Philippines

Walled City of Manila

WHS Score 0.35
rate
Votes 9 Average 0.44
Show votes
Votes for Walled City of Manila

0

  • Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero
  • Kim, Soo-youn
  • Kyle Magnuson
  • NoahFranc
  • Philipp Peterer

1

  • Christoph
  • GabLabCebu
  • Jon Opol
  • Shandos Cleaver

The Colonial Urban Plan and Fortifications of the Walled City of Manila are representative of an important global trade town and Far Eastern colonial capital. The city was built by the Spanish in the 16th century to a gridiron plan. They also added the early modern Western fortifications.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Colonial Urban Plan and Fortifications of the Walled City of Manila (ID: 6715)
Country
Philippines
Status
On tentative list 2024 Site history
History of Walled City of Manila
2024: Added to Tentative List
Added to tentative list
Criteria
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org

Community Reviews

Show full reviews
First published: 11/02/25.

Kyle Magnuson

Walled City Of Manila

Walled City of Manila (On tentative list)

Walled City of Manila by Kyle Magnuson

My first thought when exploring the fortifications and the Colonial heart of Manila was this must be difficult to preserve. The vegetation seemed like it was overtaking the ruins. Moreover, some parts of the fortifications were crumbling or collapsing in on itself. Considering other climate factors such as total rainfall in a year, Intramuros has unique challenges to address before producing a nomination dossier. My visit to Manila was May 2011 and perhaps the conservation within the historic district has improved.

Intramuros was previously on the Philippines tentative list and rejected in 1989. There are a lot of superlatives in the UNESCO description, such as 'exemplary' town planning that is 'exceptionally' intact, 'revolutionary' intermarriage of Western and New World . . . , 'remarkable' product of early modern Western fortification science, 'unparalleled' and a 'masterstroke' of Colonial urban planning. What can be noticed by any visitor is the grid layout of the streets, the San Agustin Church (WHS) within the walled city, Fort Santiago adjacent to the Pasig River, and Rizal Park abutting the Southern boundary. The existence of 'Intramuros Golf Club' in the buffer zone may pose problems with ICOMOS, since many of the best views of the walls are actually from the greens.

Another Tentative List update by the Philippines in 2024 was 'Corregidor Island and Historic Fortifications of Manila Bay'. One might argue that this nomination should be incorporated together with the Colonial Urban Plan and Fortifications of the Walled City of Manila. …

Keep reading 0 comments