of 9 | World Heritage Sites

The Church of St. Trophime in Arles has a Romanesque entranceway, shown in this photo. Rounded arches above a double door, pillars on each side of the door.

Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments

A grand Roman city and its later Romanesque additions, well-preserved in Arles city center.

A partial view of the Jeronimos Monastery shows a very ornate arched entrance, with lots of decorative embellishment around and above it. Along the roofline are filigreed crenellations and a corner of the building has a dome-topped little tower.

Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon

Two striking buildings from Portugal’s “Golden Age” of global exploration and seafaring.

Grimeton Radio Station

For radio buffs, a surviving operational example of pre-electronic radio technology.

A view looking up the drive to the castle. It stands on a hill, and in this photo 4 of the octagonal towers show, with two of them framing the main entrance.

Castel del Monte

An unusual castle expressing Frederick II’s search for perfection, leading him to design the castle around the number 8.

A nighttime shot with, on the left, the wall of a building with 2 stories, each a row of rounded archways. Beyond that, a stately-lookng building: white with classical columns lining the front. Between the two, a lighted sculpture: a high arch, lit white, with a large white star where it touches the ground.

City of Verona

A city exemplifying 2000 years of uninterrupted artistic and architectural development.

St Kilda

An isolated island of dramatic landscapes: a nature sanctuary, with ample evidence of human fortitude in such a remote spot.

A small building standing apart from other buildings, the gatehouse at Lorsch has two stories. The ground floor is open, with 3 arches front and back, so, from this front view, you can see through the building. The upper story has 3 small windows. The facade has rather intricate stonework, with a checkerboard pattern of red and light brown bricks. A half-round structure has been added at each end.

Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch

A rare example of architecture from the Carolingian period.

A row of houses on the other side of a river: very much a Dutch style of facade, tall and narrow with a variety of different roof shapes. Unlike in the Netherlands, though, they are painted in lots of different colors. In front of them, between the water and the buildings: outdoor cafe seating with umbrellas.

Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Curaçao

A colorful, dynamic and diverse Caribbean island capital with four distinct historical districts.

A round, 2-3 story structure with stone walls, an ornate Arabic-inspired entrance and window frames.

Cultural Landscape of Sintra

A fine collection of fanciful Romantic-style palaces and castles.

A very ornate building of stone: arched openings all along the ground floor, windows on the upper two floors that are all surrounded by decorative stonework and with iron balconies, and a small bell tower in the center top with three bells in a row.

Old City of Salamanca

An ancient city with stunning architecture in Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles.

The photo looks up at the building, and shows the roof lines: it has crenellations, but more ornate than the usual castle crenellations: these have decorative carvings. the lower part of the building is painted pastel yellow.

La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia

A masterpiece of late-Gothic architecture, used as a trading hall in the silk trade.

A row of columns, all broken at the top. The nearest is square while the ones beyond it are cylindrical.

Archaeological Site of Carthage

Ruins of the heart of a great trading empire and cultural hub.

A cobbled street curves ahead, lined by simple two-story houses, each covered in plaster and painted a pastel white or brown.

Jewish Quarter and St Procopius’ Basilica in Třebíč

A historical Jewish neighborhood and a Catholic Basilica illustrate how Jews and Christians co-existed peacefully.

The front of a palace: a symmetrical facade about 3 stories high. It's made of light pinkish stone, ornately carved and/or painted. The central entrance is arched, with a slight point at the top of the arch and a smaller arched doorway within.

Jaipur City, Rajasthan

A planned 18th-century walled city, famous for its pink architecture.

Closeup of the top of an archway and the wall above it. Every inch is carved with extremely detailed decorations : swirls and complicated shapes, along with some Arabic writing.

Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada

A remarkably well-preserved complex of medieval Muslim architecture mixing Moorish and Spanish elements.

The fortress walls on the left, with rounded towers flanking a gate. A stone bridge with multiple arches leads into the gate. Along the wall are two further round guard towers with pointed roofs.

Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne

A classic medieval fortified town with intact walls, a castle, and a Gothic cathedral.

On the left, the facade of a large building, perhaps a church, made of stone with a flat facade but decorative windows. Straight ahead, a view over the red roofs of the city.

Historic Centre of Oporto

A beautiful urban landscape with diverse historical architecture in a range of styles.

A view along a row of buildings in Hoi An, all one or two stories tall, with a flat-topped facade. They're painted in shades of light orange and are very colorful with chains of mostly red paper lanterns hanging down their facades and draped across and above the street as well.

Hoi An Ancient Town

An ancient and well-preserved trading port with traditional wooden buildings that show the traces of indigenous, Chinese, Japanese and European influences.

A pretty row of single story houses: all painted white but with bright paint of various colors around windows and doors.

Paraty and Ilha Grande – Culture and Biodiversity

Colonial architecture, traditional communities, and large and richly diverse nature reserves.

A low-ceilinged room, carved out of rock. At the back are two archways (carved, not built). Two people stand in the left-hand archway, showing that the height is about twice a human's height. The right-hand one is larger, and through it more rough-hewn space can be seen in another "room."

Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum

A mysterious underground burial site dating to 4000 BC.

A row of houses, each painted a different color, mostly in shades of yellows, whites and reds. Each is 3 stories with a peaked roof. The line a wharf where boats are docked..

Bryggen

A beautifully-preserved area of wooden houses and warehouses, once part of the Hanseatic League international trading network.

A palace: not huge, but elegant. Two stories, plus another under the roof, which has a small cupola-like tower in the middle. The walls are yellow with white trim.

Classical Weimar

An influential cultural center in the late 18th and early 19th century as demonstrated today in the quality of its architecture and parks.

A bright yellow temple with curving roofs on each story, standing on the shore of a lake.

Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, Uji and Otsu

A set of 17 sites comprising culturally-significant religious architecture and landscaped gardens.

City of Cuzco

Imperial city of the ancient Incas high in the Andes mountains.

In the foreground, stone walls with people walking along the tops. In the background the modern city skyline with its skyscrapers.

Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena

An excellent example of colonial military architecture in an important location for Caribbean exploration and trade.

A young man dressed in walking clothes and carrying a small backpack passes a sign reading "Santiago de la Compostela 790"

Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain

Ancient long-distance pilgrimage routes, still walked today.

The castle is perched on a hill, with a single square tower in its middle. The left'hand wing is brick and/or stone, while the right-hand wing is white plaster with exposed timber beams.

Wartburg Castle

An imposing castle, important because of its role in Martin Luther’s life.

Looking down a wide path to a large palace: several stories high, it extends past the edges of the photo on both sides. Above the center is a large copper dome.

Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin

An ensemble of stately palaces dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, along with their extensive gardens.

A pretty yellow building with two storeys facing on a pleasant square with greenery and a fountain.

Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca

A beautiful Spanish colonial city that shows successful blending of cultures.

A very narrow street, only wide enough for 2 people, with whitewashed houses on either side. The houses are painted blue up to about halfway up, and white above that.

Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage

A city that combines old and new: modern town planning that incorporates traditional cultural values.

Sunset over buildings (and one taller tower).

Stone Town of Zanzibar

An historic port city of multiple cultural and architectural influences as a result of its importance in the slave trade.

A pyramid on a hill on the left, with a steep stairway up to it. The stairway continues down the hill, in a series of steep stairways with landings between them. Large walls support the sides of the hill, also made of stone. A few areas low on the hill have brown roofs sheltering whatever ruins are underneath.

Tikal National Park

Pre-Columbian Mayan ruins deep in the rainforest, important in terms of both archeology and biodiversity.

A scene of mountains covered with green growth with, in the foreground a hawk flying.

Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia

Where the best coffee in the world is produced: a stunning and culturally rich region set in the heart of Colombia.

A row of low white buildings with occasional archways in the wall in front of them sit on the edge of a lake. The lake water is absolutely still, so the houses are mirrored perfectly in the water.

Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun

Picture-perfect traditional rural villages, unchanged since the feudal period.

An ornate gate (without doors): red roof with curved roof lines, supported by 4 red pillars, with decorative painting under the roof. Beyond that, a neat grass-covered mound.

Complex of Koguryo Tombs

Underground burial chambers, some with bright wall paintings, that offer insight into Korea’s Korguryo kingdom.

The building has an arched portico along the ground floor, decorative statues and other decoration between the windows on the upper floor, three decorative gables in front of the green roof, the middle gable the largest.

Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen

Testimony to civic autonomy and market freedoms of a Hanseatic League city.