World Heritage Centre list of world sites … hmm

I have to admit that I am sometimes traditional, sometimes I am not, but as a travel enthusiast, I always grapple with where I want to go next.  One of my main reasons for traveling is the cultural value.  The world is much larger than my backyard, i.e., the southeastern United States.

The World Heritage Centre publishes a list of World Heritage sites around the world that are based on culture, nature, and a mix of the two.  While a disproportionate number of sites appear to be in Europe, at least according to their map, the list certainly contains world treasures that we should protect.  I believe that the list may suggest some bias on the behalf of the “Deciders”, but the list continues to grow and hopefully will become more diverse.

Currently there are 851 properties on the list of which 660 are cultural, 166 are nature, and 25 are both cultural and nature.

So far I have visited the following sites and would include each one on my world heritage list

Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay (1979, 2007)

Palace and Park of Versailles (1979, 2007)

Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct) (1985, 2007)

Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims (1991)

Paris, Banks of the Seine (1991)

Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae (1986)

Acropolis, Athens (1987)

Archaeological Site of Delphi (1987)

Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza (1988)

Monastery of Batalha (1983)

Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon (1983)

Monastery of Alcobaça (1989)

Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret’s Church (1987)

Tower of London (1988)

Everglades National Park (1979)

Independence Hall (1979)

Redwood National and State Parks (1980)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (1983)

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (1987) ^#

Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (1987)

Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (1989)

 Galápagos Islands (1978, 2001)

 City of Quito (1978)

 Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg (1996)

 Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn (1996)

 Historic Centre of Vienna (2001)

 Historic Centre of Prague (1992)

 Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec (1995)

 Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue (1987, 2002)

(Yellow diamonds () are cultural sites, Green circles () are nature sites, and Red circles        () are nature sites in dange.)