World Heritage Old Town of Corfu. UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Greece
The second large layer of cultural heritage in Greece is formed by monuments of Orthodox (Byzantine-Christian) architecture. During the existence of the Byzantine Empire, its own architectural school gradually formed, moving from the Christian basilicas of the late Roman period to the exquisite cross-domed Orthodox churches of the late Byzantine period. Monuments of Byzantine architecture (Orthodox churches and monasteries) are scattered throughout Greece, but some places where they are concentrated, unique open-air museums, are included in the UNESCO list: Thessaloniki, Mystras, Meteora, Holy Mount Athos.
(Western Macedonia) was founded in the 4th century. BC. king of Macedonia and received the name of his wife Thessalonica. The city's heyday came during the Byzantine era, when Thessaloniki became the second Christian center of the empire after Constantinople. It was here that the enlighteners of the Slavs were born - Saints Cyril and Methodius. The masterpieces of medieval architecture include the early Christian and Byzantine churches of the 4th-14th centuries preserved here. with monuments of mosaic art. The White Tower, built in the 15th century, rises above the historical part of the city. on the foundations of ancient structures.
One type of monuments of Byzantine architecture includes three monasteries located in different parts of Greece, but built at approximately the same time (the era of the second “Golden Age” of the 11th-12th centuries under Emperor Justinian) and are similar in appearance. This is (Attica, near Athens), Monastery of Ossios Loukas(Phocis, near Delphi) and Nea Moni monastery(Island of Chios in the Aegean Sea). The monastery churches were built according to a cross-domed design. Their large domes rest on octagonal bases. The monasteries are decorated with marble carvings and mosaics on a golden background.
(Laconica, south of the Peloponnese peninsula) was founded in the 13th century. on a fairly steep slope of the mountain, on the top of which there was a fortress. In the 15th century Mystras became a major center of Byzantine culture. Orthodox churches and monasteries were built in the city, connected by steep stairs. In the Cathedral of Mystras in the middle of the 15th century. The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine Palaiologos, was crowned. But in the 19th century. the city was captured by the Turks and abandoned by local residents. So the ruins of the medieval Byzantine city have stood on a mountainous slope to this day.
(Greek “floating in the air”) is an entire “monastic country” in the mountains of Thessaly, in northwestern Greece. Above the green valley rise monolithic rocks over 400 m high, on the tops of which by the 16th century. 24 monasteries were founded (currently only 6 monasteries remain active). In Byzantine times, these inaccessible rocks became a shelter for hermits, and later, thanks to the gifts of the emperor, monastery buildings were rebuilt here. They are made of stone, covered with red tiles and connected by wooden galleries overhanging the precipices. The walls of the temples were covered with frescoes, icons were painted by artists of the Cretan school. If earlier it was possible to get to the monasteries only in special nets lifted by monks, now you can get there along steps carved into the rocks.
(Chalkidiki Peninsula, Western Macedonia) has the status of a theocratic republic, recognized in 1926 and governed by a council of four members and an assembly consisting of representatives of 20 monasteries. Athos became the spiritual center of Orthodoxy immediately after the schism of Christianity in 1054. Orthodox monasteries were founded from the 10th to the 16th centuries. At first they were controlled by the Byzantine emperors, then by the Ottoman Turks. But even during the Ottoman rule, women were not allowed into the monastic republic, and the Sultan had to leave his harem on the border of Athos. Now about 1,400 monks live in the monastic republic of Athos. To get there you need a special pass. The Athonite community has its own police force.
is a small rocky island of the Dodecanese archipelago in the eastern Aegean Sea. In the Hellenic era, an acropolis was built here, and the Romans used the island as a place of exile. According to legend, at the end of the 1st century. John the Theologian was exiled here, where in one of the caves he received a revelation that formed the content of the Apocalypse and the Gospel. At the end of the 10th century. The largest monastery of St. John the Evangelist in Greece was founded here, outwardly resembling a powerful fortress. The monastery complex rises above the white ecclesiastical and civic buildings that form a small settlement on the mountainside. The cave of the Apocalypse in the rock is also a sacred place. The monastery is a place of pilgrimage and a center of Greek Orthodox education. Atypical for Greek architecture and not fitting into the canons of Byzantine-Christian art, there are two cultural heritage sites in Greece. One of them (Rhodes) is a medieval city with a noticeable Roman Catholic and partly Muslim heritage. The second (Corfu) is a medieval city where, thanks to the Venetians, a mixture of different architectural styles took place.
- the largest island of the Dodecanese archipelago, located at the junction of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas near the coast of Asia Minor. In ancient times, Rhodes was home to one of the seven wonders of the world - the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes. In the Middle Ages, the island constantly changed hands, which was reflected in the architecture of the main city of the island. At the beginning of the 13th century. Rhodes was captured by the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (the future Order of Malta). The city turned into a powerful citadel with thick fortress walls. The Upper Town, which includes the Grand Master's Palace, the Grand Hospital and the Street of the Knights, is one of the most beautiful medieval Gothic ensembles. In the Lower Town, Gothic architecture coexists with mosques and other buildings from the Ottoman period. Monuments from the ancient era have also been preserved in Rhodes.
- a city on the island of the same name in the northern part of the Ionian Sea west of mainland Greece. The island is of great strategic importance on the trade route connecting the West and the East across the Adriatic Sea. There were Romans, Goths, and Normans here. The Venetians built three fortresses here, which protected the merchant ships of the Venetian Republic from the Ottoman Empire for almost four centuries. For this reason, Corfu is called a fortified city. What makes Corfu so charming is not only its unique mixture of architectural styles, but also its narrow, picturesque streets called “kantunya”, where you can wander for hours.
The ancient city on the island of Corfu, located adjacent to the western coasts of Albania and Greece, occupies a strategic position at the entrance to the Adriatic. Its history dates back to the 8th century. BC, when the Republic of Venice built three forts here, which for four centuries protected its maritime merchant ships from attacks by the Ottoman Empire.
Over time, these fortifications were repeatedly repaired and partially rebuilt. The ancient buildings of the city, mainly of neoclassical style, date back to the Venetian period and to later times, in particular to the 19th century.
The Mediterranean fortified city of Corfu is unique for its ensemble and the authenticity of its preserved buildings.
Help: 978
Year of application: 2007
Criteria: (IV)
Central zone: 70.0000
Buffer zone: 162.0000
Outstanding global significance
The complex of fortifications of the ancient city of Corfu occupies a strategic position at the exit to the Adriatic Sea. The history of the city dates back to the 8th century BC. and the Byzantine period. The city was exposed to various trends and multinational flavor. Since the 15th century, Corfu has been under Venetian rule, subsequently being occupied by France, Britain and Greece. Several times Corfu became a defensive bastion of the Venetian naval power against the Ottoman army. Corfu was an example of a well-thought-out fortification system, designed by the architect Michel Sanmicheli, which proved its worth in military operations.
Corfu has an inimitable flavor, which conveys the special design of its fortifications and neoclassical residential buildings. In this capacity, it can be placed on a par with other main fortified port cities of the Mediterranean.
Criterion (iv): The complex of urban and port buildings of Corfu, over which the Venetian fortress rises, is of great value in terms of its architectural authenticity and integrity.
In general, the fortification complex remains unchanged and shows echoes partly of the Venetian occupation, including the Old Fortress and the New Fort, but largely of the British period. The modern appearance of the ensemble is a consequence of restoration work of the previous two centuries. Most urban buildings are neoclassical in type.
Historical monuments are protected by several institutions and organizations and relevant legislation. Among them are the Greek Ministry of Culture (Ministry Decision of 1980), the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Public Works (Presidential Decree of 1980), as well as the Municipality of Corfu (Presidential Decree of 1981). This also includes the Greek law on the inviolability of the coastlines of cities and islands in general; Law on the Protection of Ancient Values and Cultural Heritage (No. 3028/2002), establishing supervision over the preservation of Byzantine and post-Byzantine antiquities in 2006. A buffer zone was created. As a result of taking preventive measures to restore and strengthen the fortifications and fortress, it was possible to achieve their safety and satisfactory condition in general. However, some work is still ongoing, and some will only begin, according to the prepared management plan. Also in 2005, a plan for the overall development of the city was adopted, taking into account the management plan for the above-mentioned structures for the period from 2006 to 2012.
Historical description
Corfu, as the closest of the Ionian islands to the Adriatic Sea, was annexed to Greece by a group of Eretrians (775-750 BC). In 734, the Corinthians founded a colony there called Corfu, south of what is now the Old City.
The city became a trading post on the way to Sicily. Following him, the colonies of Illyria and Epirus were founded. In 229 BC. the coast of Epirus and Corfu passed to the Roman Republic and served as the starting point for the Roman advance to the east. During the reign of Emperor Caligula, two followers of the Apostle Paul - Saint Jason, bishop of Iconium, and Sosipater, bishop of Tarsus, became the first preachers of Christianity on the island.
Corfu shared the fate of the Eastern Roman Empire during its collapse in 336, and after the Gothic invasion in 551 the island entered a long period of decline.
The population gradually left the old city and moved to a peninsula surrounded by two mountain peaks (korifi), where the ancient fortress is now located. Venice, which by that time had strengthened its position in the southern Adriatic, came to the aid of the weakening Byzantium, thus providing itself with a more convenient way of protecting trade links with Constantinople from the troops of the Norman prince Robert Guiscard. Corfu was conquered by the Normans in 1081, and returned to Byzantine rule in 1084.
After the Fourth Crusade and the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204, the Byzantine Empire collapsed, after which the Venetians, seeking military support, captured all naval bases from which they could control any movement in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, including the island of Corfu, which they held for a short period from 1204 to 1214.
Over the next 50 years, the island fell into the hands of the Despot of Epirus (1214-1267), and in the period from 1267 to 1368 it was owned by the Kingdom of Naples, represented by the Angevin dynasty, which used it in the fight against the Byzantine Empire, which had re-established itself in Constantinople, and with the Venetians. On a peninsula between two mountains, with fortifications built on them - the Byzantine castle of Da Mare and the Angevin castle of Di Terra, a tiny medieval city grew up under the protection of a fortress wall with defensive towers.
Documentary sources from the first half of the 13th century indicate a division of administrative and religious power between the inhabitants of the fortress and the inhabitants of the territory outside its walls, which is now called Spianada (Esplanade).
In an attempt to regain its dominant role as a maritime and trading power in the southern Adriatic, Venice provoked internal conflicts that prompted the Kingdom of Naples to seize the island (1386-1797). Along with Negropontum (Chalcis), Crete and Modon (Methoni), Corfu became one of the defensive points against Ottoman raids, and also served as a food base for ships en route to Romania and the Black Sea.
The economic and strategic role of Corfu during four centuries of Venetian rule is underlined by the constant work to create, improve and expand the medieval defensive perimeter. At the beginning of the 15th century, the main work was carried out in the medieval city, which consisted of the development of the port complex (docks, berths and warehouses), after which the reconstruction of defensive structures continued. At the beginning of the next century, a canal was dug, separating the medieval city from its outskirts.
After the siege of the city by the Turks in 1537, who set its suburbs on fire, a new cycle of work began to further isolate the fortress and strengthen its defensive capabilities. Purified in 1516 the strip of land (now Spianada) was expanded by demolishing houses near the fortress walls, two new bastions were built on the banks of the canal, the rise of the perimeter wall was reduced, and two old castles were replaced by new buildings. Work designed by the Italian architect Michel Sanmichel (1487-1559) was completed in 1558, as a result of which the city's fortifications could withstand new advances in the field of artillery, the development of which was particularly rapid in those decades.
Another attack by Turkish troops in 1571 prompted the Venetians to begin work on a large construction project that included the medieval city, its surroundings, the harbor and all military structures (1576-88). Ferrante Vitelli, architect of the Duke of Savoy, built a fort (New Fort) on the low hill of St. Mark's to the west of the old city in order to be able to keep the surrounding land and sea territories under fire, as well as to protect 24 suburbs surrounded by a fortress wall with bastions, four gates and a fortress moat. New buildings of both a military and civilian nature were also built, and Mandraki harbor was reconstructed and expanded. At the same time, the medieval city became an object of exclusive military purpose (the Cathedral was moved to the New Town in the 17th century) and turned into a place currently known as the Old Fortress.
Between 1669 and 1682, the defensive system was supplemented to the west by a second fortification wall, the work of the military engineer Filippo Vernada. In 1714, when the Turks decided to retake the Morea (Peloponnese), the Venetians were able to put up worthy resistance when Turkish troops turned towards the island of Corfu. The support of the Christian navy and the Austrian victory in Hungary in 1716 helped save the city. The commander of the Venetian troops in Corfu, Field Marshal Giovanni Maria von Schulenburg, decided to use the ideas of Filippo Vernada to strengthen the potential of the gigantic defensive complex. The fortifications in the western part were strengthened by a complex system of external fortifications on the tops of two mountains - forts Abraham and Salvator, as well as Fort San Rocco built in the middle (1717-1730).
The Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797 marked the end of the Venetian Republic and placed the island under French rule (1797-1799) until joint Russian-Ottoman forces expelled the French and founded the Ionian Islands State, with Corfu as its capital. 1799-1807). After a short re-rule of France in 1807-1814, changes in state borders in Europe that followed the defeat of Napoleon's army made Corfu a British protectorate for the next fifty years (1814-1864).
Being the capital of the United Union of the Ionian Islands, Corfu lost its strategic purpose. During the reign of the British High Commissioner Sir Thomas Maitland (1816-1824), the development of the city was concentrated in the Spianada area. His successor Sir Frederick Adam (1824-1832) focused on public works (the construction of an aqueduct, the reconstruction of the fortress and the conversion of Venetian houses for military purposes, the construction and reconstruction of residential buildings), as well as the reorganization of the educational system (in 1824 the new Ionian Academy), the need for which arose as a result of the increased interest in science that arose during the period of French rule. At the same time, the British began to destroy the outer defenses in the western part of the city and build residential buildings outside the fortress walls.
In 1864 the island became part of the Kingdom of Greece. Weapons were removed from the fortresses, and part of the fortress wall and defensive structures were dismantled. The island became a favorite vacation spot for representatives of the European aristocracy. The Old City was seriously damaged during the bombing in 1943. In addition to the dead residents, the city lost many houses and public institutions (the Ionian Parliament, theater and library), fourteen churches and a number of buildings in the Old Fortress. In recent decades, the gradual growth of the New Town has intensified with the development of tourism.
Tomioka Silk Factory and Related Facilities, Japan
The silk factory was built in 1872 in the picturesque Gunma Prefecture and equipped with imported French equipment. The emergence of this enterprise allowed the Japanese state to enter a new era of industrial development and, over time, to gain the position of a leading exporter of magnificent silk to Europe and the world.
The factory building is a complex that includes four objects, each of which corresponds to a specific production stage. In one of the buildings, silkworms are raised, in another, cooler one, grenades are stored, in the third, after pre-processing the cocoons, the silk thread is wound into huge bobbins. The fourth room is a kind of school where they teach the intricacies of sericulture. The Tomioki factory helped revive the forgotten traditions of producing magnificent Japanese silk, which to this day supplies the most famous fashion houses in France and Italy.
The historical factory was included in the list of UNESCO sites in 2014.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome), Japan
Immortalized in stone, a terrifying reminder of the events of August 1945 is the Peace Memorial, located in Peace Park on the territory of Hiroshima. A dilapidated building is all that remains after the fall of an American atomic bomb on a peaceful Japanese town.
For the Japanese who survived the terrible tragedy, the only more or less surviving structure became a symbolic personification of an irresistible desire for peace and an expression of grief for the residents of Hiroshima who died from radiation.
The Genbaku Dome, a silent witness to human indiscretion, was added to the list of UNESCO sites in 1996.
Robben Island, South Africa
At different periods of its existence, the colorful island of Robben Island was used as a powerful military base, a secret prison where political prisoners were sent, and as a hospital for homeless and disadvantaged people. In 1999, the island, with its unique architecture reflecting every stage of its formation, was included in the UNESCO list of sites as a symbol of the victory over racism and the personification of the triumph of democracy.
Rapa Nui National Park (Easter Island), Chile
Easter Island or Rapa Nui (as the natives called it) is a unique place that has preserved the originality of Polynesian culture and architecture, the ancestors of which were the people living in this territory.
The formation of the current image of the island began in the 4th century. Polynesian communities turned the land, washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, into a real sanctuary, the phenomenon of which cannot be solved to this day.
The deserted coast of Rapa Nui is guarded by powerful Moai statues, erected between the 10th and 16th centuries.
The mystery of the appearance of large statues causes a lot of controversy among scientists, and the versions put forward seem implausible and unfounded. The picturesque island, the territory of which has turned into a National Park, was included in the list of UNESCO sites in 1995.
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
The picturesque archipelago, lost in the endless waters of the Pacific Ocean, consists of 19 beautiful islands that form the Galapagos province, which is part of Ecuador.
The Galapagos Islands, together with the coastal waters, are of great interest to scientific researchers as a unique museum of evolution created by nature.
The location of the archipelago is the intersection point of three ocean currents, which cannot but affect the underwater inhabitants living in this region.
The Galapagos Islands are a seismically active zone with a large number of volcanoes, many of which erupt from time to time. Thanks to such geological processes, the landscape of the archipelago is constantly changing.
The island's isolation and constant renewal have given rise to unique fauna such as a huge land turtle and a colorful marine iguana.
In 1835, the island was visited by the outstanding biologist Charles Darwin. After extensive observation of local finches, he began work on a legendary evolutionary theory.
In 1978, the Galapagos Islands joined the richest treasury of UNESCO.
Quito city, Ecuador
At an altitude of more than 2,800 meters above sea level lies the picturesque capital of Ecuador - the beautiful city of Quito.
Founded in the 16th century, the settlement eventually turned into a distinctive town with unique urban planning traditions and magnificent architecture that synthesized Spanish, Italian and Flemish styles. This is confirmed by the magnificent monasteries, churches and beautiful buildings that form the urban landscapes of the original capital.
The cultural and social life of the local population is inextricably linked with the historical past of the city, built on the ruins of an ancient Inca settlement.
In 1978, the colorful capital of Ecuador was included in the UNESCO heritage list.
Sangay National Park, Ecuador
The picturesque landscapes of the Sangay National Park are active volcanoes towering above the plains, crystal monoliths of glaciers, foothills covered with tropical forests and majestic mountain peaks dormant under the snow sparkling in the sun.
The contrasting landscapes of the isolated area give it a special flavor, and the indigenous species of animals that have survived to this day (the mountain tapir and the Andean condor) form the unique fauna of the National Park.
In 1983, Sangay was listed as a UNESCO site.
Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin, Armenia
The ancient monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin are architectural monuments of medieval Armenia, which experienced a colossal flourishing and rise in cultural, spiritual and social life in the period from the 10th to the 13th centuries.
The monasteries built during the reign of the Kyurikan dynasty immediately became centers of education. In one of them there was a school of calligraphers and miniature painters, and there was also a repository of books and ancient manuscripts.
The architectural style of the original buildings is a synthesis of Byzantine and native Caucasian traditions of urban planning, which is clearly expressed in the layout of buildings and the decorative decoration of facades. In 1996, the magnificent Armenian monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin were added to the list of UNESCO sites.
Cathedral and churches of Etchmiadzin and archaeological site of Zvartnots, Armenia
Founded more than 1,500 years ago, the beautiful Etchmiadzin Cathedral with its adjacent churches, as well as the remains of the temple in Zvarnots, built in the 7th century, represent unique monuments of the church architecture of ancient Armenia.
In the style and features of ancient buildings, one can see the evolutionary processes occurring during the formation of the traditions of Armenian urban planning.
In 2000, the cross-domed temple of Etchmiadzin and the archaeological monument of Zvarnots were included in the list of UNESCO sites.
Geghard Monastery and the upper reaches of the Azat River, Armenia
A striking representative of medieval architecture is the Geghard Monastery - a complex with churches carved into the rocks and ancient tombs of saints.
The towers of the monastery, protected by rocks, personify the inviolability of the faith of the Armenian people.
The colorful building harmoniously complements the picturesque landscapes of the upper reaches of the deep Azat River.
The amazing nature of the Azat River and the Geghard monastery located on its bank were added to the UNESCO treasury in 2000.
Bell towers of Belgium and France
In 1999, the list of UNESCO sites was supplemented by the “Bell Towers of Wallonia and Flanders”, built between the 11th and 17th centuries.
The architecture of majestic buildings with pronounced features of pompous Baroque and sophisticated Renaissance reflects the Romanesque style and the main trends of the Gothic. 23 beautiful bell towers decorating the northern part of France and 30 bell towers towering over the urban landscapes of Belgium personify the freedom and independence of a particular commune.
Over the years, the city's bell towers have become a unique symbol of the city's wealth and its military strength and power.
Old Bridge area in the historical center of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
In the picturesque valley of the Neretva River lies the historical town of Mostar, which at different periods was in the possession of the Ottoman Empire (15th - 16th centuries) and the Austro-Hungarian state (19th - 20th centuries).
The influence of different cultures was reflected in the principles of urban planning and the architecture of the city. The ornate streets on both sides are framed by Turkish houses, and the main decoration of the urban landscape is the Old Bridge, built according to the design of the outstanding architect Sinanom.
In the nineties, the historical center of Mostar was destroyed and the bridge was badly damaged. The reconstruction of architectural monuments took place with the direct support of an international committee created under UNESCO. The restored buildings joined the UNESCO treasury in 2005, becoming symbols of reconciliation and mutual understanding between communities representing different nationalities with their own cultural values, religion and traditions.
Mehmed Pasha Sokolović Bridge in Visegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Over the full-flowing Drina River, crossing the beautiful town of Visegrad, rises a huge bridge, erected during the reign of the vizier Mehmed Pasha Sokolović (16th century). A monumental masterpiece of Ottoman architecture, designed by Mimar Kosa Sinan, the best architect at the court of the Grand Vizier.
11 arches with a width of 11 to 16 meters each, 4 entrance arches located on the left bank of the river - this is the design of the bridge with a length of more than 179 meters. The unique architectural masterpiece became the best creation of the court master. And the image of the majestic bridge to this day is inextricably linked with the literary traditions of the country, its culture and folklore.
In 2007, the magnificent bridge became one of the UNESCO sites.
Rock art in Tsodilo area, Botswana
Tsodilo is one of the most archaeologically interesting areas of Botswana. It is notable for the fact that the largest collection of rock art monuments is collected on a modest territory (10 square meters).
More than 4,000 thousand images adorn the rocks of the endless Kalahari, recreating the chronology of the life of ancient people who once lived on this earth. Rock paintings tell about the amazing thousand-year changes occurring in the nature of the desert.
To this day, the natives living in the Tsodilo area consider it sacred, and the world organization UNESCO has included the rock carvings discovered in the surrounding area on the list of protected sites.
Okavango Delta, Botswana
The Okavango Delta is a swampy lowland in the north-west of Botswana, located at the intersection of branches and channels of a wayward African river. Picturesque water meadows, systems of impassable swamps that have no access to the sea - this is what the landscapes of a delta-like formation look like.
The biological rhythm of life of local representatives of the animal and plant world is amazing. It largely depends on the annual floods that occur during the dry season.
Under the influence of climatic conditions, ongoing hydrological processes and biological factors, a magnificent flora of the swampy delta and a diverse fauna were formed, many of whose representatives are in danger of extinction (the wild dog, the black rhinoceros and its white relative, the cheetah, the lion).
In 2014, the picturesque Okavango Delta was included in the UNESCO treasury.
Mount Nimba Nature Reserve, Guinea
Above the emerald savannah forests rises the majestic Mount Nimba, on the picturesque slopes of which the Mount Nimba Nature Reserve was formed.
The unique territory of the reserve is decorated with colorful vegetation, and representatives of the local fauna amaze with the variety of amazing species, including endemic ones (viviparous toad, subspecies of the western chimpanzee).
The original Mount Nimba reserve, created by nature, was added to the list of UNESCO sites in 1981.
Acropolis of Athens, Greece
In 1987, the UNESCO treasury was replenished with an amazing masterpiece of ancient culture - the Acropolis.
The architectural ensemble includes four unique symbols of the centuries-old formation of ancient Greek civilization: the magnificent Temple of Athena, the Propylaea, the Parthenon and the Erechtheion.
Delos Island, Greece
Delos is a legendary island; if you believe the ancient Greek myths, it was here that Apollo was born. This fact has turned the small island of the Cyclades archipelago into a thriving trading port, attracting pilgrims from Greece and all over the world.
The territory of Delos is a unique monument to successive Aegean civilizations that existed from the 3rd millennium BC to the early Christian era.
Dilapidated architectural ensembles, ruins of ancient buildings, concentrated on a tiny island, form its original Mediterranean image.
In 1990, the island of Delos, now a beautiful resort, was included in the UNESCO list.
Ancient city of Corfu, Greece
The history of the ancient city of Corfu, located on the island of the same name, began in the 8th century BC. Initially, three massive forts were built on this site, which for 400 years protected the merchant ships of the Venetian Republic from the encroachments of the Ottoman Empire.
Modern Corfu reflects the centuries-old history of its formation. The surviving architectural ensembles are made in the neoclassical style characteristic of the Venetian period. And the luxurious landscapes of the Mediterranean add special charm and attractiveness to the urban pictures of the city.
In 2007, the Ancient Town of Corfu was included in the list of UNESCO sites.
Mount Athos ("Holy Mountain")
Mount Athos is one of the Christian shrines that influences the formation of Orthodox spirituality in many countries on the planet. Only men have access to it; women and children are prohibited from climbing the mountain.
The mountain, which was included in the UNESCO heritage list in 1988, is of great importance, not only from a religious point of view. The shrine is of great interest as a unique natural site, in the very heart of which several dozen monasteries are located. 20 of them are still home to thousands of monks.
