Nan Profile
Why?
If you enjoy spending your holidays in a club hotel in the Caribbean drinking Mai Tais, that's fine. It's your holiday and do as you please. And I personally enjoy the occasional Mai Tai on the beach, too. For me, though, spending more than a few days in the aforementioned Caribbean club hotel would be akin to purgatory. Because I like moving around, seeing new things and going to distant places.
As such I have read my fair share of guide books to figure out where to go and what to see. For instance, a few years back I visited Chile. A great place with astonishing nature to explore. Meanwhile Santiago de Chile, the capital, is fairly lackluster, having been destroyed by multiple earthquakes over the centuries. Still, any guidebook you pick up will spend a full chapter on Santiago extolling its virtues.
World Heritage Sites are different. They are as objective as it gets. They make you travel off the beaten path. I will always fondly remember my cab ride in a Czech winter landscape to Holasovice. And while Holasovice is just for the WHS connoisseurs, more often than not WHS are great sites.
Initially, I focused on quantity. And while this may seem stressful, it did give me a good picture and overview. Of late (ever since reaching the magical 300) I collect differently. Now I plan my trips on the truly great sites and pick up any site to the left and right I can visit on top.
So, should you become a WHS traveler, too? My honest recommendation is to do as you please. But if you are going to country anyhow (and be it in a club hotel), then use the map provided on this site and check out if any world heritage site is nearby. It may force to travel a bit off the beaten path, but trust me, it will be worth it.
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Recent Reviews Nan
Maltese Catacomb Complexes (T)
Nan Germany - 10-May-19
On my way to Mdina I visited the St Paul's Catacombs. These date from Roman times and were used as burial grounds. The site covers several small and large caves and makes for a nice visit. Watch your head as the height of the caves varies greatly.
To me the most surprising feature was how many caves there were. The whole area is dotted with them. The Maltase have done a good job in making them accessible. It is useful, though, to bring a flash light as lighting is poor.
After a while, though, the caves got to be a bit repetitive. The caves look more or less the same and any form of artistic expression is missing.
Read OnKnights Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (T)
Nan Germany - 10-May-19
Valletta offers natural harbors on both sides of the peninsula on which it is located. Each harbor is protected by massive fortifications and forts along its shores. The fortifications were continuously improved by the local rulers (first the Knights of Malta, then the British) and repelled many attackers over the centuries.
Most noticeably, they repelled the Ottomans during the Great Siege of Malta. The event marked the end of Ottoman naval supremacy in the Mediterranean.
OUV I fully concur with Ralf's assessment. This would be a obvious and well warranted extension to the Valletta WHS. Honestly, without researching the proper boundaries of the Valletta WHS, it feels like the surrounding forts are already part of it anyhow. A separate inscription meanwhile would be redundant. So yes for an extension. And no for a separate site
Read OnPopocatepetl monasteries
Nan Germany - 09-May-19
Similarly to Els and Ian I ended up visiting both Cuernavaca and Tepoztlán. I say ended up as my original plan was to only visit Cuernavaca. Cuernavaca has the benefit that you are passing through the town in any case when travelling from Mexico City to Xochicalco by bus. So it's really quite a simple and quick visit.
However, Cuernavaca is underwhelming as a site. Of the inscribed monasteries, Cuernavaca is the one which was redone and remodeled the most over the centuries. So much so that little original 16th century constructions remain. The oldest part is the open chapel, the Capilla abierta. And frankly I barely noticed it.
Read OnKii Mountain Range
Nan Germany - 09-May-19
As a day trip from Nara I visited Yoshino to see the Kii Mountains. From the valley where the train station is located I took a cable car up the hill. I arrived in a tourist village with plenty of shops and restaurants. The village also contains Kinpusen-ji, an important temple of the region.
From the village I set out to hike along the pilgrim path into the Kii Mountains. On my way I crossed multiple temples and everything quieted down; there were not that many hikers, but that may have been caused by me visiting outside vacation season.
Read OnZamosc
Nan Germany - 24-Mar-19
Hidden in what nowadays is the Eastern border region of Poland Zamosc is a well preserved Baroque fortification town. It was built by an Italian architect from Padua. While there may be Italian influences, to me it felt Eastern European, similar to Nesvizh.
The most memorable spot is the colorful old market square (Rynek Wielki, photo). When I came much needed renovations were ongoing as the state of preservation was not great. In addition there are plenty of fortifications to explore. Just outside the fortifications to the North West you find the lovely Park Miejski.
Read OnProfile Data
- Name
- Nan
- Country
- Germany
- Most Impressive
- Petra, Machu Picchu, Angkor
- Proposal
- Seoraksan, Korea. Okefenokee, USA.
Recently Visited WHS
- Update 22.04.19
-
- Hal Saflieni Hypogeum
- Valletta
- Megalithic Temples of Malta
- Isole Eolie
- Agrigento
- Villa Romana del Casale
- Val di Noto
- Syracuse
- Mount Etna
- Arab-Norman Palermo
Visited WHS
Rating StatsAngkor 5Florence 5Palenque 5Petra 5Rapa Nui 5Rome 5Chichen-Itza 4.5Cordoba 4.5Dubrovnik 4.5Fatehpur Sikri 4.5Granada 4.5Grand Canyon 4.5Great Wall 4.5Jantar Mantar 4.5Meteora 4.5Pompei 4.5Prague 4.5Ravenna 4.5Sceilg Mhichíl 4.5St. Petersburg 4.5Versailles 4.5Vienna 4.5Brugge 4Budapest 4Iguacu 4Istanbul 4Kotor 4Riga 4Siena 4Sintra 4Trang An 4Valletta 4Vicenza 4Assisi 3.5Bordeaux 3.5Bryggen 3.5Calakmul 3.5Cesky Krumlov 3.5Champagne 3.5Cracow 3.5Cuenca 3.5Danube Delta 3.5Fagus Factory 3.5Fujisan 3.5Gyeongju 3.5L'viv 3.5Malbork Castle 3.5Matera 3.5Reims 3.5Rhodes 3.5Sambor Prei Kuk 3.5Schönbrunn 3.5Syracuse 3.5Tallinn 3.5Wadden Sea 3.5Western Ghats 3.5Westminster 3.5Yagul and Mitla 3.5Albi 3Aquileia 3Arequipa 3Arles 3Avignon 3Avila 3Bamberg 3Belem 3Cuzco 3Hoi An 3Hué 3Kiev 3Lyon 3Macao 3Mostar 3Nikko 3Oporto 3Potosi 3Potsdam 3Segovia 3Seville 3Split 3Sucre 3Trebic 3Urbino 3Uxmal 3Vilnius 3Visby 3Warsaw 3Abbey of St Gall 2.5Bauhaus Sites 2.5Belfries 2.5Blenheim Palace 2.5Boyana Church 2.5Burgundy 2.5Caceres 2.5Camino Real 2.5Elvas 2.5Evora 2.5Fray Bentos 2.5Genbaku Dome 2.5Graz 2.5Ironbridge Gorge 2.5Isole Eolie 2.5Lübeck 2.5Muskauer Park 2.5Nancy 2.5Naples 2.5Nesvizh 2.5Orange 2.5Panamá 2.5Provins 2.5Puebla 2.5Qutb Minar 2.5Red Fort 2.5Rhaetian Railway 2.5Rila Monastery 2.5Saltaire 2.5San Gimignano 2.5Sian Ka'an 2.5Skogskyrkogarden 2.5Speyer Cathedral 2.5Stari Grad Plain 2.5Tarraco 2.5Telc 2.5The Four Lifts 2.5Thessalonika 2.5Tiwanaku 2.5Toledo 2.5Trier 2.5Trogir 2.5Val d'Orcia 2.5Val di Noto 2.5Van Nellefabriek 2.5Vat Phou 2.5Ferrara 2Jelling 2Kernavë 2Lima 2Modena 2Morelia 2Mérida 2Nessebar 2Novgorod 2Pienza 2Salzburg 2Verona 2Zamosc 2Aranjuez 1.5Beemster Polder 1.5Campeche 1.5Classical Weimar 1.5Crespi d'Adda 1.5Drottningholm 1.5Genoa 1.5Holasovice 1.5Ivrea 1.5Luther Memorials 1.5Madara Rider 1.5Querétaro 1.5Regensburg 1.5Reichenau 1.5Torun 1.5Corvey 1Tlacotalpan 0.5Reviewed WHS
- Popocatepetl monasteries
- Kii Mountain Range
- Zamosc
- Reims
- Champagne
- Burgundy
- Palenque
- Angkor
- Tomioka Silk Mill
- Curonian Spit
- Nesvizh
- Hill Forts of Rajasthan
- Potosi
- Preah Vihear Temple
- Sambor Prei Kuk
- Vat Phou
- Luang Prabang
- La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle
- Thang Long
- Dolomites
- Kaiping Diaolou
- South China Karst
- China Danxia
- Danube Delta
- Macao
- Plitvice Lakes
- Hiraizumi
- Srebarna Nature Reserve
- Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis
- Aachen Cathedral
- Benedictine Convent of St. John
- Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces
- Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona
- Rhaetian Railway
- Hedeby and Danevirke
- Engelsberg Ironworks
- Residences of the Royal House of Savoy
- Istanbul
- Selimiye Mosque
- Bursa and Cumalikizik
- Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont
- Ivrea
- San Gimignano
- Longobards in Italy
- Val d'Orcia
- Siena
- Etruscan Necropolises
- Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos
- El Fuerte de Samaipata
- Mir Castle
- Tiwanaku
- Qhapaq Ñan
- Sucre
- Machu Picchu
- Cuzco
- Nasca Lines
- Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch
- Bellinzone
- Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes
- Old City of Berne
- Gwynedd Castles
- Sceilg Mhichíl
- Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal
- Ironbridge Gorge
- Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin
- Belfries
- Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver Mine
- Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Bialowieza Forest
- Malbork Castle
- Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District
- Boyana Church
- Thessalonika
- Rila Monastery
- Pirin National Park
- Archaeological site of Philippi
- Meteora
- Mount Athos
- Archaeological Site of Aigai
- Peking Man Site
- Rock Carvings in Tanum
- Grimeton Radio Station
- Jesuit Missions of Trinidad and Jesus
- The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier
- Fray Bentos
- Peninsula Valdes
- Los Alerces National Park
- Cueva de las Manos
- Los Glaciares
- Churches of Chiloé
- Valparaiso
- Rapa Nui
- White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal
- Fagus Factory
- Par force hunting landscape
- Holasovice
- Xochicalco
- Tlacotalpan
- Yagul and Mitla
- Taj Mahal
- Medina of Tétouan
- Gorham's Cave Complex
- Caves and Ice Age Art
Visited TWHS
- Abbey of Kremsmünster (T)
- Alanya (T)
- Amalienborg and its district (T)
- Archaeological Complex of Pachacamac (T)
- Archaeological Site and Historic Centre of Panamá City (T)
- Asuka-Fujiwara : Archaeological sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties (T)
- Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape (T)
- Brooklyn Bridge (T)
- Buenos Aires – La Plata: Two capitals of the Culture of Modernity, Eclecticism and Immigration (T)
- Bulwarked Fortifications of the "Raia" (Border) (T)
- Cal Orck'o: Footprints of time (T)
- Central Park (T)
- Centro Storico di Pavia e Certosa (T)
- Chapultepec Woods, Hill and Castle (T)
- Chatham Dockyard and its Defences (T)
- Citadel of Alessandria (T)
- Coastal Cliffs (T)
- Darmstadt Artists' Colony Mathildenhöhe (T)
- Darwin's Landscape Laboratory (T)
- Delhi - A Heritage City (T)
- Dreams in Stone - the palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee (T)
- Early Medieval Monastic Sites (T)
- Ellis Island (T)
- Francke Foundation Buildings (T)
- Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings (T)
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube Limes in Bulgaria (T)
- Gdansk - Town of Memory and Freedom (T)
- Great Pskov (T)
- Great Spas of Europe (UK) (T)
- Hikone-Jo (castle) (T)
- Historical Lisbon, Global City (T)
- Kaunas 1919-1939: The Capital Inspired by the Modern Movement (T)
- Knights Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (T)
- Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral with Related Monastic Buildings, St. Cyril's and St. Andrew's Churches, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (T)
- L'ensemble rupestre de Basarabi (T)
- La Camargue (T)
- La Moneda Palace (T)
- Lake Maggiore and Lake D'Orta lakelands (T)
- Lake Titicaca (T)
- Le Palais de Justice de Bruxelles (T)
- Le palais de Princes Eveques de Liège (T)
- Leuven/Louvain, batiments universitaires, l'héritage de six siècles au sein du centre historique (T)
- Maltese Catacomb Complexes (T)
- Massif du Mont Blanc (T)
- Massif du Mont-Blanc (T)
- Mattanchery Palace, Ernakulam, Kerala (T)
- Mdina (Citta Vecchia) (T)
- Metz Royale et Impériale, enjeux de pouvoir, confrontations stylistiques et identité urbaine (T)
- Mining Cultural Landscape Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří (T)
- Monte Verde Archaeological Site (T)
- Mt. Soraksan Nature Reserve (T)
- Nice, la ville neuve née du tourisme, ou l’invention de la Riviera (T)
- Noyau historique d'Antwerpen -Anvers- de l'Escaut aux anciens remparts de vers 1250 (T)
- Nuruosmaniye Complex (T)
- Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (T)
- Padova Urbs Picta. Giotto, the Scrovegni Chapel and the 14th century painting cycles (T)
- Petrified Forest National Park (T)
- Pobiti Kamani Natural Monument (T)
- Pombaline Lisbon (T)
- Pulacayo, Industrial Heritage Site (T)
- Residence Ensemble Schwerin - Cultural Landscape of Romantic Historicism (T)
- Roman Ways. Itineraries of the Roman Empire (T)
- Romanesque Cathedrals in Puglia (T)
- Rostov Kremlin (T)
- Royal Building of Mafra – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park (Tapada) (T)
- Sacred Titicaca Lake (T)
- Salento and the "Barocco Leccese" (T)
- San Francisco Church and Convent (T)
- Seoul City Wall (T)
- ShUM cities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz (T)
- Site of the Retiro and the Prado in Madrid (T)
- Sites funéraires et mémoriels de la Première Guerre mondiale (Front Ouest) (T)
- Sites funéraires et mémoriels de la Première Guerre mondiale (Front Ouest) (Belgium) (T)
- Sites Megalithiques de la province de Xieng Khouang (T)
- Sites of Globalization (T)
- Southwest Coast (T)
- Sultan Bayezid II Complex: A Center of Medical Treatment (T)
- Temples, Shrines and other structures of Ancient Kamakura (T)
- That Luang de Vientiane (T)
- The Augustow Canal (Kanal Augustowski) (T)
- The Burren (T)
- The Colonial Transisthmian Route of Panamá (Ruta Colonial Transístmica de Panamá) (T)
- The Historic City of Dublin (T)
- The Jewish Cemetery of Altona Königstrasse. Sephardic Sepulchral Culture of the 17th and 18th century between Europe and the Caribbean (T)
- The late ancient tomb of Silistra (T)
- The Monastic City of Clonmacnoise and its Cultural Landscape (T)
- The Olive Grove Landscapes of Andalusia (T)
- The Porticoes of Bologna (T)
- The Rise of Systematic Biology (T)
- The Roussensky Lom National Park (T)
- The Royal Sites of Ireland: Cashel, Dún Ailinne, Hill of Uisneach, Rathcroghan Complex, and Tara Complex (T)
- The Silver Route (T)
- Torres del Paine and Bernardo O'Higgins National Parks, Region of Magallanes (T)
- Trading Posts and Fortifications on Genoese Trade Routes from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea (T)
- Trakai Historical National Park (T)
- Victoria Lines Fortifications (T)
- Western Stone Forts (T)
- Yıldız Palace Complex (T)
Reviewed TWHS
- Maltese Catacomb Complexes (T)
- Knights Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (T)
- Sites funéraires et mémoriels de la Première Guerre mondiale (Front Ouest) (T)
- Roman Ways. Itineraries of the Roman Empire (T)
- Archaeological Site and Historic Centre of Panamá City (T)
- Jaipur city, Rajasthan India (T)
- Early Medieval Monastic Sites (T)
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube Limes in Bulgaria (T)
- The Colonial Transisthmian Route of Panamá (Ruta Colonial Transístmica de Panamá) (T)
- Rostov Kremlin (T)
- The Roussensky Lom National Park (T)
- La Moneda Palace (T)
- The Olive Grove Landscapes of Andalusia (T)
- Great Pskov (T)
- Le site de Koh Ker (T)
- The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene (T)
- Darwin's Landscape Laboratory (T)
- The Rise of Systematic Biology (T)
- That Luang de Vientiane (T)
- Sites Megalithiques de la province de Xieng Khouang (T)
- Site of Southern Yue State (T)
- Hydraulic Engineering and Hydropower, Drinking Water and Decorative Fountains in Augsburg (T)
- The timeless, humanistic architecture of Jože Plečnik (T)
- Cal Orck'o: Footprints of time (T)
- Sultan Bayezid II Complex: A Center of Medical Treatment (T)
- Yıldız Palace Complex (T)
- Lake Titicaca (T)
- Sacred Titicaca Lake (T)
- Pulacayo, Industrial Heritage Site (T)
- Archaeological Complex of Pachacamac (T)
- Western Stone Forts (T)
- The Augustow Canal (Kanal Augustowski) (T)
- Gdansk - Town of Memory and Freedom (T)
- Torres del Paine and Bernardo O'Higgins National Parks, Region of Magallanes (T)
- Monte Verde Archaeological Site (T)
- Romanesque Cathedrals in Puglia (T)
- Salento and the "Barocco Leccese" (T)
- Southwest Coast (T)
- Royal Building of Mafra – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park (Tapada) (T)
- Asuka-Fujiwara : Archaeological sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties (T)
- Teylers (T)
- The Jewish Cemetery of Altona Königstrasse. Sephardic Sepulchral Culture of the 17th and 18th century between Europe and the Caribbean (T)
- Chatham Dockyard and its Defences (T)
- Francke Foundation Buildings (T)
- Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (T)
- Darmstadt Artists' Colony Mathildenhöhe (T)
- The Monastic City of Clonmacnoise and its Cultural Landscape (T)
Top 50 Missing Sites
- Alexandria, ancient remains and the new library
- Atacama Desert
- Chernobyl
- Ciudad Perdida, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
- Cultural Landscape of Santorini
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Great Gobi Desert
- Historic University Towns of Oxford and Cambridge
- Jericho
- Lake Titicaca
- Major Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright
- Mecca, Kaaba
- Okavango Delta
- Panama Canal
- Shwedagon Pagoda
- Silk Roads
- Sites Mégalithiques de Carnac
- The Grand Canal
- Transiberian Railway
- Ur
Top 200 WHS
- Acropolis
- Troy
- Pompei
- Leptis Magna
- Pont du Gard
- Borobudur
- Haeinsa Temple
- Pyramids (Memphis)
- Aachen Cathedral
- Ravenna
- Vatican City
- Piazza del Duomo (Pisa)
- Mont-Saint-Michel
- Westminster
- Kremlin and Red Square
- Kinderdijk
- Aksum
- Guanajuato
- Thingvellir
- Wadi Rum
- Museumsinsel (Museum Island)
- Jantar Mantar
- Ancient Thebes
- Grand Canyon
- Völklingen Ironworks
- Ancient Kyoto
- Gyeongju
- Galapagos Islands
- Yellowstone
- Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
- Redwood
- Tasmanian Wilderness
- Yosemite National Park
- Ilulissat Icefjord
- Chola Temples
- Khajuraho Group of Monuments
- Sun Temple, Konarak
- Hampi
- Itsukushima Shrine
- Ha Long Bay
- Lena Pillars
- Cuzco
- West Norwegian Fjords
- Great Barrier Reef
- Siena
- Granada
- Dubrovnik
- Cracow
- Vienna
- Brugge
- Rhodes
- Arab-Norman Palermo
- Agra Fort
- Crac des Chevaliers
- Hill Forts of Rajasthan
- Himeji-jo
- Great Wall
- Tower of London
- Fortress of Suomenlinna
- Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines
- Machu Picchu
- Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch
- Great Himalayan National Park
- Persepolis
- Petra
- Rapa Nui
- Imperial Palace
- Versailles
- Changdeokgung Palace Complex
- El Escurial
- Dinosaur Provincial Park
- Persian Garden
- Studley Royal Park
- Site of Carthage
- Amsterdam Canal Ring
- Florence
- St. Petersburg
- Paris, Banks of the Seine
- Chaco Culture
- Mesa Verde
- Teotihuacan
- Tikal National Park
- Chichen-Itza
- Palenque
- Stonehenge
- Çatalhöyük
- Nasca Lines
- Works of Antoni Gaudí
- Okavango Delta
- The Sundarbans
- Iguazu National Park
- Altamira Cave
- Angkor
- Fatehpur Sikri
- Grand Canal
- Mountain Railways of India
- Venice and its Lagoon
- Istanbul
- Rome
- Damascus
- Old City of Jerusalem
- Prague
- Split