These sites are applying for World Heritage status
UNESCO is discussing its World Heritage List this week in Istanbul. From around the world, the sites must be unique and of extraordinary significance to qualify. Here are six of the 29 of the sites on the table.
Gibraltar: Gorham's Cave
The exit of Gorham's Cave offers a unique view across the Mediterranean. But the view inside is even more spectacular with a narrow corridor ending in a kind of gravesite. The bitg sensation are the rock paintings left behind by the cave's former inhabitants, Neanderthals. The artworks are presumed to be 39,000 years old.
Caribbean: Nelson's Dockyard
It's the first time ever that the island state of Antigua and Barbuda has applied for World Heritage status. The historic harbor Nelson's Dockyard is located in a natural port. After Englishmen had settled there in 1671, the port became an important marine base. At present, many historic buildings have been restored and the port is the largest outdoor museum in the Caribbean.
Greece: Philippi
The ancient town of Philippi, founded in 362 BC, once formed part of the Roman Empire. That's where the famous battle between Cesar's assassins, Brutus and Cassius and Antony and Octavian, took place. Part of the oral tradition is the dictum "At Philippi, we'll meet again" which was picked up by Shakespeare in "Julius Cesar."
Canada: Mistaken Point
The name of this headland is appropriate due to the horrors once experienced here by seamen. In the fog, many of them confused the location with the nearby port of Cape Race and crashed against the rocks. Unique to this remote part of Newfoundland are its 500-million-years-old fossils, which are among the world's oldest .
Germany: Corbusier buildings
Le Corbusier was one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. Not just a single building, but his entire ouevre consisting of 17 buildings spread over Argentine, Belgium, Germany, France, India, Japan and Switzerland, has been nominated as a World Heritage site. The Corbusier buildings in Stuttgart are the only UNESCO proposal made by Germany this year.
France: Chaîne des Puys
France's famous Massif Central is home to 100 inactive volcanoes. Already during the 19th century, tourists visited the volcano chain called Chaîne des Puys. For 200 years, this landscape, reminiscent of the moon , has been an important site for volcanologists to do research.