This article was created by National Geographic Traveler (UK).
UNESCO has added 42 World Heritage Sites to its list of natural and cultural heritage sites on Earth that deserve special protection. This is the largest group of new enrollments in over 20 years. The European list alone ranges in grandeur and subtlety, from the valley-carved landscapes of Greece to the charming vintage planetariums of the Netherlands.
1. Kaunas and Kuldiga, Latvia
Perfect for: Offbeat city breaks
In less than four hours by car, you can combine two new heritage sites in the Baltic States. Kaunas is Lithuania’s second largest city and briefly served as its capital in the 1920s and 1930s. Although there are many buildings from earlier eras, this list honors the modernist style of the interwar period. Kuldiga, Latvia, is a unique example of a traditional urban settlement, with cobblestone streets lined with painted wooden buildings and the Venta River flowing through it.
2. Zagorokoria, Greece
Best for: Hiking
Surrounded by forests in northwestern Greece, near the border with Albania, Zagori is a region of steep mountain walls carved by the mighty Vikos Valley, with approximately 46 villages dotted around the slopes. . These traditional settlements of Zagorochorya are connected by hiking trails, many of which cross graceful, centuries-old arched stone bridges above rapids on the plateau. Other routes take you to plateaus marked by isolated ponds, such as Dracolimni (Dragon Lake).
3. World War I Memorial, Belgium and France
Best for: Contemplation
The list of World War I monuments includes the entire Western Front, spanning Belgium and northern France. The conflict continues to bear the brunt of human loss, from the ossuary of 130,000 unknown French and German soldiers at Douaumont, near Verdun, to Canada’s Vimy Monument, a heartbreaking beauty with two limestone spiers. It has changed the way we mourn.
4. Eisinga Planetarium, Netherlands
Best for: Astronomers
Like many other towns across the Netherlands, Franeker in Friesland is a canal lined with gabled brick houses. In one of them is hidden something unexpected. That is Aisinga Planetarium. Completed in 1781, it is the world’s oldest surviving observatory (model of the solar system), with a golden orb suspended below a sky-blue ceiling panel depicting the path of the heavens.
5. Maison Carre (France)
Perfect for: classic look
Despite its bland name, the Maison Carre (“Square House”) in the southern French city of Nîmes is probably the best-preserved Roman temple in the world. With its graceful Corinthian columns and classical proportions, it has inspired architects for more than 2,000 years. Nîmes has other impressive Roman ruins, including his three-quarters-sized amphitheater of Rome’s Colosseum.
(Menorca’s ‘House of the Dead’ reveals ancient secrets. )
6. Zatec, Czech Republic
Perfect for: beer drinker
Žatec is a charming Czech town with a baroque square northwest of Prague. The surrounding fields supply his two-thirds of the hops used in the world’s most beer-loving country. Learn more about the historic Saaz hop variety at the Hop and Beer Temple. The Hop and Beer Temple is an interactive museum with a tower overlooking the roof and old kiln chimneys.
7. Cave in Northern Apennines, Italy
Best for: Cavers
The Italian word gesso, meaning gypsum, appears in the names of places in the northern Apennines, such as the Vena del Gesso hills, which are home to white outcrops of ore. A series of archaeological sites in Emilia-Romagna protect both above-ground features and underground geologically important caves. Some locations can be explored on group tours, such as the stalactite-rich Onferno Cave near Rimini.
Find the complete list of New UNESCO World Heritage Sites Online.
