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Two new French sites given World Heritage status

Two new French sites given World Heritage status

Published on 23 July 2008 - Updated 20 April 2012
Cet article date d'il y a plus de 16 ans

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A cultural site, the Fortifications of Vauban, and a natural site, the lagoons of New Caledonia, both presented by France, have been added to the World Heritage List of sites recognised for their outstanding universal value. Bordeaux, meanwhile, will be the subject of additional UNESCO monitoring as a result of the risks posed by the city's bridge projects.

Fortifications of Vauban

The work by Vauban (1633-1707), Louis XIV's military architect, comprises 12 groups of fortified buildings and constructions along the northern, eastern and western borders of France . This series, selected by UNESCO, features new towns built from scratch, plains citadels, bastioned town walls, bastioned towers and a residence, but also mountain forts, coastal forts, a mountain battery and two mountain communication structures.

It should be noted that the World Heritage Committee chose only 12 of the 14 sites presented, with the Bazoches and Le Palais sites not making the final list. Nevertheless, it is possible that inscription will in future be extended to other sites influenced by Vauban.

Official website: www.sites-vauban.org

The Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems

These comprise six marine clusters which are representative of the main diversity of the coral reefs and associated ecosystems of the French Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia , one of the three most extensive coral reef systems in the world. They are home to complete ecosystems with large and diverse populations of large predators and fish. These sites are exceptionally beautiful and contain reefs of varying ages, ranging from living structures to ancient fossil reefs, and provide an important source of information on the history of Oceania .

In total, 27 new sites have been added to the World Heritage List. Among these, there are three cultural landscapes:

- Le Morne Cultural Landscape ( Mauritius )

- Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes (Italy/Switzerland)

- The Stari Grad Plain ( Croatia )

The following countries have had their first site added to the List: Saudi Arabia , Papua New Guinea , Saint-Marin and Vanuatu . The World Heritage List now features 878 sites, 679 of which are cultural sites, 174 are natural sites and 25 are mixed sites in 145 countries.

The World Heritage Committee decided to establish "close surveillance" of four sites facing a specific threat, specifically urban threats for the most part. These are Timbuktu ( Mali ), Samarkand ( Uzbekistan ), Machu Picchu ( Peru ) and Bordeaux Port of the Moon (France). Other sites remain the focus of this procedure, for instance the Dresden Elbe Valley ( Germany ), which has been granted a reprieve but whose inscription will be withdrawn if the construction of the problem bridge is not cancelled.

In the case of Bordeaux, inscribed in 2007, UNESCO noted with regret the destruction of the Pertuis Bridge , the last suspension bridge with cable-stays in France, and will study the visual impact of the planned lift bridge downstream of the city. The destruction of the Passerelle Saint-Jean railway bridge, whose Construction Supervisor was Gustave Eiffel, had been planned, but a procedure listing the bridge as a historic monument was set in motion by the State on 23 June 2008 , halting demolition work.