In 1999 I lived in the Middle East and upon leaving spent several months wandering through Europe. While the Iron Curtain had been down for about a decade, I had wanted to spent time in Eastern Europe before it changed significantly. I was my own modern walkabout. I flew from Israel to Frankfurt and had no real agenda outside of a return flight to the United States leaving from Berlin several months later. I eventually made my way to Eastern Europe with my only agenda to get to Berlin before my flight (I eventually made it Berlin the day of my flight and still want to make it back to actually see Berlin one day).
It was in Eastern Europe that I discovered UNESCO World Heritage sites. With no agenda outside of a return ticket in my bag, these sights became one of my few guiding points as I wandered north from Bulgaria to Poland. Still today when I travel, I look to see if there are UNESCO World Heritage sites nearby.
Here are the 19 new sites added to the World Heritage List in 2013. They are:
- Al Zubarah Archaeological Site
- Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora
- Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
- Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces
- Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration
- Golestan Palace
- Hill Forts of Rajasthan
- Historic Centre of Agadez
- Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong
- Levuka Historical Port Town
- Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany
- Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
- University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia
- Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine
- El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve
- Mount Etna
- Namib Sand Sea
- Tajik National Park (Mountains of the Pamirs)
- Xinjiang Tianshan
There are now 981 properties…and now I have 19 more to visit. Below is a table with the current list. When I find some time I’ll try to note more of the sites I’ve visited.
[table id=21 /]
