Historic Sites
Individual structures or groups of structures that may not be architecturally or aesthetically significant in their own right may nonetheless hold tremendous cultural heritage value because of their association with universally significant historic events. Historic sites of world significance are those places at which religious, social, political or military events occurred that shaped the course of human history.
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Archaeological Areas of Pompei
Location: Pompei, Italy, Europe
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the 1st century AD buried the towns of Pompei, Herculaneum and Oplontis (modern-day Torre Annunziata), which were unearthed centuries later.
See also: Archaeological Sites
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Historic Site of Lyons
Location: Lyon, France, Europe
The urban settlement of Lyon over several centuries has resulted in a thriving political, cultural and economic center that is steeped in rich history.
See also: Cities & Towns
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Independence Hall
Location: Philadelphia, United States, North America
Independence Hall in Philadelphia is the birthplace of the American government, where the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.
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Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls
Location: Old City of Jerusalem
As a holy city for Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Jerusalem has always been of great symbolic importance.
See also: Cities & Towns
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Rideau Canal, Ontario
Location: Canada, North America
The exquisitely preserved Rideau Canal, Ontario, Canada, is the oldest continuously operated canal in North America.
See also: Cities & Towns, Regions & Landscapes
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Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens
Location: Melbourne, Australia, Oceania
The Royal Exhibition Building, in Melbourne, is one of the few major 19thcentury exhibition buildings that survive worldwide.
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Rupestrian Churches of Puglia and the City of Matera
Location: Puglia/Matera, Italy, Europe
The rupestrian churches of Puglia and Matera, Italy, are among some of the most outstanding examples of rock-hewn buildings in the Mediterranean region.
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Scott’s Hut and the Explorers’ Heritage of Antarctica
Location: Cape Evans, Antarctica
Frozen in time since 1912, Scott’s Hut is a tangible reminder of the intrepid explorers of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
See also: Archaeological Sites
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Stonehenge, Avebury
Location: Avebury, United Kingdom, Europe
Masterpieces of megalithic construction, Stonehenge, Avebury and associated sites in southern England are outstanding examples of prehistoric technology, architecture and astronomy.
See also: Archaeological Sites
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Studley Royal Park and the Ruins of Fountains Abbey
Location: Studley, United Kingdom, Europe
Built around the ruins of the 12th-century Cistercian Fountains Abbey, Studley Royal Park is a historically rich garden estate in North Yorkshire, England.
See also: Parks & Gardens
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Su Nuraxi di Barumini
Location: Barumini, Italy, Europe
Su Nuraxi di Barumini is a complex of unique defensive stone structures called nuraghi, dating from circa 1500–800 B.C., found only on Sardinia.
See also: Architecture
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The Trulli of Alberobello
Location: Alberobello, Italy, Europe
Alberobello is home to a dense concentration of trulli, limestone cottages with cone-shaped roofs built between the mid-15th and late-18th centuries.
See also: Architecture, Cities & Towns
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Thomaskirche
Location: Leipzig, Germany, Europe
Leipzig’s Thomaskirche is famous as the church where Johann Sebastian Bach worked as choirmaster for 27 years.
