Welcome to our special 2014 World Cup blog post where we will feature the World Heritage Sites of the 32 Countries that are participating in the 2014 World Cup.
The 2014 World Cup is kicking off tomorrow, and did you know that each of the 32 participating countries in the tournament has World Heritage sites? Today we feature the sites in Brazil and Croatia, the two nations that will be kicking off the 2014 World Cup.
Brazil has 19 Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List
Cultural
- Brasilia (Year of inscription – 1987)
Brasilia was made a World Heritage Site because it is one of the major examples of the 20th century´s modern movement in architecture and urban planning.
- Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia (Year of inscription – 1985)
As the first capital of Brazil, from 1549 to 1763, Salvador de Bahia witnessed the blending of European, African and Amerindian cultures. It was also, from 1558, the first slave market in the New World, with slaves arriving to work on the sugar plantations. The city has managed to preserve many outstanding Renaissance buildings. A special feature of the old town are the brightly colored houses, often decorated with fine stucco work.
- Historic Centre of São Luís (Year of inscription – 1997)
The Historic Centre of São Luis has the largest and best preserved examples of colonial Portuguese architecture of all Latin America.
- Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina (Year of inscription – 1999)
Diamantina shows how explorers of the Brazilian territory, diamond prospectors, and representatives of the Crown were able to adapt European models to an American context in the 18th century, thus creating a culture that was faithful to its roots yet completely original.
- Historic Centre of the Town of Goiás (Year of inscription – 2001)
Goiás is an outstanding example of a European town which adapted to the climatic, geographical and cultural constraints of central South America.
- Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda (Year of inscription – 1982)
Olinda was founded in 1537 by the Portuguese Duarte Coelho Pereira and owed its rapid rise to the cultivation of sugar cane in the region of Pernambuco using slave labor. - Historic Town of Ouro Preto (Year of inscription – 1980)
This Historic Town of Ouro Preto (Black Gold) played a leading role in Brazil’s history in the 18th century as it was the main focal point of the period known as the Golden Age of Brazil. - Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina), Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes (Brazil) (Year of inscription – 1983)
Are impressive remains of five Jesuit missions built in the land of the Guaranis during the 17th and 18th centuries. - Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea (Year of inscription – 2012)
The city of Rio de Janeiro, shaped by interaction with mountains and sea; its exceptionally dramatic landscape is punctuated by a series of forested mountains that tower over the city. - Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas (Year of inscription – 1985)
This sanctuary in Minais Gerais was built in the second half of the 18th century. Its exterior represents the Brazilian Baroque style, while its interior reflects Italian culture with the decoration in a luxuriant Rococo style that covers the walls and ceilings. - São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristóvão (Year of inscription – 2010)
This monumental ensemble, together with the surrounding 18th- and 19th century houses, creates an urban landscape which reflects the history of the town since its origin. - Serra da Capivara National Park (Year of inscription – 1991)
Some of the cave paintings in the Serra da Capivara National Park are more than 25,000 years old and are a testimony to one of the oldest human communities of South America.
Natural
- Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves (Year of inscription – 1999)
The 25 protected areas in this reserve display the biological wealth and evolutionary history of the last remaining Atlantic forests. - Brazilian Atlantic Islands: Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves (Year of inscription – 2001)
The islands are home to the largest concentration of tropical seabirds in the Western Atlantic.
- Central Amazon Conservation Complex (Year of inscription – 2000)
The Central Amazon Conservation Complex makes up the largest protected area in the Amazon Basin (over 6 million hectares).
- Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks (Year of inscription – 2001)
For millennia, these sites have served as refuge for several species during periods of climate change and will be vital for maintaining the biodiversity of the Cerrado region during future climate fluctuations. - Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves (Year of inscription – 1999)
These Reserves display the biological richness and evolutionary history of the few remaining areas of Atlantic forest of northeast Brazil. - Iguaçu National Park (Year of inscription – 1986)
The park shares with Iguazú National Park in Argentina one of the world’s largest and most impressive waterfalls, extending over some 2,700m and it is home to many rare and endangered species of flora and fauna. - Pantanal Conservation Area (Year of inscription – 2000)
This site plays a key role in the dispersion of nutrients to the entire basin and is the most important reserve for maintaining fish stocks in the Pantanal.
Learn more about the sites of Brazil:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/
Croatia has 7 Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List
Cultural
- Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the Historic Centre of Poreč (Year of inscription – 1997):
The group of religious monuments in Porec, where Christianity was established as early as the 4th century, constitutes the most complete surviving complex of its type. The basilica, atrium, baptistery and episcopal palace are outstanding examples of religious architecture, while the basilica itself combines classical and Byzantine elements in an exceptional manner.
- Historic City of Trogir (Year of inscription – 1997):
Trogir is a remarkable example of urban continuity. The orthogonal street plan of this island settlement dates back to the Hellenistic period, and it was embellished by successive rulers with many fine public and domestic buildings and fortifications. Its beautiful Romanesque churches are complemented by the outstanding Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period. - Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian (Year of inscription – 1979):
The ruins of Diocletian’s Palace, built between the late 3rd and the early 4th centuries A.D., can be found throughout the city. The cathedral was built in the Middle Ages, reusing materials from the ancient mausoleum. Twelfth- and 13th-century Romanesque churches, medieval fortifications, 15th-century Gothic palaces and other palaces in Renaissance and Baroque style make up the rest of the protected area. - Old City of Dubrovnik (Year of inscription – 1979):
The ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’, situated on the Dalmatian coast, became an important Mediterranean sea power from the 13th century onwards. Although severely damaged by an earthquake in 1667, Dubrovnik managed to preserve its beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains. - Stari Grad Plain (Year of inscription – 2008):
Stari Grad Plain on the Adriatic island of Hvar is a cultural landscape that has remained practically intact since it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC. The original agricultural activity of this fertile plain, mainly centering on grapes and olives, has been maintained since Greek times to the present. - The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik (Year of inscription – 2000):
The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik, on the Dalmatian coast, bears witness to the considerable exchanges in the field of monumental arts between Northern Italy, Dalmatia and Tuscany in the 15th- and 16th centuries. The form and the decorative elements of the Cathedral, such as a remarkable frieze decorated with 71 sculptured faces of men, women and children, also illustrate the successful fusion of Gothic and Renaissance art.
Natural
- Plitvice Lakes National Park (Year of inscription – 1979): The waters flowing over the limestone and chalk have, over thousands of years, deposited travertine barriers, creating natural dams which in turn have created a series of beautiful lakes, caves and waterfalls. These geological processes continue today. The forests in the park are home to bears, wolves and many rare bird species.
Learn more: