VirtualGlobetrotting: Southern Europe UNESCO World Heritage Sites

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Diocletian's Palace
DonMartini (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: DonMartini.
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Diocletian's Palace is a building in Split, Croatia that was built by the emperor Diocletian the 3rd century AD. At the time it was built, there was no such city of Split, and the original town was built around the palace. The Latin name of the city, Spalatum, was derived from the original name Aspalathos, a white thorn common in the area. Contrary to the popular belief, it has nothing to do with the latin word for palace, palatium.
Diocletian had this massive palace built to spend the last years of his life after abdicating on May 1, 305 AD. The bay is located on the south side of a short peninsula running out from the Dalmatian coast into the Adriatic, four miles from the site of Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The terrain on which the palace was built slopes gently seaward. It is typical karst terrain, consisting of low limestone ridges running east to west with marl in the clefts between them.
Picture: South East corner of Diocletian's Palace. The tall tower is actually the bell tower of the St. Domnius (Sveti Duje) cathedral, which was built inside the former Emperor's mausoleum a thousand years after the palace.

Diocletian's Palace
LancelotLink (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: LancelotLink.
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Sopoćani Monastery
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By: ossewa.
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The Sopoćani monastery was built in the second half of the 13th century, near the source of the Raška River on the outskirts of Stari Ras, the first capital of Serbia.
It was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1979.

Split
pothkan (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: pothkan.
Old city of Split

Fort St Elmo
jbottero (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: jbottero.
Fort Saint Elmo is a fortification in Valletta, Malta. The movie Midnight Express was filmed here. Filmed on location in Malta after permission to film in Istanbul was denied, the Turkish government officials greatly resented the portrayal of their country in the movie, and made this known to the media in general after the film's release.

Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum
kkeps (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kkeps.
Designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1980

Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
doitsurt (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: doitsurt.
Saint Paul's Outside the Walls (Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura) is one of Rome's 4 major papal basilicas, along with the basilicas of Saint John in the Lateran, Saint Peter's, and Saint Mary Major, as well as one of the 7 Pilgrim Churches of Rome.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

Torre de Belém
DonMartini (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: DonMartini.
Belém Tower, or Torre de Belém, is a 5-storey fortified lighthouse located in the Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal. It was constructed between 1515 and 1521 on the orders of Manuel I (1515-1520) in order to defend the port at Belém, as well as the nearby Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. The tower stood on an island in the middle of the River Tagus until the course of the river was diverted by an earthquake in 1777; the tower had previously survived the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. It is classified by UNESCO as World Heritage site.
The Torre de Belém was designed by Diogo and Francisco Arruda in the Manueline style - it is, in fact, Portugal's only example of a purely Manueline building. Among the decorations featured on the tower are Manuel's badge of honour (an armillary sphere) and a cross of the military Order of Christ (the successor organization to the Knights Templar in Portugal), who participated in many Portuguese conquests.
The tower has seen use as a prison, both by Spanish conquerors and by Dom Miguel (1828-1834). In 1807, French troops destroyed the top two storeys, but these were later rebuilt.
Within the tower, visitors can see the dungeons or enter the "whispering gallery", as well as climb up to a 35 m high platform which offers views of the Padrão dos Descobrimentos.
The tower was the departure point for explorers to the rest of the world in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Monastery of Batalha
DonMartini (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: DonMartini.
The Monastery of the Dominicans of Batalha was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese over the Castilians at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. It was to be the Portuguese monarchy's main building project for the next two centuries. Here a highly original, national Gothic style evolved, profoundly influenced by Manueline art, as demonstrated by its masterpiece, the Royal Cloister.

Castelo dos Templários
kkeps (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kkeps.

Alhambra, The
hkfczrqj (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: hkfczrqj.
The Alhambra ( الْحَمْرَاء, romanized: Al-Ḥamrāʾ, lit. 'The Red One') is a palace and fortress complex in Granada, Andalusia. It is 1 of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and 1 of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world, in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, with boundary modifications in 1994.

Mezquita de Córdoba
smackfu (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: smackfu.
Former mosque turned Catholic church.

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
The Hieronymites Monastery is located in the Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal. This magnificent monastery can be considered the most prominent monument of Lisbon and certainly the most successful achievement of the Manueline style. In 1983 it was classified by the UNESCO, with nearby Torre de Belém, as a World Heritage Site.

Città del Vaticano - Vatican City
psycho_roy (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: psycho_roy.
Countries - Vatican City

El Escorial
Hinkkanen (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Hinkkanen.

Cave of Altamira and museum
Dania (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Dania.
Altamira (Spanish for 'high views') is a cave in Spain famous for its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings featuring drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands.

Ancient city walls of Ávila
The ancient city walls of Avila, constructed of brown granite, and surmounted by a breastwork, with eighty-eight towers and nine gateways, are still in excellent repair; but a large part of the city lies beyond their circuit.

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is the reputed burial-place of Saint James the Great, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. It is the destination of the Way of St. James (popularly known by its local denominations: Galician Camiño de Santiago, Portuguese Caminho de Santiago, Spanish Camino de Santiago, French Chemin de St. Jacques, German Jakobsweg, and so on), a major historical pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages.

Aqueduct of Segovia
The Aqueduct of Segovia (or more precisely, the aqueduct bridge) is one of the most significant and best-preserved monuments left by the Romans on the Iberian Peninsula. It is among the most important symbols of Segovia, as is evidenced by its presence on the city's coat of arms.
As it lacks a legible inscription (one was apparently located in aqueduct's attic, or top portion), the date of construction cannot be definitively determined. Researchers have placed it between the second half of the 1st Century AD and the early years of the 2nd Century— during the reign of either Emperor Vespasian or Nerva. The beginnings of Segovia itself are likewise not definitively known. Vacceos are known to have populated the area before the Romans conquered the city. Roman troops sent to control the area, which fell within the jurisdiction of the Roman provincial court (Latin conventus iuridici, Spanish convento jurídico) located in Clunia, stayed behind to settle there.

Templo de Diana
adrbr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: adrbr.

Alcazar de Toledo
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
Pictures

Škocjan Caves
kkeps (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kkeps.

Temple of Apollo Epicurius
The temple was dedicated to Apollo Epikourios ("Apollo the helper"). It was designed by Iktinos, architect of the Temple of Hephaestus and the Parthenon. The ancient writer, Pausanias places its construction as between 450 BCE and 425 BCE. It sits at an elevation of 1,131 metres above sea level on the slopes of Kotylion Mountain.
The temple is unusual in that it has examples of all three of the classical orders used in ancient Greek architecture: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Doric columns form the peristyle while Ionic columns support the porch and Corinthian columns feature in the interior. The Corinthian capital is the earliest example of the order found to date. It was relatively sparsely decorated on the exterior. Inside, however, there was a continuous Ionic frieze showing Greeks in battle with Amazons and the Lapiths engaged in battle with Centaurs.
The temple of Apollo is presently covered in white tent with five rows in order to protect the ruins from the elements. Conservation work is currently being carried out under the supervision of the Committee of the Epicurean Apollo, which is based in Athens.

Historic City of Toledo
focusfree (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: focusfree.
A Roman municipium, the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom, a fortress of the Emirate of Cordoba, an outpost of Christian kingdoms and, in the 1500s, the temporary seat of supreme power under Charles V, Toledo is the repository of over 2 millennia of history. Its masterpieces are the product of heterogeneous civilizations in an environment where the existence of 3 major religions was a major factor.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

Acropolis of Athens
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
This is the Acropolis of Athens, the famous citadel overlooking the Greek capital.

Oracle of Apollo at Delphi
Delphi is perhaps best-known for the oracle at the sanctuary that became dedicated to Apollo during the classical period. It had origins in prehistoric times and the worship of Gaia. In the last quarter of the 8th century BC there is a steady increase of artifacts found at the settlement site in Delphi. Pottery and bronze work as well as tripod dedications continue in a steady stream, in comparison to Olympia. Neither the range of objects nor the presence of prestigious dedications proves that Delphi was a focus of attention for worshipers of a wide range, but the strong representation of high value goods, found in no other mainland sanctuary, certainly encourages that view.
The priestess of the oracle at Delphi was known as the Pythia. Apollo spoke through his oracle, who had to be an older woman of blameless life chosen from among the peasants of the area. The sibyl or prophetess took the name Pythia and sat on a tripod seat over an opening in the earth. When Apollo slew Python, its body fell into this fissure, according to legend, and fumes arose from its decomposing body. Intoxicated by the vapors, the sibyl would fall into a trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In this state she prophesied. It has been postulated that a gas came out of this opening that is known to produce violent trances, though this theory remains debatable. The oracle spoke in riddles, which were interpreted by the priests of the temple, and people consulted her on everything from important matters of public policy to personal affairs.
H.W. Parke writes that the foundation of Delphi and its oracle took place before the times of recorded history and its origins are obscure, but dating to the worship of the Great Goddess, Gaia.
The Oracle exerted considerable influence throughout the Greek world, and she was consulted before all major undertakings: wars, the founding of colonies, and so forth. She also was respected by the semi-Hellenic countries around the Greek world, such as Lydia, Caria, and even Egypt.
For a list of some of the most noted oracular pronouncements of the Pythia, go to Famous Oracular Statements from Delphi.
The Oracle benefited by the Macedonian Kings. Later it was placed under the protection of the Aetolians. After a brief period the Romans started to emerge, who even protected it from a dangerous barbarian invasion in 109 B.C. and 105 B.C. A major reorganization was initiated which was interrupted by the wars of Mithridatic Wars and Sulla who took many rich offerings from the Oracle. Barbarian invasions were the direct cause of harm, burning the Temple, which was damaged severely by the earthquake in 83 B.C. Ever since the Oracle fell in decay and the whole area in great poverty. The small population led to difficulties in finding the right people to fill the posts required. Its credibility waned due to doubtful predictions. When Nero came to Greece in 66 A.D., he took away over 500 of the best statues from Delphi to Rome. Subsequent Roman emperors from the Flavian dynasty contributed significantly towards its restoration. Hadrian offered complete autonomy. Also Plutarch was a significant factor by his presence as a chief priest. However, barbarian raids during the reign of Marcus Aurelius and removal of statues and other riches (practically looting) by Constantine the Great caused it to decay. The short reign of Julian the Apostate was not capable to improve its situation. Despite this, the Oracle existed until it was ordered to close by emperor Theodosius I in 395 AD. The site was abandoned for almost 100 years, until Christians started to settle permanently in the area and established a small town about 600 AD by the name Kastri.

General Archive of the Indies
Mike1989 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Mike1989.
The Archivo General de Indias (Spanish pronunciation: [arˈtʃiβo xeneˈɾal de ˈindias], "General Archive of the Indies"), housed in the ancient merchants' exchange of Seville, Spain, the Casa Lonja de Mercaderes, is the repository of extremely valuable archival documents illustrating the history of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and the Philippines. The building itself, an unusually serene and Italianate example of Spanish Renaissance architecture, was designed by Juan de Herrera. This structure and its contents were registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Salamanca's Cathedrals
Parabellum (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Parabellum.

Meteora
Fab (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Fab.
The Metéora is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece.

Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus
Epidaurus (Modern Greek: Ἐπίδαυρος, Epidavros) was a small city (polis) in ancient Greece, at the Saronic Gulf. The modern town Epidavros (Επίδαυρος), part of the prefecture of Argolis, was built near the ancient site.
The prosperity brought by the Asklepieion enabled Epidauros to construct civic monuments too: the huge theater that delighted Pausanias for its symmetry and beauty, which is used once again for dramatic performances, the ceremonial Hestiatoreion (banqueting hall), baths and a palaestra. The theater was designed by Polykleitos the Younger in the 4th century BC. The original 34 rows were extended in Roman times by another 21 rows. As is usual for Greek theaters (and as opposed to Roman ones), the view on a lush landscape behind the skene is an integral part of the theater itself and is not to be obscured.It seats up to 15,000 people
The theater is marveled for its exceptional acoustics, which permit almost perfect intelligibility of unamplified spoken word from the proscenium or skene to all 15,000 spectators, regardless of their seating (see Ref., in Greek). Famously, tour guides have their groups scattered in the stands and show them how they can easily hear the sound of a match struck at center-stage. A 2007 study by Nico F. Declercq and Cindy Dekeyser of the Georgia Institute of Technology indicates that the astonishing acoustic properties are either the result of an accident or the product of advanced design: The rows of limestone seats filter out low-frequency sounds, such as the murmur of the crowd, and amplify/reflect high-frequency sounds from the stage.

Trigonion Tower
Featured in Leg 9 of The Amazing Race 33

Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Meteora
tallturtle82 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: tallturtle82.
This rock formation is home to a Eastern Orthodox Monastery. The cliffs rise to 400 metres (1,300 ft).
The monastery was featured in the 1981 007 film "For Your Eyes Only"

Ruins of Mystras
In the upper city of Mistra one of the most significant monuments is the Palace of the Despot. It is a rare example of civic Byzantine architecture. It is built on a flat expanse overlooking the Evrotas valley.
The palace of the Despot (13th-15th C.) has a great hall (10m/33ft by 36m/118ft), beautiful loggia looking out on to the Evrotas plain and an imposing facade, on which the projecting throne recess and remains of Flamboyant window decoration can still be seen.
To the west of the Palace is the fortified Nauplia Gate, and higher up the church of Ayía Sofía (1350), from which the castle can be reached (fine views). Near Ayía Sofía is the upper entrance to the site.

Alcobaça Monastery
hhgygy (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: hhgygy.
The Alcobaça Monastery (Mosteiro de Alcobaça, Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça) is a Catholic monastic complex in central Portugal. The monastery was established in 1153 by the 1st Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques, and would develop a close association with the Portuguese monarchy throughout its 700-yr history.
The church and monastery were the 1st Gothic buildings in the country, and was 1 of the most important medieval monasteries in the nation. Due to its artistic, cultural, and historical relevance, it was included in UNESCO's World Heritage Site list in 1989.

Ruins of Olympia (site of the ancient Olympic Games)
Olympia (Greece), site of the ancient Olympic Games, which were celebrated every four years by the Greeks. Olympia was situated in a valley in Elis, in western Pelopónnisos (Peloponnesus), through which runs the Alpheus River. It was not a town, but only a sanctuary with buildings associated with games and the worship of the gods. Olympia was a national shrine of the Greeks and contained many treasures of Greek art, such as temples, monuments, altars, theaters, statues, and votive offerings of brass and marble. The Altis, or sacred precinct, enclosed a level space about 200 m (about 660 ft) long by nearly 177 m (nearly 580 ft) broad. In this were the chief centers of religious worship, the votive buildings, and buildings associated with the administration of the games.
The most celebrated temple was the Temple of Zeus, dedicated to the father of the gods. In this temple was a statue of Zeus made of ivory and gold, the masterpiece of the Athenian sculptor Phidias (see Seven Wonders of the World). Next to the Temple of Zeus ranked the Heraeum, dedicated to Hera, the wife of Zeus. In this temple, probably the oldest Doric building known, stood the table on which were placed the garlands prepared for the victors in the games. The votive buildings included a row of 12 treasure houses and the Philippeum, a circular Ionic building dedicated by Philip II, king of Macedonia, to himself. Outside the Altis, to the east, were the Stadium and the Hippodrome, where the contests took place; on the west were the Palaestra, or wrestling school, and the Gymnasium, where all competitors were obliged to train for at least one month. The French began excavations here in 1829. German explorations of 1875-81 threw much light upon the plans of the buildings; they were resumed in 1936, 1952, and 1960-61. Many valuable objects were discovered, the most important of which was a statue of Hermes, the messenger of the gods, by Praxiteles.

Ancient city of Delos
adrbr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: adrbr.
The island of Delos (Δήλος; Δῆλος; Δᾶλος), near Mykonos and the center of the Cyclades archipelago, is 1 of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. The excavations in the island are among the most extensive in the Mediterranean.
The island had a position as a holy sanctuary for a thousand years before Olympian Greek mythology made it the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.
In 1990, UNESCO inscribed Delos on the World Heritage List.

Heraion of Samos
adrbr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: adrbr.

Amphitheatre of Mérida
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
The "fossa arenaia" is the large cross shape depression in the center of the arena. In Roman times, this area would have been covered with wooden planking and stored the caged animals and equipment for staged presentations. Under a renovation, this area received a water proofing lining and then apparently flooded with water for some events.
While death was the central theme of the Amphitheater, make no mistake about it, it was also about theater (and making money). Wild animals from Asia and Africa were imported to make spectacular entertainment. Gladiators that fought animals were given the special name of "Venator"
By the late 400's AD the amphitheater was no longer in use and its wall became the source for the raw material to construct other buildings.

Acueducto de los Milagros
The Acueducto de los Milagros ("Miraculous Aqueduct") is a ruined Roman aqueduct in Mérida, Spain, formerly the Roman colony of Emerita Augusta.
Only a relatively small stretch of the aqueduct still stands, consisting of 38 arched pillars standing 25 metres (82 ft) high along a course of some 830 metres (2,720 ft). It is constructed from opus mixtum - granite ashlar blocks interspersed with red brick - utilising a double arcade arrangement. The structure originally brought water to the city from an artificial lake, called the Lago de Proserpina, supplied by the river Aberregas around 5 km (3 miles) to the north-west of Mérida.
It is thought to have been constructed during the 1st century AD, with a second phase of building (or renovations) around 300 AD. In later centuries, the inhabitants of Mérida dubbed it the "Miraculous Aqueduct" for the awe that it evoked.
The aqueduct was one of three built at Mérida, the other two being the 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long Aqua Augusta, fed by the Cornalvo reservoir, and San Lázaro, fed by underground channels. The aqueduct is preserved as part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the immediate vicinity a small Roman bridge called Puente de Albarregas runs parallel to the arcades.

Generalife
boxbooklaptop (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: boxbooklaptop.
The Palacio de Generalife was a summer palace and country estate of the Nasrid rulers of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus. It is located directly east of and uphill from the Alhambra palace complex in Granada, Spain.

Pena National Palace
tallturtle82 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: tallturtle82.
Pena National Palace is a palace in the Sintra Mountains to the northwest of Lisbon. The palace's history dates back to the middle ages when a chapel was built. In the 16th century a monastery was built on the mountaintop. In the 18th century the monastery was damaged by lightning and in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 the structure was reduced to ruins. The site remained in ruins until 1838 when then Prince Ferdinand (later Ferdinand II) acquired the site and commissioned German architect, Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege to build a castle.
The palace was classified a World Heritage Site in 1995 by UNESCO.

Great Tumulus Museum at Vergina

Sé do Porto
The Oporto Cathedral (Sé do Porto), located in the historical centre of the city of Porto, Portugal, is one of the city's oldest monuments and one of the most important Romanesque monuments in Portugal
The current Cathedral of Porto underwent construction around 1110 under the patronage of Bishop Hugo and was completed in the 13th century, but there is evidence that the city has been a bishopric seat since the Suevi domination in the 5th-6th centuries.
The cathedral is flanked by two square towers, each supported with two buttresses and crowned with a cupola. The façade lacks decoration and is rather architecturally heterogeneous. It shows a Baroque porch and a beautiful Romanesque rose window under a crenellated arch, giving the impression of a fortified church.
The Romanesque nave is rather narrow and is covered by barrel vaulting. It is flanked by two aisles with a lower vault. The stone roof of the central aisle is supported by flying butresses, making the building one of the first in Portugal to use this architectonic feature.
This first Romanesque building has suffered many alterations but the general aspect of the façade has remained romanesque.

Hanging Houses
Once, the whole face of Huécar Gorge had hanging houses. Today, however, only three remain, and these were thoroughly restored at the beginning of the current century. They are in traditional Gothic style. Some original elements can still be seen in the part that houses the Spanish Museum of Abstract Art. Inside there are a wealth of wooden details. The exterior entranceway is in Renaissance style and comes from an old palace in Villarejo de la Peñuela. The house on the left hand side (kitchen for the restaurant) received the name Casa de la Sirena (house of the mermaid).

Lonja de la Seda
mlc1us (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mlc1us.
The Lonja de la Seda (English: Silk Exchange) in Valencia, or simply La Lonja to the locals (also La Llotja on street signs), is one of the principal tourist attractions in the city and a World Heritage Site. Currently the seat of the Cultural Academy of Valencia, the building frequently hosts exhibitions.

Catedral De Cuenca
Effi (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Effi.

Monastery of Serra do Pilar
tallturtle82 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: tallturtle82.
The former monastery is notable for its circular church and cloister. It is also located atop a scenic outcrop overlooking the Dom Luís I Bridge and old Porto.
Designated a Portuguese National Monument in 1910.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Historic City of Trogir
Trogir has a fascinating 2300 years of continuous urban tradition. Its rich culture was created under the influence of old Greeks, Romans, and Venetians. Trogir has a high concentration of palaces, churches, and towers, as well as a fortress on a small island, and in 1997 was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. "The orthogonal street plan of this island settlement dates back to the Hellenistic period and it was embellished by successive rulers with many fine public and domestic buildings and fortifications. Its beautiful Romanesque churches are complemented by the outstanding Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period", says UNESCO report.

Las Médulas
mlc1us (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mlc1us.
In the 1st century A.D. the Roman Imperial authorities began to exploit the gold deposits of this region in north-west Spain, using a technique based on hydraulic power. After two centuries of working the deposits, the Romans withdrew, leaving a devastated landscape. Since there was no subsequent industrial activity, the dramatic traces of this remarkable ancient technology are visible everywhere as sheer faces in the mountainsides and the vast areas of tailings, now used for agriculture.

The Palau de la Música Catalana
jojo (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: jojo.
The Palau de la Música Catalana (English: Palace of Catalan Music) is a concert hall in Barcelona. Designed in the Catalan modernista style by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montane.

San Julián de los Prados
mlc1us (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mlc1us.
San Julián de los Prados, also known as Santullano, is a Pre-Ramirense church from the beginning of the ninth century in Oviedo, the capital city of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is one of the greatest works of Asturian art and was declared an Historical-Artistic Monument by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in June of 1917 and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on the 2nd December 1998.

Cámara Santa
The Holy chamber of Oviedo (Cámara Santa de Oviedo, AKA the chapel of St. Michael) is a Roman Catholic pre-Romanesque church in Oviedo, Spain, built next to the Tower of San Miguel of the city's cathedral. The church now occupies the angle between the south arm of the cathedral transept and a side of the cloister.

Beautiful facade of the Hospital de Sant Pau
hhgygy (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: hhgygy.
Designed by the Catalan art nouveau architect Lluís Domènech, Montaner.

Butrint
kaiken (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kaiken.
Butrint (Greek: Βουθρωτόν & Βουθρωτός, romanized: Bouthrōtón, Latin: Buthrōtum) was an ancient Greek and then Roman city and bishopric in Epirus. Inhabited since prehistoric times, Buthrotum was a city of the Epirote tribe of the Chaonians, later a Roman colony and a bishopric. It entered into decline in Late Antiquity, before being abandoned during the Middle Ages after a major earthquake flooded most of the city. In modern times it is an archeological site in Vlorë County, Albania, close to the Greek border. It's on a hill overlooking the Vivari Channel and is part of Butrint National Park.
The city is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. Due to the immense cultural, historical, and natural value of the site, Butrint was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 and a National Park in 2000.

Mycenae ruins
Mycenae (Greek Μυκῆναι Mykēnai), is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 6 km to the south; Corinth, 48 km to the north. From the hill on which the palace was located one can see across the Argolid to the Saronic Gulf.
In the second millennium BC Mycenae was one of the major centres of Greek civilization, a military stronghold which dominated much of southern Greece. The period of Greek history from about 1600 BC to about 1100 BC is called Mycenaean in reference to Mycenae.

Tiryns

Ibiza Cathedral
Mike1989 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Mike1989.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Snows (Catalan: Catedral de la Verge de les Neus, Spanish: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves) is the principal church and cathedral of the City of Ibiza (Eivissa).

The Refectory - Monastery of Saint John the Theologian
Mike1989 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Mike1989.

Plitvice Lakes National Park
Designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979

Archaeological Site of Atapuerca
The sites in this area were found during the construction of railway cuts through Gran Dolina, Galería and Elefante, and in the cave of Sima de los Huesos. The scientific excavation, started by Francisco Jordá Cerdá in 1964, has found human remains from a wide range of ages: early humans to the Bronze Age and modern man. Sites in the area have also yielded stone artifacts. It was excavated by a team led by Emiliano Aguirre from 1978 until 1990, and then jointly by Eudald Carbonell, José María Bermúdez de Castro and Juan Luis Arsuaga.
The regional government of Castile and León has designated the site an Espacio cultural. The Zona Arqueológica sierra de Atapuerca is protected under Spanish law as a Bien de Interés Cultural.
Because of its importance, in 2000, the "Archaeological Site of Atapuerca" was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atapuerca_Mountains

Amphitheatre of Tarragona
The impressive ruins of the Amphitheatre of Tarragona, built in 2nd century AD, stand as a reminder that the city (Roman Tarraco) was once the provincial capital of the province of Tarraconensis.

Roman Walls of Lugo
The walls of Lugo were built in the later part of the 3rd century to defend the Roman town of Lucus. The entire circuit survives intact and is the finest example of late Roman fortifications in western Europe.

Palmeral of Elche (Municipal Park)
Currently, in the urban area of Elche there are a total of 97 different orchards containing about 70,000 date palms, mostly in the east bank of the Vinalopó.

St. James' cathedral (Šibenik)
hhgygy (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: hhgygy.

Palacio Real de Aranjuez
Hinkkanen (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Hinkkanen.
Royal palace commissioned by Philip II.

Guimaraes Castle
Above the town rears the gray bulk of the 10th C. castle, with its high, slender battlements, one of the most complete and best preserved medieval strongholds in Portugal. As the birthplace on June 24, 1110 of the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques, it is also something of a national shrine. In the middle of the oval courtyard rises the tall and massive keep, the Torre de Menagem, which could hold out on its own if need be. This is believed to have housed in the 11th C. a Benedictine convent founded by the Galician Countess Mumadona. The curtain walls of the castle, with their eight towers, afford magnificent views, including those of the battlefield of Mamede.

Visoki Dečani

Pico Island

Gračanica Monastery
Designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 2004. Endangered since 2006.

Bobotov Kuk
fin (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: fin.
Боботов Кук (Bobotov Kuk) is the highest point in Montenegro.

Sagrada Familia Basilica
hkfczrqj (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: hkfczrqj.
The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (bəˈzilikə ðə lə səˈɣɾaðə fəˈmiljə]; Basílica de la Sagrada Familia; 'Basilica of the Holy Family'), is a church in the Eixample district of Barcelona, and is currently the world's largest unfinished Catholic church. Designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, his work on the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed as such in 1984, with a 2005 extension). On 11/7/2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica.

Casa Milà
hkfczrqj (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: hkfczrqj.
Casa Milà, AKA La Pedrera or "The stone quarry", a reference to its unconventional rough-hewn appearance, is a Modernista building in Barcelona, Catalonia. It was the last private residence designed by architect Antoni Gaudí and was built between 1906 and 1912.

Parc Güell
focusfree (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: focusfree.
Parc Güell (Spanish: Parque Güell) is a privatized park system of gardens and architectural elements on Carmel Hill, in Barcelona, Catalonia. Carmel Hill belongs to the Collserola – the Parc del Carmel is located on the northern face. Park Güell is located in La Salut, a neighborhood in the Gràcia District. With urbanization in mind, Eusebi Güell assigned the design of the park to Antoni Gaudí, a renowned architect and the face of Catalan modernism.
The park was built from 1900 to 1914 and was opened as a public park in 1926. In 1984, UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site under "Works of Antoni Gaudí".

Doñana National Park
Doñana National Park is a natural reserve in Andalusia, southern Spain, in the provinces of Huelva and Seville. It covers 543 km²(337.41 mi²), of which 135 km² (83.89 mi²) are a protected area. The park is an area of marsh, shallow streams, and sand dunes in Las Marismas, the Guadalquivir River Delta region where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It was established as a nature reserve in 1963 when the World Wildlife Fund joined with the Spanish government and purchased a section of marshes to protect it. There has been a constant threat to the eco-system, that of drainage of the marshes, the use of river water to boost agricultural production by irrigating land along the coast, and the expansion of tourist facilities.

Burgos Cathedral
Parabellum (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Parabellum.

Gjirokastër
TexasAndroid (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: TexasAndroid.

Stari Most
Stari Most is a 16th century bridge in the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina that crosses the river Neretva and connects two parts of the city. The Old Bridge stood for 427 years, until the bridge was destroyed on November 9, 1993 during the Bosnian War. Slobodan Praljak, the commander of the Croatian Defence Council, is currently on trial at the ICTY for ordering the destruction of the bridge, among other charges. Subsequently, a project was set in motion to rebuild it, and the new bridge opened on July 23, 2004.

Refuge in Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley
The Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is a glacial valley in the southeast of Andorra. It covers an area of 42.47 km², approximately 9% of the total area of Andorra, and is part of the second largest watershed basin in Andorra. The isolated valley is recognized as a haven for rare or endangered wildlife, and the undeveloped valley has recently been considered to be the "spiritual heart" of Andorra. It became Andorra's first, and to date its only, UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, with a small extension in 2006.

Vizcaya Bridge
LancelotLink (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: LancelotLink.
The Vizcaya Bridge (Bizkaiko Zubia / Puente de Vizcaya) is a transporter bridge that links Portugalete and Las Arenas in the Biscay province of Spain, crossing the mouth of the Nervion River.
On 7/13/06, the bridge was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's the only monument in Spain in the Industrial Heritage category. UNESCO considers the bridge to be a perfect combination of beauty and functionality. It was the first to use iron technology and new steel cables, beginning a new form of constructing bridges, later imitated throughout the world.

Felix Romuliana
LancelotLink (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: LancelotLink.

Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge

Corfu Citadel
The town of Corfu stands on the broad part of a peninsula, whose termination in the citadel is cut from it by an artificial fosse formed in a natural gully, with a salt-water ditch at the bottom. Having grown up within fortifications, where every foot of ground was precious, it is mostly, in spite of recent improvements, a labyrinth of narrow, tortuous, up-and-down streets, accommodating themselves to the irregularities of the ground, few of them fit for wheel carriages. There is, however, a handsome esplanade between the town and the citadel, and a promenade by the seashore towards Castrades.

Torre Montale ( Third Tower )
Effi (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Effi.
Third fort. Watchtower. This tower was extremely important during the war with the Malatesta. Although it can only be viewed from the outside, it provides a highly suggestive panorama.

Tower of Hercules
The Tower of Hercules (Galician and Spanish: Torre de Hércules) is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the centre of A Coruña, Galicia, in north-western Spain.

Seville Cathedral
smackfu (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: smackfu.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (Catedral de Santa María de la Sede), AKA the Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral designated in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Alcázar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies. It's the 4th-largest church in the world and the largest Gothic church.

Serra de Tramuntana
Is a mountain range running southwest-northeast which forms the northern backbone of the Spanish island of Majorca.
On the 27th June 2011 The Tramuntana Range was awarded World Heritage Status by UNESCO as an area of great Physical and Cultural significance.

University of Coimbra (oldest university in Portugal)

Ġgantija Neolithic Temple
Ġgantija is a megalithic temple complex on the Mediterranean island of Gozo (part of Malta), constructed by the Sicani tribe from the Italian island of Sicily, when the people first inhabited Malta.[1] The two temples of Ġgantija on the island of Gozo are notable for their gigantic Neolithic structures, which were erected during the Neolithic Age (c. 3600-2500 BC). At more than 5500 years old, the Ġgantija temples amongst the world's oldest free-standing structures and the world's oldest religious structures. The temples were possibly the site of an Earth Mother Goddess Fertility Cult, with numerous figurines and statues found on site believed to be connected with that cult.
In the Maltese language, Ġgantija means "belonging to the giants". According to local Gozitan legend, the temples were built by the giants who resided in Gozo during ancient times. It is said that the temples themselves were used by the giants as watchtowers.

Mnajdra Megalithic Temple
Mnajdra is a megalithic temple complex found on the on the southern coast of the Mediterranean island of Malta.

Tarxien Temples

Torre Bujaco
The Bujaco Tower is the most beautiful one of the five that are left in the city when it was under Muslim control throughout the 12th century.
Also known as the "New Tower" or "Watch Tower", its most popular name derives from the Calif Abu-ya-gub. This slender (25 mtrs tall) tower is next to the Peace Hermitage which was originally built in the 16th century and reconstructed in the baroque style in the 18th century

Gorham's Cave Complex
Designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 2016

Beautiful Kotor, Montenegro
Kotor (Котор, Cattaro) is a coastal town in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor.
The old Mediterranean port of the city is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period.
Kotor is part of the World Heritage Site dubbed the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, designated in 1979 and extended in 2012 and 2015.
The fortified city was also added in 2017 to UNESCO's World Heritage Site list as part of Venetian Works of Defence between 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar.

Old City of Dubrovnik
TexasAndroid (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: TexasAndroid.
World Heritage Site

Ruins of Medina Azahara

Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid (Macedonian: Охридско Езеро, Ohridsko Ezero; Albanian: Liqeni i Ohrit or Liqeni i Pogradecit) straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem with more than 200 endemic species that is of worldwide importance. The importance of the lake was further emphasized when it was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979 and when, in 2010, NASA decided to name one of Titan's lakes after Lake Ohrid.

Bom Jesus do Monte

Palácio Nacional de Mafra
The massive baroque palace and monastery which dwarfs the small town of Mafra, was built during the reign of Portugal's most extravagant monarch, Joao V. It began with a vow by the young king to build a new monastery and basilica, supposedly in return for an heir (but more likely to atone for his well-known sexual excesses).
Work began in 1717 on a modest project to house 13 Franciscan friars but, as wealth began to pour into the royal coffers from Brazil, the king and his Italian trained architect, Johann Friedrich Ludwig (1670-1752), made ever more extravagant plans.
No expenses was spared: 52,000 men were employed and the finish project housed not 13 but 330 friars, a royal palace, and none of the finest libraries in Europe, decorated with precious marbles, exotic woods, and countless works of art. The magnificent basilica was consecrated on the king's 41st. birthday, October 22, 1730, with festivities lasting eight days.
The palace was never a favorite with the members of the royal family, except for those who enjoyed hunting deer and wild boar in the adjoining tapada (hunting preserve).
Most of the finest furniture and art works were taken to Brazil when the royal family escaped the French invasion in 1807.
The monastery was abandoned in 1834 following the dissolution of all religious orders, and the palace itself was abandoned in 1910, when the last Portuguese king. Manuel II, escaped from here to the Royal Yacht anchored off Ericeira.

Poloniny National Park
Poloniny National Park (Slovak: Národný park Poloniny) is a national park in NE Slovakia at the borders with Poland and Ukraine borders, in the Bukovské vrchy mountain range of the Eastern Carpathians. It was created on 10/1/1997 with a protected area of 298.05 km and a buffer zone of 109.73 km2. Areas of the park were included in 2007 the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians UNESCO World Heritage Site (extensions in 2011, 2017, 2021).

Congress Square
Congress Square (Slovene: Kongresni trg) is one of the central squares in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. In the late 1930s, the square was renovated by the prominent Slovene architect Jože Plečnik. Since 2021, it has been inscribed as part of Plečnik's legacy on the UNESCO World Heritage List.