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The World Heritage - a challenge for humanity

The campaign to save Abu-Simbel was the first step towards the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972. This international treaty is based on the revolutionary idea to entrust humanity with the protection and preservation of outstanding cultural achievements and unique natural phenomena that are of outstanding universal value. The World Heritage Convention is a unique success story.


The World Heritage List includes 936 sites, of which 725 are cultural, 183 natural and 28 mixed. They are located in 153 countries.

jungfrau aletsch.en The architectural work of Le Corbusier La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle Old City of Bern Convent St John in Müstair Convent of St Gall Three Castles of Bellinzona Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch Monte San Giorgio Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces Tectonic Arena Sardona Rhaetian Railway The architectural work of Le Corbusier The architectural work of Le Corbusier Pile Dwellings around the Alps Pile Dwellings around the Alps Pile Dwellings around the Alps Pile Dwellings around the Alps Pile Dwellings around the Alps

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Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch

Three Castles of Bellinzona Overview Monte San Giorgio

Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch (2001)

Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch (2001)

This site provides an outstanding example of the formation of the High Alps, including the most glaciated part of the mountain range and the largest glacier in Eurasia. At the very heart of the Alps, it is exceptional for the breathtaking beauty of its landscapes and for the wealth of information it contains about the formation of mountains and glaciers. It features a wide diversity of ecosystems, including successional stages due particularly to the retreat of glaciers resulting from climate change, and is therefore invaluable in terms of the ecological and biological processes it illustrates.

UNESCO Destination Switzerland