VII.38 Auschwitz Concentration Camp (Poland)
The Committee recalled that on 5 March 1997 a 'Declaration Concerning Principles for Implementation of Program Oswiecimski' was initialed by the Polish Government Plenipotentiary for the Government Strategic Plan for Oswiecim, the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the International Council of the State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Mayor of Oswiecim in the presence of the President of Poland. The Committee took note of information provided by the Secretariat on the progress made in the implementation of the Declaration, ...
VII.39 Central Zone of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores (Portugal)
The Bureau of the World Heritage Committee, at its twentysecond ordinary session, was informed about a marina project that seriously threatened the characteristic features of the waterfront of the World Heritage site. ICOMOS undertook a mission to the site in October 1998 and concluded that, although there is the economic need for a marina, it opposed this particular project for the negative impact it would have on the World Heritage values of the site. It recommended that an alternative location be sought for the ...
VII.41 The Rock Carvings in Tanum (Sweden)
At the invitation of the Director of Monuments and Sites of the County Administration of Västra Götaland, ICOMOS and the World Heritage Centre undertook a mission to Tanum in September 1998 to discuss the E6 road upgrading project, funded by the European Union.
The mission examined various options for the road and expressed preference for alternatives that would avoid the World Heritage site. However, it was felt that one alternative solution, developed during the mission, although passing into the World Heritage site, would have a ...
Sites: Rock Carvings in Tanum
VII.42 World Heritage sites in Central America
The Secretariat reported that Hurricane Mitch swept over Central America during the final days of October 1998, causing heavy rains and storms and inundating important parts of Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. The region has a number of World Heritage sites, including:
El Salvador: Joya de Ceren Archaeological Site
Guatemala: Tikal National Park
Antigua Guatemala
Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua
Honduras: Maya site of Copan
Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve (on the Danger List)
Nicaragua: The site of Leon Viejo, recognised by ...
VII.43 The Committee noted the decisions of the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau as reflected in the Report of the Bureau session (Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/5) and included in Annex IV of this report on the following properties:
Rapa Nui National Park (Chile)
The Mountain Resort and Its Outlying Temples in Chengde (China)
The Potala Palace, Lhasa (China)
Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu (China)
Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (China)
City of Quito (Ecuador)
Memphis and its Necropolis - the Pyramid Fields ...
Sites: Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains Ancient City of Polonnaruwa Ancient City of Sigiriya Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis Baalbek Baroque Churches of the Philippines City of Quito Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town of Quedlinburg Complex of Hué Monuments Historic Areas of Istanbul Historic Cairo Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn Historic Centre of Florence Historic Centre of Lima Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa Island of Gorée Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde Old City of Sana'a Quseir Amra Rapa Nui National Park Sacred City of Anuradhapura Site of Palmyra Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu Town of Luang Prabang Tyre Vilnius Historic Centre
VII.4 World Heritage sites of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC):
Virunga National Park
Garamba National Park
Kahuzi Biega National Park
Okapi Faunal Reserve
The Committee had declared these four sites as World Heritage in Danger, during 1994-1997, as war and civil strife have ravaged the country. The Committee noted that the Bureau, at its twentysecond ordinary session (June 1998), had been of the view that the security situation in the country may be improving. Hence, the Bureau had encouraged the Centre to continue its efforts, in co-operation with international ...
22 COM VIII.2
Removals from the List of World Heritage in Danger: Old City of Dubrovnik (Croatia) & Wieliczka Salt Mines (Poland)
VIII.2 The Committee recalled that, having examined the state of conservation of properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, it had decided to delete the following two properties from the List:
Old City of Dubrovnik (Croatia)
On the basis of a substantive report on the state of conservation submitted by the authorities of Croatia, the positive advice of ICOMOS on the restoration works undertaken and the recommendations of the Bureau, the Committee decided to delete the Old City of Dubrovnik from the List of World Heritage in Danger (see also paragraph VII.17 of ...
VIII.4 The Committee was informed that all the cultural properties proposed for inscription figure on the tentative lists of the respective countries mentioned in Document WHC-98/CONF.203/9: Information on Tentative Lists. The Delegate of Benin indicated that "The W Reserve of Niger and its Vernacular Habitat of North Benin" was a mixed property, and requested that this information be reflected in the abovementioned document. The Delegate of Lebanon furthermore wished that the information contained in the Document WHC-98/CONF.203/9 be accompanied by a regional analysis to guide the States ...
VIII.3 The Committee noted that a number of sites have been withdrawn by the States Parties concerned since the twenty-second session of the Bureau (June 1998): Cultural Stratification in the Historic Centre of the City of Pecs, Hungary (853); Gdansk : the Main Town, the Motlava Side Channel, and the Vistula Mouth Fortress, Poland (882); The Medieval Town of Provins, France (873), and the Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, Spain (875).
Property: Golden Mountains of Altai
Id. N°: 768 Rev.
State Party: Russian Federation
Criteria: N (iv)
The Altai region is an important and original centre of biodiversity of plant and animal species. It contains rare and endemic species, including the Snow Leopard. The Altai population of the Snow Leopard serves as a core source for the southern Siberian region. The site also displays the geological history of Asia, a variety of landscapes and ecosystems and contains excellent examples of glacial features.
The Committee discussed whether to apply criterion (iii) and reviewed the ...
Sites: Golden Mountains of Altai
Property: East Rennell
Id. N°: 854
State Party: Solomon Islands
Criteria: N(ii)
East Rennell is part of Rennell Island, the southernmost of the Solomon Islands group. Rennell, the largest raised coral atoll in the world, is 86 km long and 15 km wide and covers an area of 87,500ha. A major feature is Lake Tegano, which was the former lagoon on the atoll and is the largest lake in the insular Pacific (15,500ha). Rennell is mostly covered with dense forest with a canopy averaging 20m in height. East Rennell is of outstanding universal value under natural criterion (ii), demonstrating ...
Sites: East Rennell
Property: New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands
Id. N°: 877
State Party: New Zealand
Criteria: N (ii)(iv)
The site consists of five island groups (the Snares, Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, and Campbell Island) in the Southern Ocean south-east of New Zealand. The islands, lying between the Antarctic and Sub-tropical Convergences, and the seas have a high level of productivity, bio-diversity, wildlife population densities, and endemism among birds, plants and invertebrates. The bird and plant life, especially endemic albatrosses, cormorants, land birds and ...
Property: Bashkirian Ural
Id. N°: 879
State Party: Russian Federation
The Committee noted that the site is of European importance for the study of the natural dynamics of broadleaf forests. However, the site does not possess outstanding universal value. The proposal that this site could be considered as a Biosphere Reserve was noted and it was agreed that the State Party would follow this up with IUCN and UNESCO.
The Committee decided not to inscribe the site on the World Heritage List.
Property: The Ravines of the Slovak Paradis and Dobsinska Ice Cave
Id. N°: 858
State Party: Slovakia
The Committee recalled that the Bureau at its twenty-second session decided to refer the nomination back to the State Party asking the Slovak authorities to consider incorporating the Dobsinska Ice Cave portion into the nearby World Heritage site of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst. The Committee was informed that the State Party indicated a number of options including as a possible addition to the cultural World Heritage site of "Spissky Castle with its surroundings".
The ...
Property: Vodlozero National Park
Id. N°: 767
State Party: Russian Federation
The Committee noted that the site consists of boreal forest ecosystems of the Eurasian taiga and is an important bird breeding area. It is of European importance, but on its own, does not meet any natural World Heritage criteria. The Committee took note of the rich cultural heritage of the region and encouraged the State Party to consider nomination the area for cultural values.
The Committee decided not to inscribe the site on the World Heritage List. The Committee noted the possibility of Vodlozero ...
Property: The Semmering Railway
Id. N°: 785
State Party: Austria
Criteria: C(ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): The Semmering Railway represents an outstanding technological solution to a major physical problem in the construction of early railways.
Criterion (iv): With the construction of the Semmering Railway, areas of great natural beauty became more easily accessible and as a result these were developed for residential and recreational use, creating a new form of cultural ...
Sites: Semmering Railway
Property: Flemish Béguinages
Id. N°: 855
State Party: Belgium
Criteria: C (ii)(iii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): The Flemish béguinages demonstrate outstanding physical characteristics of urban and rural planning and a combination of religious and traditional architecture in styles specific to the Flemish cultural region.
Criterion (iii): The béguinages bear exceptional witness to the cultural tradition of independent religious women in north-western Europe in the Middle ...
Sites: Flemish Béguinages
22 COM VIII.B.1
Inscription: The Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainaut) (Belgium)
Property: The Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainaut)
Id. N°: 856
State Party: Belgium
Criteria: C (iii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed the site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (iii) and (iv):
Criterion (iii): The boat-lifts of the Canal du Centre bear remarkable testimony to the hydraulic engineering developments of 19th-century Europe.
Criterion (iv): These boat-lifts represent the apogee of the application of engineering technology to the construction of ...
Property: La Grand-Place, Brussels
Id. N°: 857
State Party: Belgium
Criteria: C (ii)(iv)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): The Grand-Place is an outstanding example of the eclectic and highly successful blending of architectural and artistic styles that characterizes the culture and society of this region.
Criterion (iv): Through the nature and quality of its architecture and of its outstanding quality as a public open space, the Grand-Place illustrates in an exceptional way the evolution and ...
Sites: La Grand-Place, Brussels
Property: El Fuerte de Samaipata
Id. N°: 883
State Party: Bolivia
Criteria: C(ii)(iii)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iii):
Criterion (ii): The sculptured rock at Samaipata is the dominant ceremonial feature of an urban settlement that represents the apogee of this form of prehispanic religious and political centre.
Criterion (iii): Samaipata bears outstanding witness to the existence in this Andean region of a culture with highly developed religious traditions, illustrated dramatically in the form of immense rock ...
Sites: Fuerte de Samaipata