List of World Heritage Sites in Spain

This article is about a World Heritage Site
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage.[1]

As of 2010, Spain has 42 total sites on the list. This is second only to Italy.

The Pyrénées – Mont Perdu World Heritage Site is shared with France. The Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde site is shared with Portugal.

List of sites[change | change source]

The table lists information about each World Heritage Site:

Name: as listed by the World Heritage Committee
Location: city or province of site
Community: one of the 17 autonomous communities of Spain
Period: time period of significance, typically of construction
UNESCO data: the site's reference number; the year the site was added on the World Heritage List; the criteria it was listed under: criteria i through vi are cultural, while vii through x are natural; (the column sorts by year added to the list)
Description: brief description of the site
Name Image Location Community Period UNESCO data Description Ref(s)
Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain Santillana del Mar Cantabria Upper Paleolithic 310; 1985, 2008 (extended); i, iii The Cave of Altamira has cave painting from the Upper Paleolithic, 35,000 to 11,000 BC. [2]
Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct Aqueduct of Segovia Segovia Castile and León 1st to 16th centuries 311; 1985; i, iii, iv A Roman aqueduct, the medieval Alcázar palace, and the cathedral. [3]
Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias Santa Maria del Naranco Oviedo Asturias 9th century 312; 1985, 1998 (extended); i, ii, iv The Kingdom of Asturias was the only Christian region of Spain in the 9th century. It developed its own style of Pre-Romanesque art and architecture. [4]
Historic Centre of Córdoba Mosque of Cordoba Córdoba Andalusia 7th to 13th centuries 313; 1984, 1994 (extended); i, ii, iii, iv The Great Mosque of Córdoba is a 7th-century mosque converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral in the 13th century. During Moorish rule, Córdoba looked like Constantinople and Baghdad. [5]
Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín Alhambra Granada Andalusia 14th century 314; 1984, 1994 (extended); i, iii, iv Moorish influence in southern Spain. The Alhambra and the palace Generalife were built by the Emirate of Granada. [6]
Burgos Cathedral Burgos Cathedral Burgos Castile and León 13th to 16th centuries 316; 1984; ii, iv, vi The Gothic-style cathedral was built between the 13th and 16th centuries. It is the burial place of Spanish national hero, El Cid. [7]
Monastery and Site of the Escorial El Escorial San Lorenzo de El Escorial Madrid 16th century 318; 1984; i, ii, vi El Escorial was a residence of the royal family. [8]
Works of Antoni Gaudí Casa Milà Barcelona Catalonia 19th and 20th centuries 320; 1984, 2005 (extended); i, ii, iv The architecture of Antoni Gaudí is part of the Modernist style. [9]
Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela Galicia 10th and 11th centuries 347; 1985; i, ii, vi The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the reputed burial-place of the apostle James. The town was destroyed by Moors in the 10th century and later rebuilt. [10]
Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches City wall of Ávila Ávila Castile and León 11th century 348; 1985, 2007 (modified); iii, iv The defensive wall surrounding the original town was built in the 11th century. [11]
Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon Cathedral of Teruel Provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza Aragon 12th to 17th centuries 378; 1986, 2001 (extended); iv The churches in Teruel are a blending of traditional Islamic and contemporary European styles. [12]
Historic City of Toledo Toledo Toledo Castile-La Mancha 8th to 16th centuries 379; 1986; i, ii, iii, iv Toledo was founded by the Romans and was the capital of the Visigoths. It was important in Muslim Spain and during the Reconquista. [13]
Garajonay National Park La Gomera Canary Islands N/A 380; 1986; vii, ix The park is 70% covered by laurel forest. This has disappeared from mainland Europe. [14]
Old City of Salamanca Cathedral of Salamanca Salamanca Castile and León 13th to 16th centuries 381; 1988; i, ii, iv The University of Salamanca, founded in 1218, is the oldest in Spain. The city was conquered by the Carthaginians in the 3rd century, and later ruled by the Romans and Moors. [15][16]
Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville Cathedral and Archivo de Indias of Seville Seville Andalusia 13th to 16th centuries 383; 1987; i, ii, iii, iv The Alcázar was built during the Almohad dynasty that ruled southern Spain until the Reconquista. [17]
Old Town of Cáceres Cáceres Cáceres Extremadura 3rd to 15th centuries 384; 1986; iii, iv The old town combines Roman, Islamic, Northern Gothic, and Italian Renaissance architecture, with more than 30 Islamic towers. [18][19]
Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture Ibiza Ibiza Balearic Islands N/A 417; 1999; ii, iii, iv, ix, x The coast of Ibiza has a sea grass only found in the Mediterranean. The island also has many Phoenician ruins. [20]
Poblet Monastery Poblet Monastery Vimbodí Catalonia 12th and 13th centuries 518; 1991; i, iv The monastery was founded by the Cistercians in 1151 and is one of the largest in Spain. [21][22]
Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza Cathedral of Baeza Province of Jaén Andalusia 16th century 522; 2003; ii, iv Among the first examples of the Renaissance style in Spain. [23]
Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida Roman theatre of Mérida Mérida Extremadura 1st to 5th centuries 664; 1993; iii, iv Mérida was founded in 25 BC by the Romans as Emerita Augusta. [24]
Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe Santa María de Guadalupe Guadalupe Extremadura 13th to 16th centuries 665; 1993; iv, vi The monastery is home of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a shrine to Mary. [25][26]
Route of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela Aragon, Castile and León, Galicia, Navarre, and La Rioja N/A 669; 1993; ii, iv, vi The Route, or the Way of St. James, is a pilgrimage from the French-Spanish border to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. [27]
Doñana National Park Doñana National Park Provinces of Huelva and Seville Andalusia N/A 685; 1994, 2005 (extended); vii, ix, x The park has the delta region where the Guadalquivir River reaches the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the largest heronries in the Mediterranean with 500,000+ water fowl during the winter. [28]
Pyrénées – Mont Perdu Ordesa Valley Aragon (shared with France) N/A 773; 1997, 1999 (extended); iii, iv, v, vii, viii The site has the Pyrenees mountain chain along the French-Spanish border. [29]
Historic Walled Town of Cuenca Cuenca Cuenca Castile-La Mancha 12th to 18th centuries 781; 1996; ii, v The Moors built the fortified city in the early 8th century. [30][31]
La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia La Lonja Valencia Valencia 15th and 16th centuries 782; 1996; i, iv La Lonja de la Seda means Silk Exchange in English. [32][33]
Las Médulas Las Médulas Ponferrada Castile and León 1st to 3rd centuries 803; 1997; i, ii, iii, iv The Romans made a gold mine and worked the site for two centuries. [34][35]
Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona Hospital de Sant Pau Barcelona Catalonia 20th century 804; 1997; i, ii, iv Both buildings were built in the early 20th century in the modernist Art Nouveau style. [36]
San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries San Millán Yuso San Millán de la Cogolla La Rioja 6th to 16th centuries 805; 1997; ii, iv, vi The original Suso monastery was founded in the mid-6th century. It has the first written examples of the Spanish and Basque languages. [37]
Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde Rock art in Côa Castile and León (shared with Portugal) Palaeolithic 866; 1998, 2010 (extended); i, iii The Upper Palaeolithic rock art in the Côa Valley of Portugal, and the Siega Verde in Spain. [38]
Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula Deer painting in cave Andalusia, Aragon, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, Murcia, and Valencia Prehistoric 874; 1998; iii The site includes 750 examples of rock art with images of geometric shapes and scenes of men hunting animals. [39][40]
Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco Aqueduct of Tárraco Tarragona Catalonia 1st to 4th centuries 875; 2000; ii, iii The prominent Roman city of Tárraco is at the site of modern-day Tarragona. [41][42]
University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares University of Alcalá Alcalá de Henares Madrid 16th century 876; 1998; ii, iv, vi The University of Alcalá, 1499, is the first planned university city. It was a model for others. The city is the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes. [43][44]
San Cristóbal de La Laguna San Cristóbal de La Laguna San Cristóbal de La Laguna Canary Islands 16th to 18th centuries 929; 1999; ii, iv The city was Spain's first non-fortified colonial town. Many buildings date to the 16th century. [45][46]
Palmeral of Elche Elche Elche Valencia N/A 930; 2000; ii, v The grove of date palm trees was laid out with irrigation systems by the Moors in the 10th century. [47]
Roman Walls of Lugo Walls of Lugo Lugo Galicia 3rd century 987; 2000; iv The Roman walls of Lucus are the best examples in Western Europe. [48]
Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí Taüll – Sant Climent Vall de Boí Catalonia 11th to 14th centuries 988; 2000; ii, iv The small valley at the edge of the Pyrenees has churches in Romanesque style, unique for their tall, square bell towers. [49][50]
Archaeological Site of Atapuerca Atapuerca Atapuerca Castile and León Prehistoric 989; 2000; iii, v The caves in the Atapuerca Mountains have fossil remains of the earliest human beings discovered in Europe dating from nearly one million years ago. [51][52]
Aranjuez Cultural Landscape Palace at Aranjuez Aranjuez Madrid 15th to 19th centuries 1044; 2001; ii, iv The area was the exclusive property of the royal family until the 19th century. [53][54]
Vizcaya Bridge Vizcaya Bridge Portugalete Basque Country 19th century 1217; 2006; i, ii The bridge, built in 1893, is the world's first transporter bridge. [55][56]
Teide National Park Mount Teide Tenerife Canary Islands N/A 1258; 2007; vii, viii The park contains Mount Teide, a volcano and the highest elevation in Spain. [57]
Tower of Hercules Tower of Hercules A Coruña Galicia 1st century 1312; 2009; iii The Romans built this 55 metres (180 ft) lighthouse on a 57 metres (187 ft) rock at the entrance to the harbour. It is the only fully preserved and functioning Roman lighthouse. [58]

Sites by autonomous community[change | change source]

This is the list of Heritage sites by autonomous community.

Community Exclusive sites Shared sites
Castile and León 6 2
Andalusia 5 2
Catalonia 5 1
Galicia 4 1
Canary Islands 3
Extremadura 3
Madrid 3
Castile-La Mancha 2 2
Valencia 2 1
Aragon 1 2
La Rioja 1 1
Asturias 1
Basque Country 1
Balearic Islands 2
Cantabria 1
Murcia 1
Navarre 1

References[change | change source]

  1. "The World Heritage Convention". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  2. "Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  3. "Old Town Segovia and its Aqueduct". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  4. "Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  5. "Historic Centre of Cordoba". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  6. "Alhambra, Generalife, and Albayzin". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  7. "Burgos Cathedral". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  8. "Monastery and Site of the Escorial". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  9. "Works of Antoni Gaudi". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  10. "Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  11. "Old Town of Avila with its Extra-Muros Churches". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  12. "Mudejar Architecture of Aragaon". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  13. "Historic City of Toledo". UNESCO. September 15, 2010.
  14. "Garajonay National Park". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  15. "Old City of Salamanca". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  16. "Importancia Historica" (in Spanish). Salamanca Patrimonio. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  17. "Cathedral, Alcazar, and Archivo de Indias in Sevilla". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  18. "Old Town of Cáceres". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  19. "Introducción" (in Spanish). Ayuntamiento de Cáceres. Archived from the original on September 29, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  20. "Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  21. "Poblet Monastery". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  22. "World Heritage List, No. 518 Rev" (PDF). UNESCO. January 3, 1989. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  23. "Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Ubeda and Baeza". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  24. "Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida". UNESCO. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  25. "Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe". UNESCO. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  26. "Guadalupe" (PDF). UNESCO. September 25, 1992. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  27. "Route of Santiago de Compostela". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  28. "Doñana National Park". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  29. "Pyrenees – Mont Perdu". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  30. "Historic Walled Town of Cuenca". UNESCO. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  31. Cook, William. "A stroll through La Mancha". The Guardian. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  32. "La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia". UNESCO. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  33. "La lonja de Valencia. Limpieza y conversación de fachadas" (in Spanish). Colegio Territorial de Arquitectos de Valencia. 2005. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  34. "Las Médulas". UNESCO. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  35. "The archaeology of a mining landscape". Fundación Las Médulas. 2003. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  36. "Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  37. "San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  38. "Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  39. "Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  40. "Arte Rupestre del Arco Mediterráneo Peninsular". Instituto de Turismo de España. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  41. "Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  42. "Patrimoni Històric" (in Catalan). Ajuntament de Tarragona. Archived from the original on September 30, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  43. "University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  44. "Alcalá de Henares". Ciudades Patrimonio de la Humanidad de España. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  45. "San Cristóbal de La Laguna". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  46. "Historia" (in Spanish). Ayuntamiento de La Laguna. Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  47. "Palmeral of Elche". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  48. "Roman Walls of Lugo". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  49. "Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  50. "El conjunt romànic de la Vall de Boí" (in Catalan). Patronat de la Vall de Boí. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  51. "Archaeological Site of Atapuerca". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  52. "Sima de los Huesos: The Pit of Bones". American Museum of National History. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  53. "Aranjuez Cultural Landscape". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  54. "Aranjuez (Spain)" (PDF). UNESCO. June 30, 2000. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  55. "Vizcaya Bridge". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  56. "History of the Bridge". Puente Vizcaya World Heritage. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  57. "Teide National Park". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  58. "Tower of Hercules". UNESCO. Retrieved September 15, 2010.