The UK ranks eighth in the worldwide list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. But instead of the previous 32 distinguished sites, there are now only 31.
It’s a day of shame for the city, Liverpool City Council member Richard Kemp wrote on Twitter.
“When we received the status in 2004 it helped our work, alongside winning the European Capital of Culture, in changing round the national and global and view of our City,” Kemp commented on WordPress. “Until these two things happened, we were just Beatles and Football globally . People shunned our City for visiting, living and investment.”
But despite the apparently positive effects, the city made no effort to continue to comply, instead pushing ahead with more major building projects in 2012, Unesco threatened to revoke Liverpool’s World Heritage status because of “substantial” building interventions.
‘Loss of maritime character’
A UNESCO commission report in June stated that large-scale infrastructure projects including the Liverpool Waters residential and office complex as well as the Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium would mean a loss of the character of the “maritime mercantile city” of Liverpool the reason to strip the city of its title.
The UN body is currently debating which landscapes, monuments or places should be added to the list of World Heritage Sites in the future, and also removing sites that, in the UN body’s opinion, no longer deserve the title, which is what happened to the city of Liverpool.
Is UNESCO’s selection Eurocentric?
The distinction of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site has a positive PR effect as well as an energizing influence on tourism which makes applying for the title interesting.
Since the founding of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage on November 16, 1972, many countries have recognized this attractiveness, says Christoph Brumann, research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Ethnological Research in Halle, Germany. Apparently, some countries benefit more than others, and Europe is home to the largest number of World Heritage Sites, according to UN statistics.
A soccer stadium is planned at Bramley Moore Dock
But losing the title is not necessarily a disaster, either, according to Brumann. “Even though there will be some loss of tourists to Liverpool, the city can now do what it wants and no longer has to put up with the World Heritage Committee or the British government interfering in its building plans,” Brumann told DW.
Criteria for world Heritage Site
The main criterion for nomination: the site must have outstanding universal value. The countries themselves apply, followed by an evaluation. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is responsible for recommending cultural sites, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) selects natural sites.
The two councils make their recommendations. The Unesco World Heritage Committee, which is made up of representatives from 21 of the elected States Parties to the convention, then has the final word.
- UNESCO World Heritage Site contenders 2021
Darmstadt Artists’ Colony Mathildenhöhe, Germany
Founded in 1899 by Hessian Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig to promote the arts and crafts movement especially Bauhaus. Exhibitions began being staged at Mathildenhöhe as early as in 1901. The eclectic site comprises a historic Russian Orthodox Church, an exhibition hall, and Darmstadt’s landmark Wedding Tower built to commemorate Ernst Ludwig’s second marriage. - UNESCO World Heritage Site contenders 2021
The New Dutch Waterline, the Netherlands
Designed as an expansive defense network, the New Dutch Waterline encompasses 45 fortresses, six fortifications, various bunkers and waterworks, spanning over a total of 85 kilometers (53 miles). It was operational between 1815 and 1940, with the sole purpose of stopping enemies from advancing towards the western Netherlands. - UNESCO World Heritage Site contenders 2021
Kaeng Krachan forest complex, Thailand
Covering a staggering 482 hectares of land across no less than three provinces, Thailand’s Kaeng Krachan forest complex is home to a wildlife sanctuary as well as two national parks. The area’s biological diversity is regarded as exceptional. Indeed, it provides a habitat for several endangered species – including the Siamese crocodile, the Asian giant tortoise and the Asian black bear. - UNESCO World Heritage Site contenders 2021
Deer Stone Monuments, Mongolia
These Mongolian Bronze Age sculptures could soon be added to UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage Sites’ list. The deer stones, as they are known, are engraved with highly artistic renderings of animals, weapons, shields and decorative patterns. Between one and four meters tall, the monuments are believed to have been dedicated to ancient chiefs and warriors. - UNESCO World Heritage Site contenders 2021
The Lower Germanic Limes, Germany, the Netherlands
The Roman Empire was protected by border fortifications known as the Limes. Three frontier sections have already made the World Heritage Sites list; the Lower Germanic Limes has not yet. Running 400 kilometers along river Rhine from Bonn to the Dutch coast, this military structure was established in the last decades B.C., lasting until the demise of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. - UNESCO World Heritage Site contenders 2021
Jomon archaeological sites, Japan
This is Japan’s Sannai-Maruyama site, containing remnants and reconstructions of a large Jomon-era settlement. This hunter-gatherer culture is thought to have lasted from about 13,000 B.C. to roughly 300 B.C.. Japan aims to have a total of 17 Jomon sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. - UNESCO World Heritage Site contenders 2021
The Jewish heritage of Speyer, Worms and Mainz, Germany
The German cities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz located near each other along river Rhine were a center of Jewish cultural life in the Middle Ages. Referred to as Shin, Vav and Mem in medieval Hebrew, the three towns are collectively known as ShUM cities. Worms is home to Europes oldest Jewish cemetery (pictured above). - UNESCO World Heritage Site contenders 2021
The Great Spas of Europe, Europe
Europe boasts plenty of elegant spa towns soon, 11 of them could be included on the World Heritage List. Among the contenders is the city of Bath in southwest England. Founded in the 1st century A.D., its well preserved ancient Roman Baths still flow with natural hot water. Other spa locations included on the application are in France, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy and Belgium. - UNESCO World Heritage Site contenders 2021
Chankillo Astronomical Complex, Peru
Peru’s Chankillo complex, located some 360 kilometers north of the capital Lima, dates back to the early Horizon period (500 200 B#.C.). The Thirteen Towers (pictured) form a man-made horizon when viewed from below. The line of buildings, running north to south along a ridge, closely corresponds to the movement of the rising and setting sun over the year. - UNESCO World Heritage Site contenders 2021
Sof Omar Cave, Ethiopia
Extending 15 kilometers into the limestone foothills, Sof Omar is Ethiopia’s longest cave. Situated in the country’s southeast, it is venerated by local Muslims, with an annual November pilgrimage. Sof Omar features a spacious cavern known as the Chamber of Columns due to its colossal limestone pillars. The cave system is also home to various bats and fish.
Author: Benjamin Restle
Christoph Brumann examined this process in his March 2021 book, The Best We Share: Nation, Culture and World-Making in the Unesco World Heritage Arena. The ethnologist observed the proceedings of UNESCO meetings and spoke with participants and noticed an imbalance. There should be the same number of cultural heritage and natural heritage sites on the World Heritage List, he said, “but it’s 80% cultural heritage.”
From an ethnological point of view, it is impossible to determine an objective value for culture, Brumann argues. But that’s precisely the goal UNESCO is pursuing, he says. “It wants to protect what is relevant to all of humanity. But how does it find such sites?”
Lobbyists play a role
You don’t always understand the criteria, Brumann says. In his book, he explains that the dominance of the Global North stood in the way of the idea of an equal world community from the very beginning, and that UNESCO members have been asserting their own state interests with increasing unwillingness to compromise since the 2010 committee meeting in Brazil.
“It is quite obvious that arrangements are being made, there is lobbying and also that state representatives often disregard procedural rules,” Brumann says and argues that “almost anything can be decided at the meetings.”
Cologne Cathedral is a famous German World Heritage Site
Even Germany’s Naumburg Cathedral made it onto the list, although experts voted against it, Baumann says, adding he was surprised that Liverpool actually lost its status. “I didn’t think the deletion of another title after Oman in 2007 and Dresden in 2009 was possible,” Brumann says. Oman was taken off the list for reducing the size of the game reserve for Arabian oryx antelopes. Dresden was stripped of its title two years later because of the construction of the Waldschlösschen Bridge.
A diplomatic failure
The British government did not work hard enough to avert losing Liverpool’s listing, Brumann argues. “The UK failed to have one of its friends among the committee states introduce an amendment.” A lone casually dressed representative for the Culture Ministry and not the Foreign Ministry showed up for the conference, he says, which is unusual. Brumann says the committee may have found the appearance “less than convincing of the British commitment to the status.”
Liverpool also lacked support from international representatives, according to Brumann, who noted that Norway, a “very rule-abiding country,” is on the committee, and that Chinahas the committee chair. ” Think of Hong Kong, or British criticism of the Uighur camps China and Britain have poor diplomatic relations” Brumann says, so China has reason “to want to annoy Britain.”
As expected, the 13:5 vote stripped Liverpool of its Unesco World Heritage status. How the decision affects the city’s urban development and tourist marketing remains to be seen.
Other prospective sites currently hope they will make it to the coveted list. The roughly 40 nominations for new World Heritage sites include five applications with Germany: The Mathildenhöhe artists’ colony in Darmstadt, the Jewish cultural heritage in Mainz, Speyer and Worms, the spa towns of Baden-Baden, Bad Ems and Bad Kissingen as part of important historic spas in Europe, as well as the Roman Danube Limes and the Lower Germanic Limes border ramparts.
This article has been translated from German.read more
