Forth Bridge becomes World Heritage Site
Unesco announces 24 new sites at a meeting in Germany
Unesco has announced that the Forth Bridge will become the UK’s 29th World Heritage Site (WHS).
The bridge, which opened in 1890 and is still the world’s second longest cantilever span, joins other WHS locations in the UK such as Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire; Derwent Valley Mills; Stonehenge, Wiltshire; the Heart of Neolithic Orkney; St Kilda; and the castles and town walls of King Edward, Gwynedd.
The bid to have the Forth Bridge recognised was put forward by the UK government following a joint project by the Scottish government in partnership with Network Rail, Transport Scotland and Historic Scotland.
The Forth Bridge was among 24 sites that Unesco awarded WHS status at a meeting of its World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, last weekend.
Other locations included the Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site in Norway; Turkey’s Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape; and Baekje Historic Areas in South Korea.
WHS status recognises a site’s special cultural or physical significance as well as giving it certain protections under international conventions. There are now 1,031 WHSs in 163 countries.
The bridge, which opened in 1890 and is still the world’s second longest cantilever span, joins other WHS locations in the UK such as Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire; Derwent Valley Mills; Stonehenge, Wiltshire; the Heart of Neolithic Orkney; St Kilda; and the castles and town walls of King Edward, Gwynedd.
The bid to have the Forth Bridge recognised was put forward by the UK government following a joint project by the Scottish government in partnership with Network Rail, Transport Scotland and Historic Scotland.
The Forth Bridge was among 24 sites that Unesco awarded WHS status at a meeting of its World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, last weekend.
Other locations included the Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site in Norway; Turkey’s Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape; and Baekje Historic Areas in South Korea.
WHS status recognises a site’s special cultural or physical significance as well as giving it certain protections under international conventions. There are now 1,031 WHSs in 163 countries.