Norway’s World Heritage [World Heritage #9]

Published on 27 November 2015 - Updated 14 December 2015
Cet article date d'il y a plus de 8 ans

International cooperation

Norway ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1977. It has had 8 sites inscribed on the World Heritage List between 1979 and 2015: 7 cultural properties and 1 natural property involving a wide diversity of heritage, including ancient city, church, prehistoric site, industrial sites, cultural and natural landscapes, and the Struve Geodetic Arc – a chain of triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, crossing 10 countries and covering over 2,820 km, that helped define and measure the Earth’s exact size and shape.

In 2000, the Loire Valley was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which reflects the richness and diversity of the planet’s cultural and natural heritage. Mission Val de Loire extends you a monthly invitation to acquaint yourself with other World Heritage sites, which are also our heritage.

Norway’s World Heritage properties

Cultural (7)

The city of Bergen’s “Bryggen” district (1979)
Urnes Stave Church (1979)
Røros Mining Town and the Circumference (1980)
Rock art in Alta (1985)
Vegaøyan – Vega Archipelago (2004)
Struve Geodetic Arc (2005)
Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage site (2015)

Natural (1)

Western Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord (2005)

Nærøyfjord Panorama, Flåm, Norway (Photo credit: CC Matt Morrison @Flickr)

The World Heritage Norway association

Set up in 2007, World Heritage Norway is an association serving as a World Heritage site network.

It focuses on raising awareness on, increasing understanding of and promoting Norwegian World Heritage sites’ common interests, as well as assisting with their protection and development in compliance with the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and best practices, supporting participatory approaches on each World Heritage site.

It has developed a permanent exhibition concept, implemented on all sites with a view to explaining what UNESCO World Heritage is and presenting sites worldwide as well as Norway’s own.

The World Heritage Norway association took part in the first meeting of European World Heritage Associations held on the initiative of the Association of French World Heritage Properties.