Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí

The narrow Vall de Boí is situated in the high Pyrénées, in the Alta Ribagorça region and is surrounded by steep mountains. Each village in the valley contains a Romanesque church, and is surrounded by a pattern of enclosed fields. There are extensive seasonally-used grazing lands on the higher slopes.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/988

The Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí are nine Early Romanesque churches, making it the site of the densest concentration of Romanesque architecture in Europe.

The Vall de Boí is a narrow, steep-sided valley on the edges of the Pyrenees. The nine churches are:

- Eglésia de Sant Feliu, Barruera

- Eglésia de Sant Joan de Boí, Boí

- Eglésia de Santa Maria, Taüll

- Eglésia de Sant Climent, Taüll

- Eglésia de Santa Maria de l'Assumpció, Coll

- Eglésia de Santa Maria, Cardet

- Eglésia de la Nativitat, Durro

- Ermitage de Sant Quirc, Durro

- Eglésia de Santa Eulàlia, Erill la Vall

https://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/Vall+de+Boi

Old Town of Cáceres

The city's history of battles between Moors and Christians is reflected in its architecture, which is a blend of Roman, Islamic, Northern Gothic and Italian Renaissance styles. Of the 30 or so towers from the Muslim period, the Torre del Bujaco is the most famous.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/384

The old town of Caceres is renowned for its well-preserved 12th century Arab city walls (notably the Torre Mochada and Torre del Bujaco). Caceres was recaptured from the Moors in 1229.

New groups of settlers were attracted, which led to rivalling factions constructing their houses, palaces and towers in their own styles. The city's architecture now is a blend of Roman, Islamic, Northern Gothic and Italian Renaissance styles.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=384

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.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/987

The Roman Walls of Lugo are the only complete and intact urban defensive walls surviving anywhere in the former Roman Empire.

Their circumference is 2.117 km. Five of the original gates, and 46 interval towers are still intact.

Lugo was called Lucus Augusti by the Romans. This regionally important colonial town was founded in 15-13 BCE. The walls however were only constructed between 263 and 276, when the fear for invasions became too high. The fortifications couldn't withstand outsiders for too long: Lugo was subsequently sacked by the Suevi, the Visigoths, the Moors and the Normans from the 5th century on.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=987

San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries

The monastic community founded by St Millán in the mid-6th century became a place of pilgrimage. A fine Romanesque church built in honour of the holy man still stands at the site of Suso. It was here that the first literature was produced in Castilian, from which one of the most widely spoken languages in the world today is derived. In the early 16th century the community was housed in the fine new monastery of Yuso, below the older complex; it is still a thriving community today.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/805

The San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries are known for their role in the development of the Spanish language.

The twin monasteries are located in San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja. They owe thier existence to the holy man Millán, who settled here in the 6th century and founded the first 'monastery' at this spot.

Suso is the older of the two monasteries, and it is the site where phrases in the Spanish and Basque languages were written for the first time. A monk had put annotations in Spanish and Basque next to a Latin text. The codex in question was subsequently preserved in the monastery library at Yuso before being moved to its current location in Madrid.

Yuso monastery dates from the early 16th century. 'Yuso' means 'below', while 'Suso' stands for 'upper'.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=805

Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid

Built at the end of the 16th century on a plan in the form of a grill, the instrument of the martyrdom of St Lawrence, the Escurial Monastery stands in an exceptionally beautiful site in Castile. Its austere architecture, a break with previous styles, had a considerable influence on Spanish architecture for more than half a century. It was the retreat of a mystic king and became, in the last years of Philip II's reign, the centre of the greatest political power of the time.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/318

The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de el Escorial was built at the behest of King Philip II.

It was meant as a dwelling for God on Earth, at a time when the Protestant Reformation was shaking the foundations of Catholic Europa. This unique building has come to symbolise the Counterreformation.

Arquitects of this were Juan Bautista de Toledo and his successor Juan de Herrera. The construction works only lasted from 1563 to 1584.

The complex is a basilica, royal palace, monastery, seminary, library and mausoleum in one.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=318

Las Médulas

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.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/803

Las Médulas is a landscape shaped by Roman gold mining.

The mining was done ruina montium, which means that hydraulic power was used to blast the rocks away. The Romans started exploiting the Iberian colony's resources in the second half of the first century AD. The production ended at the beginning of the 3rd century.

To be able to generate enough water power, roads, dams and canals had to be constructed. This work was mainly carried out by the Roman army. Water was stored in huge reservoirs, and then transported to the mines via canals. Pressure was created by opening the sluices of the dams at one end of the system. The same water system was used to wash the extensive gold deposits.

Inscription of the site by the WHC in 1997 proved to be controversial: the Delegate of Thailand opposed because "he could only consider this site as a result of human destructive activities as well as harmful to the noble cause of environmental promotion and protection." The delegates of Germany and Finland agreed with his position.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=803

Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana

The Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana located on a sheer-sided mountain range parallel to the north-western coast of the island of Mallorca. Millennia of agriculture in an environment with scarce resources has transformed the terrain and displays an articulated network of devices for the management of water revolving around farming units of feudal origins. The landscape is marked by agricultural terraces and inter-connected water works - including water mills - as well as dry stone constructions and farms.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1371

The Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana is a man-made landscape on a mountain range on Mallorca. Its features include the hydrological system, dry-stone structures, rural estates, towns and villages, religious centres and maritime heritage.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=1371

Teide National Park

Situated on the island of Tenerife, Teide National Park features the Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcano that, at 3,718 m, is the highest peak on Spanish soil. Rising 7,500 m above the ocean floor, it is regarded as the world’s third-tallest volcanic structure and stands in a spectacular environment. The visual impact of the site is all the greater due to atmospheric conditions that create constantly changing textures and tones in the landscape and a ‘sea of clouds’ that forms a visually impressive backdrop to the mountain. Teide is of global importance in providing evidence of the geological processes that underpin the evolution of oceanic islands.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1258

Teide National Park covers the two large stratovolcanoes of Teide and Pico Viejo, Las Cañadas Caldera and many other volcanic features. Compared to other volcanic landscapes on the list, this NP stands out in size, complexity, age, depth of study and ongoing relevance to science.

At 3,718 m above sea level, Teide volcano is the third highest volcano in the world and the highest mountain in Spain. The site lies on the Canary Island of Tenerife, in the Atlantic Ocean.

Due to its eruptive history (last in 1909) and location close to population centres, the volcano has been designated worthy of close study to prevent future natural disasters. It is a major centre for international research with a long history of influence on geology and geomorphology especially through the work of von Humboldt, von Buch and Lyell which has made Mount Teide a significant site in the history of volcanology. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/teide.html

San Cristóbal de La Laguna

San Cristóbal de La Laguna, in the Canary Islands, has two nuclei: the original, unplanned Upper Town; and the Lower Town, the first ideal 'city-territory' laid out according to philosophical principles. Its wide streets and open spaces have a number of fine churches and public and private buildings dating from the 16th to the 18th century.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/929

San Cristóbal de La Laguna on Tenerife was the first non-fortified Spanish colonial town, and its layout provided the model for many colonial towns in the Americas. It was founded between 1496 and 1497 by Alonso Fernández de Lugo and was the capital of the island after the conclusion of the conquest of the islands. 

San Cristóbal de la Laguna consists of two distinct parts – the Upper Town (Villa de Arriba) of 1497 and the Lower

Town (Villa de Abajo) of 1502. The area contains several churches, the Dominican Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena, and private residences. They date from the 16th - 20th century. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/sancristobaldelalaguna.html

Palmeral of Elche

The Palmeral of Elche, a landscape of groves of date palms, was formally laid out, with elaborate irrigation systems, at the time the Muslim city of Elche was erected, towards the end of the tenth century A.C., when much of the Iberian peninsula was Arab. The Palmeral is an oasis, a system for agrarian production in arid areas. It is also a unique example of Arab agricultural practices on the European continent. Cultivation of date palms in Elche is known at least since the Iberian times, dating around the fifth century B.C.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/930

The Palmeral of Elche is an oasis-like landscape of date palms, transferred to Europe from North Africa by the Moors. It was constructed during the Arab occupation of this area in Spain over 1000 years ago. The inhabitants of Elche used well known techniques from the Near East and the Sahara-region to let this desert bloom. 

The site consists of 67 different palm groves. They contain more than 11,000 palm trees, mostly date palms (Phoenix dactylifera), with individual specimens up to 300 years old.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/palmeralelche.html

Works of Antoni Gaudí

Seven properties built by the architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926) in or near Barcelona testify to Gaudí’s exceptional creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These monuments represent an eclectic, as well as a very personal, style which was given free reign in the design of gardens, sculpture and all decorative arts, as well as architecture. The seven buildings are: Parque Güell; Palacio Güell; Casa Mila; Casa Vicens; Gaudí’s work on the Nativity façade and Crypt of La Sagrada Familia; Casa Batlló; Crypt in Colonia Güell.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/320

The Works of Antoni Gaudí represent the creative architectural works of this Modernist architect from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Gaudí was born in 1852, and died 74 years later in Barcelona. From the 1880s he did a lot of work for the Güell family, who supported him with money and gave him freedom in his work.

The designated World Heritage Site consists of the following works by Gaudí:

- Parque Güell (on the postcard)

- Palacio Güell

- Casa Mila

- Casa Vicens

- Nativity Facade and Crypt of the Sagrada Familia (on the postcard)

- Casa Batlló (on the postcard)

- Crypt at the Colónia Güell 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/parqueguell.html

Tower of Hercules

The Tower of Hercules has served as a lighthouse and landmark at the entrance of La Coruña harbour in north-western Spain since the late 1st century A.D. when the Romans built the Farum Brigantium. The Tower, built on a 57 metre high rock, rises a further 55 metres, of which 34 metres correspond to the Roman masonry and 21 meters to the restoration directed by architect Eustaquio Giannini in the 18th century, who augmented the Roman core with two octagonal forms. Immediately adjacent to the base of the Tower, is a small rectangular Roman building. The site also features a sculpture park, the Monte dos Bicos rock carvings from the Iron Age and a Muslim cemetery. The Roman foundations of the building were revealed in excavations conducted in the 1990s. Many legends from the Middle Ages to the 19th century surround the Tower of Hercules, which is unique as it is the only lighthouse of Greco-Roman antiquity to have retained a measure of structural integrity and functional continuity.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1312

The Tower of Hercules is a lighthouse of Roman origin that is used as such until today. The Romans constructed the Farum Brigantium at the end of the 1st century or beginning of the 2nd. Its use was not continuous, during the Middle Ages it fell into disrepair. The lighthouse became of interest again during the 15th century, when La Coruña became an important port.

Major reconstruction work was done in the 18th century. Its current form is in the neo-classical style.

The current structure is 55 metres tall, while the Roman core is 34 metres. It stands on Eiras peninsula to guard Galician coastline at the North Atlantic coast of Spain. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/towerofhercules.html

Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)

This famous pilgrimage site in north-west Spain became a symbol in the Spanish Christians' struggle against Islam. Destroyed by the Muslims at the end of the 10th century, it was completely rebuilt in the following century. With its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings, the Old Town of Santiago is one of the world's most beautiful urban areas. The oldest monuments are grouped around the tomb of St James and the cathedral, which contains the remarkable Pórtico de la Gloria.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/347

Santiago de Compostela became a symbol in the Spanish Christians' struggle against Islam. Destroyed by the Muslims at the end of the 10th century, it was completely rebuilt in the following century. With its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings, the Old Town of Santiago is one of the world's most beautiful urban areas. 

The city's cathedral is the destination of the important medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St James (in Spanish the Camino de Santiago). 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/santiagodecompostela.html

Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain

A network of four Christian pilgrimage routes in northern Spain, the site is an extension of the Route of Santiago de Compostela, a serial site inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. The extension represents a network of almost 1,500 km: coastal, interior of the Basque Country–La Rioja, Liébana and primitive routes. It includes a built heritage of historical importance created to meet the needs of pilgrims, including cathedrals, churches, hospitals, hostels and even bridges. The extension encompasses some of the earliest pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, following the discovery in the 9thcentury of a tomb believed to be that of St. James the Greater.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/669

The Route of Santiago de Compostela comprises over 1800 historic buildings on the Christian pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The Route starts from the French-Spanish border, at either Roncesvalles or Canfranc.

Legend has that the remains of the apostle Saint James the Great are buried in the Santiago cathedral. His tomb was discovered in the 9th century. Pilgrims from all over southern Europe started flocking there in the 10th century. The pilgrimage became so popular in the 12th that it even got its own guidebook, Book V of the Calixtine Codex. 

The buildings on the Route consist of cathedrals, churches, monasteries, hospitals, inns and public works in 166 towns and villages.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/routeofsantiagodecompostela.html

Poblet Monastery

This Cistercian abbey in Catalonia is one of the largest in Spain. At its centre is a 12th-century church. The austere, majestic monastery, which has a fortified royal residence and contains the pantheon of the kings of Catalonia and Aragon, is an impressive sight.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/518

Poblet Monastery is one of the largest and most complete Cistercian abbeys in the world. It dates from the 12th century.

It also is a massive military complex, and has served as a royal palace, residence and pantheon. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/pobletmonastery.html

Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona

These are two of the finest contributions to Barcelona's architecture by the Catalan art nouveau architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The Palau de la Música Catalana is an exuberant steel-framed structure full of light and space, and decorated by many of the leading designers of the day. The Hospital de Sant Pau is equally bold in its design and decoration, while at the same time perfectly adapted to the needs of the sick.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/804

The Palau de la Música Catalana and the Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona

were designed by the Catalan architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, and are considered masterpieces of the Art Nouveau. Domènech also played an important role in the Catalan movement.

The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau was constructed between 1901-1912, and the Palau de la Música Catalana dates from 1905-1908.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/palauhopitaldesantpau.html

Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct

The Roman aqueduct of Segovia, probably built c. A.D. 50, is remarkably well preserved. This impressive construction, with its two tiers of arches, forms part of the setting of the magnificent historic city of Segovia. Other important monuments include the Alcázar, begun around the 11th century, and the 16th-century Gothic cathedral.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/311

The Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct is a historic town with an excellently preserved civil engineering work from the Roman period ca. 50 AD.

The first historical reference to the town of Segovia dates back to the year 192 A.D., when its Celtiberian inhabitants were defeated by Roman forces. 

Segovia is world-renowned for the ship-like appearance it projects: the Alcázar standing at its bow, the cathedral tower being its mainmast and the aquaduct its helm. 

The aquaduct was probably erected in the first century A.D. It supplied water to the high-lying part of the town, at that time occupied by the Roman military headquarters and today the site of the Alcázar. It's an underground channel, with a free-standing arcade comprised of 20.000 granite blocks that are held together without any kind of binding agent or mortar.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/segovia.html

Old City of Salamanca

This ancient university town north-west of Madrid was first conquered by the Carthaginians in the 3rd century B.C. It then became a Roman settlement before being ruled by the Moors until the 11th century. The university, one of the oldest in Europe, reached its high point during Salamanca's golden age. The city's historic centre has important Romanesque, Gothic, Moorish, Renaissance and Baroque monuments. The Plaza Mayor, with its galleries and arcades, is particularly impressive.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/381

The Old City of Salamanca covers an ancient university town with groups of buildings in the Churrigueresque style.

Salamanca lies in the heart of Spain, not far from Madrid. Besides two universities, the city has two cathedrals and a grand Plaza Mayor. The last was constructed in baroque style during the 18th century. The entrances to the Plaza are formed by impressive arches. 

The Mansion Casa de las Conchas is another landmark of Salamanca. This 15th century house is decorated on the outside with 350 shells, as a symbol of the order of Saint James (where the owner was a member). 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/salamanca.html

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon

The development in the 12th century of Mudejar art in Aragon resulted from the particular political, social and cultural conditions that prevailed in Spain after the Reconquista. This art, influenced by Islamic tradition, also reflects various contemporary European styles, particularly the Gothic. Present until the early 17th century, it is characterized by an extremely refined and inventive use of brick and glazed tiles in architecture, especially in the belfries.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/378

The Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon is represented by 10 buildings that are the most outstanding examples of Mudéjar art and architecture. Mudéjar is the style of Iberian architecture and decoration strongly influenced by Moorish taste and workmanship. The included sites cover the whole period, from the 12th to the 16th century.

The architecture is characterized by bell towers shaped like the islamic minaret, the use of bricks, glazed tiles and wooden ceilings.

The site was originally called Mudéjar Architecture of Teruel. The four nominated sites in Teruel are:

- Tower, cupola and ceiling of the Cathedral of Santa María de Mediavilla, 

- Tower and Church of San Pedro 

- Tower of San Martín

- Tower of Salvador.

In the 1990s, the inhabitants of Zaragoza remarked that there were other, not less notable examples of the Mudejar style in Aragón, which had been excluded from the site. Consequently, in 2001, the site was renamed to its present title and expanded with six monuments in Zaragoza and its province: 

- Tower and church of Santa María in Calatayud

- Church of Santa Tecla in Cervera de la Cañada

- Church of Santa María in Tobed,

- Remains of the Palacio de la Aljafería in Zaragoza

- Tower and Church of San Pablo in Zaragoza

- La Seo Cathedral in Zaragoza. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/mudejarteruel.html

Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias

In the 9th century the flame of Christianity was kept alive in the Iberian peninsula in the tiny Kingdom of the Asturias. Here an innovative pre-Romanesque architectural style was created that was to play a significant role in the development of the religious architecture of the peninsula. Its highest achievements can be seen in the churches of Santa María del Naranco, San Miguel de Lillo, Santa Cristina de Lena, the Cámara Santa and San Julián de los Prados, in and around the ancient capital city of Oviedo. Associated with them is the remarkable contemporary hydraulic engineering structure known as La Foncalada.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/312

The Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias are six pre-Romanesque constructions all dating from the 9th century. At that time, Asturias was a stronghold of Christianity. A distinctive and innovative pre-Romanesque architectural style developed in this isolated region north of the Cantabrian mountains.

The 6 included locations are:

- Church of Santa María del Naranco (a former palace)

- Church of San Miguel de Lillo (on the postcard)

- Church of Santa Cristina de Lena

- The Cámara Santa

- Basilica of San Julián de los Prados

- La Foncalada, a hydraulic engineering structure 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/oviedo.html