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UNESCO and World Heritage

Preserving humanity’s heritage

Since 4th July 2015, The Climats, vineyards of Burgundy, are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The World Heritage Program of UNESCO encourages the protection and preservation of cultural, natural and mixed sites.

The inscription cannot take place without Outstanding Universal Value!

To be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, a candidate site must prove its “Outstanding Universal Value” (O.U.V.), i.e. cultural importance that extends beyond national borders, which has existed for generations and deserves to be recognized on a worldwide scale.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)  

UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) was founded in 1945 at the end of the Second World War, with the aim of building peace in the minds of men and women through education, science, culture and communications. 
UNESCO is made up of 193 member states. Its main missions include reducing poverty, providing quality education for all, contributing to development or encouraging the protection of literary, artistic, monumental and cultural heritage.

Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be built.

Preamble to the UNESCO constitution

Over 1,000 sites are already inscribed

Since 1978, over 1,007 sites have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, 41 of which are located in France. Other famous sites featured on the List include The Egyptian Pyramids, the Grand Canyon, the temples of Ankor and Mont Saint-Michel. Closer to home, in Burgundy, the Vézelay Hill and Basilica and the Fontenay Abbey are also inscribed.

Since 1992, winegrowing cultural landscapes have also been added to the List. 

  1. Isle of the Pico winegrowing landscape (Portugal)
  2. Haut-Douro winegrowing region (Portugal)
  3. Val de Loire (France)
  4. Saint Emilion jurisdiction (France)
  5. Rhine Valley (Germany)
  6. Lavaux terraced vineyards (Switzerland)
  7. Cinque Terre National Park (Italy)
  8. Wachau cultural landscape (Austria)
  9. The Tokaj winegrowing region’s historic cultural landscape (Hungary)
  10. Fertö / Neusiedlersee cultural landscape (Austria / Hungary)
  11. Montalcino (Val d’Orçia, Italy) 
  12. Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato (Italy)