UNESCO cultural sites. Interesting places
Currently, the human environment is changing rapidly and at an increasing speed. The task of humanity is to maintain nature on the globe in the state necessary for life, health and well-being. It is also necessary to preserve, as far as possible, at least the most unique places in nature that are of particular value from a scientific point of view, areas that make up the habitats of valuable or endangered species of plants and animals. There are many unique places in nature, the disappearance of which would be an irreparable loss not only for the country in which they are located, but also for all of humanity as a whole.In most countries of the world, networks of so-called “specially protected natural areas” (SPNA) have been created for these purposes. These include the following natural objects:
Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve, Leningrad Region
Wildlife sanctuaries are created to preserve or restore some or all of nature's components and to maintain the overall ecological balance. Some types of economic activity are limited in these territories.
Gladyshevsky reserve, Leningrad region
Natural monuments are small areas that include naturally valuable objects: caves, rocks, waterfalls, groves of rare tree species, river valleys, lakes, etc.
Natural monument “Yastrebinoye Lake”, Leningrad region
Natural parks serve to protect natural complexes that have environmental, historical and aesthetic value. They are staffed with special staff.
Veppsky Forest Nature Park, Leningrad Region
B Have you ever been to one of the protected areas? What do you remember about this place?
In these territories, people preserve both rare, unique and typical areas of forests, swamps, meadows, reservoirs and other natural ecosystems, rare and common species of plants and animals in their natural habitat, bird flight routes, fish spawning routes and others natural objects and processes.
The entire nature of our planet is priceless and unique. Of course, from the natural areas subject to special protection, it is difficult to single out some of the most outstanding and valuable corners of nature of “exceptional significance” that are vitally important to preserve for the present and future generations. A special UNESCO program is dedicated to this, constituting the so-called World Heritage List.
The UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage came into force in 1975. Its main goal is to attract the forces of the world community to preserve unique cultural and natural objects. By mid-2012, the total number of countries participating in the Convention had already reached 189. Among UNESCO's international programs, this program is the most representative. To improve the effectiveness of the Convention, the World Heritage Committee and the World Heritage Fund were established in 1976.
The World Natural Heritage consists of mountains, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, islands, forests, caves, reefs, national parks, nature reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries.
Of course, being on a par with the generally recognized world pearls of nature and culture is honorable and prestigious, but at the same time, it is also a great responsibility. To get status World Heritage, the object must be of outstanding universal value and undergo a thorough expert assessment. In this case, the nominated natural object must meet at least one of the following four criteria:
Include unique natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic value;
Present outstanding examples of major stages of Earth's history, including traces ancient life, serious geological processes that continue to occur in the development of the forms of the earth's surface, significant geomorphological or physical-geographical features of the relief;
Present outstanding examples of important ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems and plant and animal communities;
Include natural habitats of great importance for the conservation of biological diversity, including habitats of endangered species that represent an outstanding global asset from a scientific or conservation perspective.
The status of a World Natural Heritage site provides additional guarantees of the safety and integrity of unique natural complexes, increases the prestige of the territories, promotes the popularization of objects and the development of alternative types of environmental management, and ensures priority in attracting financial resources.
The first cultural and natural sites were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List two years after the creation of the program. Among natural areas, the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Yellowstone (USA), Nahanni (Canada) and Simen (Ethiopia) national parks received heritage status. Over the past years, the List has become very representative both in terms of the regions of the planet represented and in the number of objects: by mid-2012 it already included 188 natural objects. Most of them are located in the USA and Australia (more than 10 objects in each country). Under the protection of the Convention are such world-famous natural monuments as the Great Barrier Reef, the Hawaiian Islands, the Grand Canyon, and Mount Kilimanjaro. Video 62.
In Russia, the initiator of adding natural sites to the World Heritage List is primarily Greenpeace. By joining this UNESCO program, a new page was opened in the matter of nature conservation in Russia.
World Natural Heritage Sites of Russia
There are inaccuracies on the map, since currently 11 objects are already included in the list, including the Putorana Plateau and the Lena Pillars Natural Park. The first in our country to receive the status of a World Natural Heritage Site in 1995 was a natural complex called “Virgin Forests of Komi”.
The territory of this site is the largest of the remaining tracts of primary forests in Europe, the appearance of which is almost unchanged by human impact. Video 63.
The virgin forests of Komi are a real taiga treasury. There are more than 40 species of mammals (including brown bear, sable, elk), 204 species of birds (including the white-tailed eagle and osprey listed in the Red Book of Russia), 16 species of fish, the most valuable of which are considered glacial relics - char palia and Siberian grayling.
This territory stretches along the western slope of the Subpolar and Northern Urals for more than 300 km. The Ural mountain system has a significant influence on the climate. Natural complexes in some places form a complex mosaic: along narrow river valleys, taiga vegetation rises high into the mountains.
The main tree species - spruce and fir - are accompanied by Siberian cedar. Here the crystal clear tributaries of the Pechora originate and receive. Currently, the territory of the World Heritage Site “Virgin Komi Forests” is in danger due to illegal gold mining taking place here (1).Greenpeace Russia and other non-governmental organizations will fight to stop any environmental destruction activities on its territory.
Lake Baikal
Baikal is one of the greatest lakes on the planet, a lake of “superlatives”: the deepest (1637 meters), the oldest (about 25 million years), with the most diverse flora and fauna among fresh water bodies. Video 64.
The lake has a unique supply of fresh water in terms of volume and quality - more than 20% of the world's reserves). The Baikal depression is the central link of the Baikal rift zone, one of the largest ancient fault systems on Earth. The lake, together with its entire basin, is a unique and very fragile natural ecosystem, which ensures the natural process of formation of the purest waters. For Siberia, the climate of the Baikal coasts is relatively mild. For example, the number of sunny days per year here is higher than in many Black Sea resorts.In the anciently isolated Baikal depression, one of the richest and most unusual freshwater fauna in the world was formed, which is of exceptional value for the study of evolutionary processes.
Of the more than 2,630 species and subspecies of animals and plants found in the lake to date, more than 80% are found nowhere else in the world. Who hasn't heard of the famous Baikal omul or Baikal sturgeon? Two unique species of viviparous fish, representatives of a family endemic (2) to Lake Baikal - large and small golomyanka - are known to ichthyologists all over the world. The pyramid of the lake ecosystem is crowned by a typically marine mammal of origin - the seal, or Baikal seal.
Unfortunately, the unique nature of Lake Baikal is under threat (3).
WITH Have you heard about the actions that the public is taking to protect Baikal from pollution from the pulp and paper mill?
Another danger for Lake Baikal is posed by planned mining, illegal logging, forest fires, poaching, and oil spills.
Volcanoes of Kamchatka
The Kamchatka Peninsula is located at the junction of tectonic plates in a zone of active volcanism, where modern natural processes and the history of our planet are inseparable. Video 65.
Here, in a limited area, 30 active and about 300 extinct volcanoes are concentrated, as well as more than 150 groups of thermal and mineral springs. Dozens of geysers, hot springs, fumaroles (4), cascades of waterfalls, sharp peaks of ridges, mud pots and turquoise lakes, carpets of colorful algae give the fabulous appearance of the famous Valley of Geysers
The richest life is represented in the seas washing the coast of Kamchatka. Here are the growth zones for the larvae of the Kamchatka crab, the places where salmon fish come to spawn and where their juveniles roll into the sea. From summer to early winter, an amazing natural phenomenon can be observed on the rivers of the peninsula: millions of salmon in a continuous mass move along the rivers against the current to their spawning grounds.
Golden Mountains of Altai
The nature of this mountainous territory, located at the junction of Central Asia and Siberia, is distinguished by its striking originality. There are few places in the world with such a contrasting combination of different landscapes in such a small space. Video 66.
The flora and fauna of the region are diverse and in many ways unique. Here are the most significant subalpine and alpine meadows in the Siberian mountains. The color of the vegetation of the Southern Altai, where semi-deserts, steppes and tundra coexist, is also unique. The diversity of landscapes contributed to the emergence and preservation of endemic species in Altai, often occupying very small areas. Among the rare species of mammals, the snow leopard should be highlighted; it is one of the most beautiful cats of the world fauna. Very few of these animals have survived in Altai.
The geological history of the region is unique, “recorded” in the rocks of different ages composing it and imprinted in unusual relief forms. Such, for example, are the high terraces of the Katun River, striking in their grandeur. The grandiose Mount Belukha is the highest peak in Siberia (4506 meters). Altai river valleys are narrow, deep canyons.
The diversity of nature left its mark on the culture and religion of the indigenous population of this territory - the Altai. The achievements of Altai folk medicine are highly valued. As the outstanding philosopher, writer, traveler H.K. wrote. Roerich, “many peoples passed through Altai and left traces: Scythians, Huns, Turks.” Gorny Altai is called an open-air museum.
Western Caucasus
The western part of the Greater Caucasus in terms of the diversity of flora and fauna and their preservation has no equal not only in the Caucasus region, but also among other mountainous regions of Europe and Western Asia. Video 67.
This is the area where it is concentrated a large number of endangered rare, endemic and relict species of plants and animals. It is especially important that the little-changed habitat of the most vulnerable large mammals has been preserved here: bison, Caucasian red deer, Western Caucasian aurochs, chamois, Caucasian subspecies of brown bear, wolf and others.
The Caucasus Nature Reserve is practically the only habitat in the world for the mountain bison; outside this territory it is almost completely exterminated by poachers.
The territory is rich in picturesque objects: powerful waterfalls, pointed mountain peaks (up to 3360 meters), stormy mountain rivers with clear water, clear mountain lakes, huge trees (majestic fir trees up to 85 meters high and more than 2 meters in diameter), rare plants (orchids, etc. .) and many others. An invaluable, unique natural complex has been preserved in the Western Caucasus.
Curonian Spit
The relief of this territory, located in the Kaliningrad region, is unique. A continuous strip of sand dunes 0.3 - 1 km wide, some of which are close to the highest in the world (up to 68 m), stretches along the peninsula for 70 km. Video 68.
Due to its geographical location and orientation from northeast to southwest, the spit serves as a “guide line” for birds of many species migrating from the northwestern regions of Russia, Finland and the Baltic countries to the countries of Central and Southern Europe. Every year in spring and autumn, 10 - 20 million birds fly over the spit, a significant part of which stop here to rest and feed. Among the birds flying here there are many rare and endangered species listed in the Red Books of Russia, Europe and the world.
It is especially interesting that the spit is rich in cultural heritage sites. These are unique in their scale protective structures, extremely valuable from the point of view of history, science and art; fishermen's settlements harmoniously integrated into the landscape; archaeological sites and monuments of religious architecture. The many-sided dune relief of the Curonian Spit combined with the greenery of forests and whiteness sandy beaches and the boundless blue of the Baltic Sea has a high aesthetic value.
Central Sikhote-Alin
This territory, located in the south of the Far East within Russia, is one of the largest and least modified by humans centers of conservation of communities of ancient coniferous-deciduous and broad-leaved forests. Video 69.
It presents a lot of rare and endangered species of animals, a significant part of which is preserved only within its borders. Mountain country Sikhote-Alin is the last large intact territory in the world inhabited by the Amur tiger. Many other rare and endangered plant and animal species endemic to the region also need protection.
Picturesque relief forms, deep rivers, combined with an exceptional diversity of flora and fauna, the presence of plants and animals of exotic appearance, reminiscent of the tropics, give the nature of Sikhote-Alin completely unique features. There are many objects of aesthetic and recreational value located here: rock massifs that stand out picturesquely among the taiga, waterfalls, lakes and rapids, reefs, sandy bays of the coast of the Sea of Japan.
Ubsunur basin
The Ubsunur Basin, located on the territory of Mongolia and Russia, is one of the most original and unusual places in Central Asia. Video 70.
This region has preserved a unique complex of neighboring, closely interacting, extremely contrasting ecosystems - from taiga to desert. Glaciers, snowfields, mountain tundra of the alpine zone and subalpine meadows transform into a vast mountain-taiga belt, which gives way to forest-steppe, steppe, semi-desert and even loose sand ridges, creating a natural phenomenon of exceptional beauty and diversity. It is impossible to see such diverse landscapes in such close proximity anywhere else in Eurasia. This territory has an unusually high species richness for temperate latitudes.
The relative sparse population of the territory and the absence of industrial facilities make it possible to preserve the basin as a natural laboratory for the study of biosphere processes
However, the value of the territory lies not only in the unique nature of the Ubsunur basin. The cultural heritage sites located here are of great importance - archaeological monuments, many of which have not yet been studied. Nowhere else in Central Asia are mounds found in such concentration as here (according to a rough estimate, there are up to 20 thousand of them); most of them are older than the Egyptian pyramids. Thousands of rock paintings and stone sculptures, the remains of medieval settlements and Buddhist chapels form a unique natural and cultural landscape.
Natural system of the Wrangel Island reserve»
The Wrangel Island Nature Reserve is located on the border of the East Siberian and Chukchi seas on the Wrangel and Herald islands with an adjacent 12-mile sea area. Video 71.
The 180th meridian passes through Wrangel Island, so the island lies in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. The relief is predominantly mountainous, highly dissected, with coastal lowlands in the north and south. There are 1,400 rivers and streams on the island, about 900 small lakes. The unique combination of natural-historical and landscape-climatic conditions, as well as inaccessibility, have led to a large number of endemic, rare and relict plant species on the islands. On the islands, as part of the ancient landmass that once united the Eurasian and North American continents, both Euro-Asian and American species of flora and fauna are widely represented.
Putorana Plateau
The plateau is located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. It is a large basalt plateau located at the northern limit of the taiga and almost completely untouched by human economic activity. Video 72. Trap landforms (5) intersected by huge canyons are unusual and extremely interesting. The scale and number of waterfalls are impressive (the largest concentration is in Russia). There is a 108 m high waterfall here - one of the highest in our country. There are many lakes on the plateau, with depths of up to 400 m; the lake fjords are very picturesque.More than 1,300 plant species have been recorded on the Putorana Plateau. Here is the northern limit of distribution of the flying squirrel, lynx, sable, and capercaillie. The migration route of the world's largest population of wild reindeer, the Taimyr, runs through the plateau. It is also home to a little-studied, extremely interesting native form of bighorn sheep.
Lena Pillars
The Lena Pillars Natural Park is located in Central Yakutia, in the middle reaches of the Lena River. Video 73.
The park got its name because of the unique ridge of rocks - fabulous stone sculptures in the form of pillars and towers stretch along the banks of the Lena for tens of kilometers. The height of some reaches 100 meters. This natural monument is made of Cambrian limestone - a rock formed more than 500 million years ago.
In addition, in the park there are small areas of the desert landscape - unique permafrost ecosystems, as well as blowing sand-tuculans - isolated and independently developing sand ridges with slopes practically unfixed by vegetation. In the area of the Lena Pillars, scientists discovered burials of bone remains of ancient fauna: mammoth, bison, Lena horse, woolly rhinoceros.
The park is home to 21 species of rare and endangered plants listed in the Red Book. In the basin of the middle reaches of the Lena River, the fish fauna includes 31 species. Nesting sites for 101 species of birds have been established in the park. Animals common here are sable, brown bear, squirrel, elk, wapiti, chipmunk, musk deer, and the mountain forest form of wild reindeer.
Work to continue to include new areas on the World Heritage List continues. According to the rules, nominations for consideration by the World Heritage Committee must first be included in the national Tentative List. They are presented on the map of the World Natural Heritage of Russia (see above).
It is obvious that effective protection of such territories is impossible without the active involvement of public organizations and as many citizens of the country as possible. Let us remember that we have individual and collective responsibility for the preservation of natural complexes.
Read the resolution of the International Non-Governmental Organizations Forum on World Heritage Sites (6).
What can we, the residents of Russia, do to support the conservation and development of specially protected natural areas?
Each of these places is unique in its own way, and together they function, making up the unity and integrity of the life support system on the Planet. They create its unique, still far from fully understood and understood appearance.
UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO World Heritage Sites include the most valuable sites (both natural and man-made) in terms of their cultural, historical or environmental significance. Here are twenty uniquely beautiful UNESCO sites located in Europe.
20 PHOTOS
1 Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia.
Forest reserve in Central Croatia, famous for its cascading lakes, waterfalls, caves and limestone gorges.
2 Red Square, Moscow, Russia. The most famous square in Russia, located east of the Kremlin, the official residence of the president. On Red Square there are St. Basil's Cathedral and the State Historical Museum.
3 Village Vlkolínec, Slovakia. A perfectly preserved ethnographic village, which is included in the list of museums of folk architecture in Slovakia. The settlement reflects the traditional features of a Central European village: log buildings, stables with haylofts and a wooden bell tower.
4 Rila Monastery, Bulgaria. The largest and most famous Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria, founded in the 10th century and rebuilt in the mid-1800s.
5 Natural-historical complex Mont Saint-Michel, France. A fortified Gothic-style island abbey built between the 11th and 16th centuries in northwestern France.
6 Alcobaça Monastery, Portugal. Roman Catholic church located north of Lisbon. It was built by the Portuguese king Alfonso I in the 12th century.
7 Budapest: Banks of the Danube, Buda Castle Hill and Andrássy Avenue. The central part of the Hungarian capital boasts such stunning architectural masterpieces as the Parliament building, Opera theatre, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Market Hall.
8 Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica, Poland. The largest wooden sacral buildings in Europe, built in the second half of the 17th century after the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War.
9. Stavkirka in Urnes, Norway. The stave church, located in western Norway, is a superb example of traditional Scandinavian architecture.
10. Giant's Causeway, Ireland. A natural monument consisting of approximately 40,000 interconnected basalt columns formed as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption.
11. Pont du Gard Aqueduct, France. The tallest surviving ancient Roman aqueduct. Its length is 275 meters and its height is 47 meters.
12. Pilgrimage Church in Wies, Germany A Bavarian Rococo church located in a beautiful Alpine valley southwest of Munich.
13. Fjords of Western Norway, Norway. Located in southwest Norway, Geirangerfjord and Nordfjord are among the longest and deepest fjords in the world.
14. Vatican, Italy. Center of Catholic Christianity, and residence of the Pope. Also, the Vatican Museums house many of the world's artistic masterpieces.
15. Thousand-year-old Benedictine monastery in Pannonhalm, Hungary. The monastic community and one of the oldest historical monuments in Hungary, was founded in 996.
16. Pirin National Park, Bulgaria. National park with an area of 403 square meters. km, located on three vegetation zones: mountain-forest, subalpine and alpine.
17. Grand Place, Brussels. 18. Old Bridge area in the historical center of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Old Bridge, built in the 16th century during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, is one of the most significant architectural monuments in the Balkans.
19. Glacial fjord Ilulissat, Denmark. A fjord located in western Greenland, 250 km north of the Arctic Circle. It includes the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, moving at a speed of 19 meters per day, one of the fastest glaciers in the world.
20. Palace of Catalan Music, Barcelona, Spain. A famous concert hall, representing one of the best examples of Catalan Art Nouveau. It is also the only concert hall in Europe with natural light.
In Russia, many priceless natural and cultural monuments are recognized as World Heritage Sites.
They are under the close attention of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). We present to your attention the most protected UNESCO sites in Russia.
Moscow Kremlin and Red Square
Real symbols of Russia, which are known throughout the world and are considered the main cultural attractions of the planet. The Moscow Kremlin and Red Square were included in the UNESCO heritage list in 1990.Almost the oldest monument in Russia with numerous buildings reflects the centuries-old history of the Russian people. Unique examples of Russian foundry art are exhibited on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin - the “Tsar Cannon” weighing 40 tons and the “Tsar Bell” weighing over 200 tons and with a diameter of 6.6 m.
Lake Baikal
A unique natural monument of Eastern Siberia, Baikal was included in the UNESCO heritage list in 1996. The lake is the deepest in the world and contains 19% of the planet's fresh water. When viewed from above, the lake resembles a crescent moon, covers an area of over 3 million hectares and is fed by more than 300 rivers and streams. 
The water in the lake has a high oxygen content, and thanks to its transparency, it is possible to discern a depth of up to 40 m. The age of the ancient lake is especially impressive - more than 25 million years, the complete isolation of which contributed to the development of a unique ecosystem in it.
Natural Park "Lena Pillars"
Included in the UNESCO National Heritage List in 2012, the Lena Pillars Park is the site where priceless finds from the inhabitants of the Cambrian period were discovered. The park is located in the center of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) near the coast of the Lena River, occupying 1.27 million hectares. 
The park is home to 12 species of fauna listed in the Red Book. Due to its antiquity, the park is of particular geological interest: the natural monument is distinguished by its relief dotted with caves, stone spiers, towers and niches.
Architectural ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost
The unique architectural complex of wooden architecture of the 18th-19th centuries was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990 and is an ensemble of two wooden churches and a bell tower in Karelia. 
The Kizhi State Historical and Architectural Museum is located here, with many objects of wooden religious architecture, including an eight-wing windmill from 1929 and the Church of the Transfiguration, built without a single nail.
Novgorod historical monuments
The architectural complexes of Veliky Novgorod and its environs were included in the UNESCO National Heritage List in 1992. The number of cultural sites includes such significant Orthodox buildings of antiquity as the Znamensky, Antoniev, Yuryev, Zverin monasteries, as well as the churches of the Nativity of Christ, the Savior on Nereditsa, and the Novgorod Detinets Kremlin. 
Nature Reserve Wrangel Island
The reserve was included in the UNESCO list in 2004. The unique protected area is known for its virtually untouched natural ecosystem dominated by the largest population of polar bears, walruses, and more than 50 species of birds. 
The territory of the reserve is located beyond the Arctic Circle, including Wrangel and Herald Islands and the waters of the Chukchi and East Siberian seas. Despite the harsh conditions of the Arctic waters, more than 400 species of plants can be seen here.
Curonian Spit
The famous sand spit stretches for 98 km with a maximum width of up to 3.8 km, located on the dividing line of the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon. The natural attraction was included in the UNESCO heritage list in 2000 and is interesting for its unique anthropogenic landscape, which is represented by a variety of reliefs - from deserts to swampy tundras. 
The spit is of great importance during the migration of 10 to 20 million birds and serves as a haven for them during rest. Only here you can find dunes up to 68 m in height, the width of which sometimes reaches 1 km.
Novodevichy Convent in Moscow
Since 2004, the monastery has been included in the UNESCO list, which since 1524 was one of the defensive structures of Moscow. In 1926, a historical museum was founded in the building of the monastery, and in 1980, the residence of the Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna was located. In 1994, the convent was officially approved. There are more than eight hundred monasteries in Russia. You can read about the most beautiful temples in our article. 
Komi forest
The Komi forest area is recognized as the most pristine forests in Europe with a total area of 32,600 square meters. km, which belong to the territory of the Pechero-Ilychsky reserve and occupy part of national park"YugydVa". The number of volcanoes in Kamchatka totals more than a thousandThe exact number of volcanoes on the peninsula is still unknown. The highest volcano is considered to be Klyuchevskaya Sopka with a height of 4835 m. The editors of the site also invite you to learn more about the most beautiful places in Russia.
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Currently, there are 26 World Heritage Sites located on the territory of the Russian Federation:
16 cultural sites (designated with the letter C - cultural) and 10 natural heritage sites (designated with the letter N - natural) on the World Heritage List.
Three of them are transboundary, i.e. located on the territory of several states: Curonian Spit (Lithuania, Russian Federation), Ubsunur Basin (Mongolia, Russian Federation), Struve Geodetic Arc (Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Estonia)
The first objects - “Historical Center St. Petersburg and associated groups of monuments”, “Kizhi Pogost”, “Moscow Kremlin and Red Square” - were included in the World Heritage List at the 14th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in 1990 in the Canadian city of Banff.
14th Session of the World Heritage Committee - 1990 (Banff, Canada)
№С540 - Historical center St. Petersburg and related groups of monuments
Criteria (i) (ii) (iv) (vi)
The "Venice of the North", with its many canals and more than 400 bridges, is the result of a great urban planning project, begun in 1703 under Peter the Great. The city turned out to be closely connected with the October Revolution of 1917, and in 1924-1991. it bore the name Leningrad. Its architectural heritage combines such different styles as Baroque and Classicism, which can be seen in the example of the Admiralty, the Winter Palace, the Marble Palace and the Hermitage.
Information about the object:
No. S544 - Kizhi Pogost
Criteria: (i)(iv)(v)
Kizhi Pogost is located on one of the many islands of Lake Onega, in Karelia. Here you can see two wooden churches from the 18th century, as well as an octagonal bell tower, built of wood in 1862. These unusual structures, the pinnacle of carpentry, represent an example of an ancient church parish and blend harmoniously with the surrounding natural landscape.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
No. C545 - Moscow Kremlin and Red Square
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)(vi)
This place is inextricably linked with the most important historical and political events in the life of Russia. Since the 13th century. The Moscow Kremlin, created in the period from the 14th century. to the 17th century by outstanding Russian and foreign architects, it was a grand ducal and then a royal residence, as well as a religious center. On Red Square, located near the walls of the Kremlin, stands St. Basil's Cathedral - a true masterpiece of Russian Orthodox architecture.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Moscow Kremlin Museums
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
16th session of the World Heritage Committee - 1992 (Santa Fe, USA)
No. C604 - Historical monuments of Veliky Novgorod and its environs
Criteria: (ii)(iv)(vi)
Novgorod, advantageously located on the ancient trade route between Central Asia and Northern Europe, was in the 9th century. the first capital of Russia, the center of Orthodox spirituality and Russian architecture. Its medieval monuments, churches and monasteries, as well as the frescoes of Theophanes the Greek (Andrei Rublev's teacher), dating back to the 14th century, clearly illustrate the outstanding level of architectural and artistic creativity.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Novgorod Region
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
No. C632 - Historical and cultural complex of the Solovetsky Islands
Criterion: (iv)
The Solovetsky archipelago, located in the western part of the White Sea, consists of 6 islands with a total area of more than 300 square meters. km. They were inhabited in the 5th century. BC, however, the very first evidence of human presence here dates back to the 3rd-2nd millennia BC. The islands, starting from the 15th century, became the site of the creation and active development of the largest monastery in the Russian North. There are also several churches from the 16th to 19th centuries.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Solovetsky State Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve"
on the website "Museums of Russia"
No. C633 - White stone monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)
These two ancient cultural centers of Central Russia occupy an important place in the history of the formation of the country's architecture. There is a number of majestic religious and public buildings of the 12th-13th centuries, among which the Assumption and Dmitrievsky Cathedral s (Vladimir).
Information about the object:
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
17th session of the World Heritage Committee -1993 (Cartagena, Colombia)
No. C657 - Architectural ensemble of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in the city of Sergiev Posad
Criteria: (ii)(iv)
This is a striking example of a functioning Orthodox monastery, which has the features of a fortress, which was fully consistent with the spirit of the time of its formation - the 15th-18th centuries. In the main temple of the Lavra - the Assumption Cathedral, created in the image and likeness of the cathedral of the same name in the Moscow Kremlin - there is the tomb of Boris Godunov. Among the treasures of the Lavra is the famous Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev.
Information about the object:
on website of the Ministry of Culture of the Moscow Region
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
18th session of the World Heritage Committee - 1994 (Phuket, Thailand)
№С634rev- Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye (Moscow)
Criterion: (ii)
This church was built in 1532 on the royal estate of Kolomenskoye near Moscow to commemorate the birth of the heir - the future Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. The Church of the Ascension, which is one of the earliest examples of the traditional hipped roof construction in stone, had a great influence on the further development of Russian church architecture.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
19th session of the World Heritage Committee - 1995 (Berlin, Germany)
N719 - Virgin forests of Komi
Criteria: (vii) (ix)
Covering an area of 3.28 million hectares, the heritage site includes lowland tundra, mountain tundra of the Urals, and one of the largest tracts of primary boreal forest remaining in Europe. A vast area of swamps, rivers and lakes, home to conifers, birch and aspen, has been studied and protected for more than 50 years. Here you can trace the course of natural processes that determine the biodiversity of the taiga ecosystem.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
20th session of the World Heritage Committee - 1996 (Merida, Mexico)
№ N754 - Lake Baikal
Criteria: (vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
Located in the southeast of Siberia and covering an area of 3.15 million hectares, Baikal is recognized as the oldest (25 million years old) and deepest (about 1700 m) lake on the planet. The reservoir stores approximately 20% of the world's fresh water reserves. In the lake, which is known as the “Galapagos of Russia,” due to its ancient age and isolation, a freshwater ecosystem, unique even by world standards, has formed, the study of which is of enduring importance for understanding the evolution of life on Earth.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Natural Heritage Conservation Foundation
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
22nd Session of the World Heritage Committee - 1998 (Kyoto, Japan)
№ N768rev - “Golden Mountains of Altai”
Criteria: (x)
The Altai Mountains, which are the main mountainous region in the south of Western Siberia, form the sources of the largest rivers in this region - the Ob and Irtysh. The heritage site includes three separate areas: the Altai Reserve with the water protection zone of Lake Teletskoye, the Katunsky Reserve plus the Belukha Nature Park, and the Ukok Plateau. The total area is 1.64 million hectares. The region demonstrates the widest range of altitudinal zones within Central Siberia: from steppes, forest-steppes and mixed forests to subalpine and alpine meadows and glaciers. The area is home to endangered animals such as the snow leopard.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Natural Heritage Conservation Foundation
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
23rd session of the World Heritage Committee - 1999 (Marrakech, Morocco)
№
N900
- Western Caucasus
Criteria: (ix) (x)
This is one of the few large high mountain ranges in Europe where nature has not yet been subject to significant anthropogenic influence. The area of the object is approximately 300 thousand hectares, it is located in the west of the Greater Caucasus, 50 km northeast of the Black Sea coast. Only wild animals graze in the local alpine and subalpine meadows, and the vast untouched mountain forests, stretching from the low-mountain zone to the subalpine, are also unique in Europe. The area is characterized by a wide variety of ecosystems, highly endemic flora and fauna, and is an area once inhabited, and later re-acclimatized, by a mountain subspecies of the European bison.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Natural Heritage Conservation Foundation
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
24th Session of the World Heritage Committee - 2000 (Cairns, Australia)
No. C980 - Historical and architectural complex of the Kazan Kremlin
Criteria: (ii) (iii) (iv)
Emerging from a territory inhabited since ancient times, the Kazan Kremlin traces its history back to the Muslim period in the history of the Golden Horde and the Kazan Khanate. It was conquered in 1552 by Ivan the Terrible and became a stronghold of Orthodoxy in the Volga region. The Kremlin, which largely preserved the layout of the ancient Tatar fortress and became an important center of pilgrimage, includes outstanding historical buildings of the 16th-19th centuries, built on the ruins of earlier structures of the 10th-16th centuries.
Information about the object:
on the website of the State Historical-Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve "Kazan Kremlin"
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
No. C982 - Ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery
Criteria: (i) (iv)
Ferapontov Monastery is located in the Vologda region, in the north of the European part of Russia. This is an exceptionally well-preserved Orthodox monastery complex of the 15th-17th centuries, i.e. a period that was of great importance for the formation of a centralized Russian state and the development of its culture. The architecture of the monastery is unique and holistic. The interior of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary preserves magnificent wall frescoes by Dionysius, the greatest Russian artist of the late 15th century.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Kirillo-Belozersky Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve”
on the website of the Museum of Frescoes of Dionysius
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
№С994 - Curonian Spit
Transboundary object: Lithuania, Russian Federation
Criterion: (v)
Human development of this narrow sandy peninsula, which has a length of 98 km and a width of 400 m to 4 km, began in prehistoric times. The spit was also exposed to natural forces - wind and sea waves. The preservation of this unique cultural landscape to this day has become possible only thanks to man's ongoing struggle against erosion processes (fixation of dunes, forest planting).
Information about the object:
on the website of the Curonian Spit National Park (Russia)
on the website of the Curonian Spit National Park (Lithuania)
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
25th session of the World Heritage Committee - 2001 (Helsinki, Finland)
№
N766rev - Central Sikhote-Alin
Criterion: (x)
The Sikhote-Alin Mountains are home to Far Eastern coniferous-deciduous forests, which are recognized as one of the richest and most original in species composition among all temperate forests on Earth. In this transition zone, located at the junction of the taiga and subtropics, there is an unusual mixture of southern (tiger, Himalayan bear) and northern animal species (brown bear, lynx). The area stretches from the highest peaks of the Sikhote Alin to the coast of the Sea of Japan, and serves as a refuge for many endangered species, including the Amur tiger.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve
on the website of the Natural Heritage Conservation Foundation
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
27th session of the World Heritage Committee - 2003 (Paris, France)
№
N769 rev- Ubsunur Basin
Transboundary site: Mongolia, Russian Federation
Criteria: (ix) (x)
The heritage site (with an area of 1,069 thousand hectares) is located within the boundaries of the northernmost of all drainage basins in Central Asia. Its name comes from the name of the vast shallow and very salty lake Ubsunur, in the area of which a mass of migratory, waterfowl and semi-aquatic birds accumulate. The object consists of 12 isolated areas (including seven areas in Russia, with an area of 258.6 thousand hectares), which represent all the main types of landscapes characteristic of Eastern Eurasia. The steppes are home to a wide variety of birds, and desert areas are home to rare species of small mammals. In the high mountainous part, such globally rare animals as the snow leopard and argali mountain sheep, as well as the Siberian ibex, are noted.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Tuvan Republican Branch of the Russian Geographical Society
on the website of the Natural Heritage Conservation Foundation
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
No. C1070 - Citadel, Old Town and fortifications of Derbent
Criteria: (iii) (iv)
Ancient Derbent was located on the northern borders of Sasanian Persia, which at that time extended east and west from the Caspian Sea. The ancient fortifications, built of stone, include two fortress walls that run parallel to each other from the seashore to the mountains. The city of Derbent developed between these two walls and has retained its medieval character to this day. It continued to be a strategically important place until the 19th century.
Information about the object:
on the website of the State Budgetary Institution "Derbent State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve"
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
28th session of the World Heritage Committee - 2004 (Suzhou, China)
No. S1097 - Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent (Moscow)
Criteria: (i) (iv) (vi)
The Novodevichy Convent, located in the southwest of Moscow, was created during the 16th-17th centuries and was one of the links in the chain of monastic ensembles united in the city’s defense system. The monastery was closely connected with the political, cultural and religious life of Russia, as well as with the Moscow Kremlin. Representatives of the royal family, noble boyar and noble families were tonsured and buried here. The ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent is one of the masterpieces of Russian architecture (Moscow Baroque style), and its interiors, where valuable collections of paintings and works of decorative and applied art are stored, are distinguished by their rich interior decoration.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Mother of God of Smolensk Novodevichy Convent
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
№ N1023rev - Natural complex of the Wrangel Island reserve
Criteria: (ix) (x)
The heritage site, located above the Arctic Circle, includes the mountainous Wrangel Island (7.6 thousand sq. km) and Herald Island (11 sq. km) along with the adjacent waters of the Chukchi and East Siberian seas. Since this area was not covered by the powerful Quaternary glaciation, there is very high biodiversity here. Wrangel Island is known for its huge walrus rookeries (one of the largest in the Arctic), as well as the highest density of polar bear maternity dens in the world. The area is important as a feeding ground for gray whales migrating here from California and as a nesting site for more than 50 species of birds, many of which are classified as rare and endangered. More than 400 species and varieties of vascular plants have been recorded on the island, that is, more than on any other Arctic island. Some of the living organisms found here are special island forms of those plants and animals that are widespread on the continent. About 40 species and subspecies of plants, insects, birds and animals are identified as endemic.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Federal State Budgetary Institution State Nature Reserve "Wrangel Island"
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
29th session of the World Heritage Committee - 2005 (Durban, South Africa)
No. S1187 - Struve geodetic arc
Transboundary object: Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Estonia
Criteria: (ii) (iii) (vi)
The “Struve Arc” is a chain of triangulation points stretching for 2820 km across ten European countries from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea. These observation reference points were established in the period 1816-1855. astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve (aka Vasily Yakovlevich Struve), who thus made the first reliable measurement of a large segment of the earth's meridian arc. This made it possible to accurately determine the size and shape of our planet, which was an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping. This was an exceptional example of scientific cooperation between scientists from different countries and between reigning monarchs. Initially, the “arc” consisted of 258 geodetic “triangles” (polygons) with 265 main triangulation points. The World Heritage Site includes 34 such points (the best preserved to date), which are marked on the ground in a variety of ways, such as hollows carved into the rocks, iron crosses, cairns or specially installed obelisks.
Information about the object:
Online St. Petersburg Society of Geodesy and Cartography
on the website of the Land Department of the Ministry of the Environment of Estonia
on the website of the Finnish Department of Cartography
on the Norwegian World Heritage website
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
№С1170 - Historical center of Yaroslavl
Criteria: (ii) (iv)
The historical city of Yaroslavl, located approximately 250 km northeast of Moscow at the confluence of the Kotorosl River and the Volga, was founded in the 11th century. and subsequently developed into a large shopping mall. It is known for its numerous churches from the 17th century, and as an outstanding example of the implementation of the urban planning reform carried out by decree of Empress Catherine the Great in 1763 throughout Russia. Although the city retained a number of remarkable historical buildings, it was later reconstructed in the classicist style based on a radial master plan. It also preserves items dating back to the 16th century. constructions of the Spassky Monastery - one of the oldest in the Upper Volga region, which arose at the end of the 12th century. on the site of a pagan temple, but rebuilt over time.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Official portal of the city of Yaroslavl
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
34th Session of the World Heritage Committee - 2010 (Brasilia, Brazil)
№ N1234rev - Putorana Plateau
Criteria: (vii) (ix)
This object coincides with its borders with the Putorana State Nature Reserve, located in the northern part of Central Siberia, 100 km beyond the Arctic Circle. The World Heritage portion of this plateau contains a full range of subarctic and arctic ecosystems preserved in an isolated mountain range, including pristine taiga, forest-tundra, tundra and arctic desert systems, as well as pristine cold-water lake and river systems. The main migration route of deer runs through the site, which is an exceptional, majestic and increasingly rare natural phenomenon.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "United Directorate of Taimyr Nature Reserves"
on the website of the Natural Heritage Conservation Foundation
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
36th session of the World Heritage Committee - 2012 (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation)
№ N1299 - Lena Pillars Nature Park
Criteria: (viii)
The Lena Pillars Natural Park is formed by rock formations of rare beauty that reach a height of about 100 meters and are located along the banks of the Lena River in the central part of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). They arose in a sharply continental climate with differences in annual temperatures of up to 100 degrees Celsius (from -60°C in winter to +40°C in summer). The pillars are separated from each other by deep and steep ravines, partially filled with frost-covered rock fragments. The penetration of water from the surface accelerated the freezing process and contributed to frost weathering. This led to the deepening of the ravines between the pillars and their dispersal. The proximity of the river and its current are dangerous factors for the pillars. The site contains remains of a wide variety of Cambrian species.
Information about the object:
on the website of the State Budgetary Institution of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Natural Park “Lena Pillars”
on the website of the Natural Heritage Conservation Foundation
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
38th session of the World Heritage Committee - 2014 (Doha, Qatar)
No. S981rev- Bulgarian Historical and Archaeological Complex
Criteria:(ii) (vi)
The facility is located on the banks of the Volga River south of the confluence of the Kama River and south of the capital of Tatarstan, the city of Kazan. It contains evidence of the medieval city of Bolgar, an ancient settlement of the Volga Bulgar people, which existed between the 7th and 15th centuries. and was in the 13th century. the first capital of the Golden Horde. Bolgar demonstrates the historical and cultural relationships and transformations in Eurasia over several centuries, which played a decisive role in the formation of civilizations, customs and cultural traditions. The site represents important evidence of historical continuity and cultural diversity. It is a symbolic reminder of the adoption of Islam by the Volga Bulgars in 922 and remains a sacred place of pilgrimage for the Muslim Tatars.
Information about the object:
on the website of the Bulgarian State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve "Great Bolgar"
on the website of the Russian Commission for UNESCO
on the World Heritage Center website
37th sessionWorld Heritage Committee - 2013 (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Cambodia)
№C1411 - Ancient city of Tauride Chersonesos and its choir
Criteria: (ii) (v)
The object is the ruins of an ancient city founded by the Dorian Greeks in the 5th century BC. e. on the northern coast of the Black Sea. The site includes six elements, including the ruins of a city and agricultural land, divided into several hundred rectangular plots of the same size, used for growing grapes; the products of the vineyards were intended for export and ensured the prosperity of Chersonesos until the 15th century. On the territory of the site there are several complexes of public buildings, residential areas and monuments of early Christianity. There are also ruins of Stone and Bronze Age settlements, Roman and medieval tower fortifications and water systems, as well as exceptionally well-preserved vineyards and dividing walls. In the 3rd century AD e. Chersonesus was known as the most successful wine-making center on the Black Sea and served as a link between Greece, the Roman Empire, Byzantium and the peoples of the northern Black Sea coast. Chersonesos is an outstanding example of the democratic organization of agriculture in the vicinity of an ancient city, reflecting the urban social structure.
Information about the object:
41st session of the World Heritage Committee - 2017 (Krakow, Poland)
№N1448rev - Landscapes of Dauria
Criteria: (ix) (x)
Situated between Mongolia and the Russian Federation, the site is a unique example of the Daurian steppe ecosystem, which begins in eastern Mongolia and extends through Russian Siberia to the northeastern border of China. The cyclical climate, with characteristic wet and dry periods, has contributed to the emergence of a wide variety of species and ecosystems that are important throughout the world. The various types of steppes present here, such as wet grasslands, forests and lake areas, are home to rare species such as white-naped cranes and bustards, as well as millions of rare and vulnerable migratory birds that are at risk of extinction. The park is also an important site on the migratory route of the Mongolian Dresden.
Information about the object:
No. C1525 - Assumption Cathedral and monastery of the island-city of Sviyazhsk
Criteria: (ii) (iv)
The Assumption Cathedral is located on the island-city of Sviyazhsk and is part of the monastery of the same name. Situated at the confluence of the Volga, Sviyaga and Shchuka rivers, at the crossroads of the Silk Road and the Volga River, Sviyazhsk was founded by Ivan the Terrible in 1551. It was from this outpost that Ivan the Terrible began the conquest of the city of Kazan. The location and architecture of the Monastery of the Assumption testify to the existence of a political and missionary program developed by Tsar Ivan IV in order to expand the territory of the Moscow state. The cathedral's frescoes are among the rarest examples of Eastern Orthodox wall painting.
Information about the object:
Russia is a unique country. It ranks first in the world in terms of territorial area and ninth in terms of population. As of 2012, there are 25 specially protected sites in Russia. Fifteen of them have the status of a cultural attraction, the remaining ten are of a natural nature. Six of the fifteen UNESCO cultural sites in Russia are marked “i”, that is, they belong to the masterpieces of human civilization. Four out of ten natural objects have the highest aesthetic criterion “vii”.
The nature of the country is distinguished by a variety of plant and animal forms: northern mosses and lichens coexist with southern palm trees and magnolias, coniferous forests of the taiga form a striking contrast with the steppe crops of wheat and sunflowers.
Climatic, natural and cultural diversity has led to interest in it from both domestic and foreign citizens. Natural and man-made attractions, river cruises and rail travel, beach and health, sports and extreme tourism make the country attractive to all categories of vacationers.
The main attractions of Russia are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Anyone who wants to discover a great country can start by getting acquainted with twenty-five natural and man-made sites that have a cultural, historical or environmental degree of global significance. and is compiled in order to preserve and show modern people the full depth of our common civilizational heritage.
UNESCO sites in Russia - PHOTO
The northern capital of Russia was included in the UNESCO List of 36 monuments located not only in St. Petersburg itself, but also in its neighbors - Pushkin and Shlisselburg. The palace and park ensembles of the villages of Gatchina and Strelna, the Koltuvskaya and Yukkovskaya uplands, the Lindulovskaya Grove and the Komarovskoye village cemetery - all this makes up one huge cultural and natural formation, territorially and historically connected with the northern capital of Russia. Himself represented on the UNESCO List historical center and the old part of the city, the Pulkovo Observatory and the palace and park ensembles of Peterhof, Shuvalovsky Park and the Vyazemsky estate, local fairways and numerous city highways.
Two wooden churches and a bell tower, built in the 18th-19th centuries in Kizhi, were included in the UNESCO List in 1990. The cultural heritage of Karelia is known throughout the world for the Church of the Transfiguration, built, according to legend, without a single nail. Since the mid-20th century, the Kizhi State Historical and Architectural Museum has been operating on the basis of the Kizhi Pogost. Along with the ancient original buildings, it includes objects of wooden religious architecture that were brought and erected in the immediate vicinity - for example, an eight-wing windmill built in 1928. The wooden fence of the Kizhi churchyard ensemble was reconstructed in 1959 in accordance with the principles of organizing traditional churchyard fences.
Symbols of an entire country and era - the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square - are among the most significant cultural attractions of Russia and the whole world. It seems that there is not a person on Earth who does not know what they look like. When visiting Russia, most foreigners first go to Red Square. The Moscow Kremlin is one of the oldest architectural monuments in Russia. Its majestic walls and numerous towers, its Orthodox cathedrals and palace buildings, its squares and gardens, the Armory Chamber and the Kremlin Palace of Congresses reflect the centuries-old history of the country. Adjacent to the north-eastern wall of the Kremlin, Red Square is famous not only for the Mausoleum and the Eternal Flame, but also for the numerous events organized there recently. Victory parades, concerts dedicated to Russian Independence Day, New Year's skating rinks - all this can be afforded by one of the largest pedestrian areas in Moscow.
Veliky Novgorod and its surrounding areas are included in the UNESCO list with more than ten cultural sites that are predominantly of a religious nature. Znamensky, Zverin, Antoniev and, the Church of the Nativity on the Red Field, the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa, St. John the Merciful and the Annunciation on Myachina and many other Orthodox buildings belong to ancient periods of Russian history and represent unique architectural complexes. The Novgorod Detinets (that is, the Kremlin) and the part of the city related to it are interesting from the point of view of historical and architectural heritage.
Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Monastery was built in the 20-30s of the 15th century. It is spread over four islands of the Solovetsky archipelago. The cultural and historical ensemble "Solovetsky Islands" includes the main monastery, the Ascension and Savvatievsky skete, St. Isaac's, Makarievskaya and Filippovskaya hermitages on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island, Sergievsky monastery on the island of Bolshaya Muksalma, Trinity and Golgotha-Ruspyatsky monastery and Eleazar's hermitage on Anzer and St. Andrew's deserts and stone labyrinths on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island. During Soviet times, the largest special-purpose forced labor camp in the USSR, the Solovetsky special-purpose camp, operated on the monastery territory. Monastic life became possible here only at the end of 1990.
Eight architectural monuments of ancient Russian architecture, mostly of a white stone nature, were included in the UNESCO list in 1992. All of them are located on the territory of the Vladimir region and belong to the Orthodox culture of Russia. In Vladimir there are three UNESCO-protected sites: the Dmitrievsky Cathedral, built in the 12th century, as well as the Golden Gate. In Suzdal there is a 12th-century Kremlin with the Nativity Cathedral and the Spaso-Efimievsky Monastery, built in the 16th-17th centuries. The village of Bogolyubovo is known to Orthodox pilgrims for the Palace of Andrei Bogolyubsky and the magnificent. The Church of Boris and Gleb in the village of Kideksha is the first white stone building in northeastern Rus'.
Built in the 16th century, the Church of the Ascension of the Lord is the first stone Orthodox church to use a tent instead of a classic dome. According to legend, it was erected on the occasion of the birth of Ivan the Terrible. The place for the temple was chosen on the right bank of the Moscow River, famous for its miraculous spring. The Church of the Ascension of the Lord has the appearance of a centric temple-tower, rising above the ground to a height of 62 meters. The architectural design of the church shows features of the early Renaissance. The temple is surrounded in a circle by a two-tiered gallery-promenade.
The Holy Trinity Lavra of Sergius was founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh in 1337. Currently it is the largest Orthodox monastery in Russia. The Trinity-Sergius Lavra is located in the center of Sergiev Posad, a city in the Moscow region. The designation “Laurel” indicates the crowded, large population of the monastery. The architectural ensemble of the monastery consists of fifty buildings of various functional purposes. Among them there are Orthodox cathedrals, numerous bell towers, and royal palaces. Boris Godunov and members of his family found their final refuge in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
The virgin forests of Komi are known as the largest intact forests growing in Europe. They cover an area of 32,600 square kilometers in the north Ural mountains, within the Pechero-Ilychsky Nature Reserve and the Yugyd Va National Park. In terms of their composition, Komi forests belong to the taiga ecosystem. They are dominated by coniferous trees. The western part of the forests is in the foothills area, the eastern part is in the mountains themselves. The Komi forest is distinguished by the diversity of not only flora, but also fauna. More than two hundred species of birds live here, and rare species of fish are found. Many forest plants are protected.
For the whole world, Baikal is a lake, for residents of Russia, who are in love with a unique natural object, Baikal is a sea! Located in Eastern Siberia, it is the most deep lake planet and, at the same time, the largest natural reservoir of fresh water. The shape of Baikal looks like a crescent. The maximum depth of the lake is 1642 meters with an average depth of 744. Baikal contains 19 percent of all fresh water on the planet. The lake is fed by more than three hundred rivers and streams. Baikal water has a high oxygen content. Its temperature rarely exceeds plus 8-9 degrees Celsius even in summer in the surface area. The water of the lake is so clean and transparent that it allows you to see at a depth of up to forty meters.
The volcanoes of Kamchatka are part of the Pacific volcanic ring of fire - a large chain of the main active volcanoes of the planet. Unique natural sites were included in the UNESCO List in 1996, along with adjacent areas characterized by picturesque views and biological diversity. The exact number of volcanoes on the peninsula is unknown. Scientists talk about several hundred and even thousands of objects. About thirty of them are classified as active. The most famous Kamchatka volcano is Klyuchevskaya Sopka - the highest volcano in Eurasia and the most active on the peninsula. The volcanoes of Kamchatka have different volcanic origins and are divided into two belts superimposed on each other - the Middle and East Kamchatka.
Large biosphere reserve in the Primorsky Territory was originally created to preserve the sable population. Currently, it represents the most convenient place for observing the life of the Amur tiger. A huge number of plants grow on the territory of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve. More than a thousand higher species, more than a hundred mosses, about four hundred lichens, more than six hundred species of algae and more than five hundred fungi. The local fauna is represented by a large number of birds, marine invertebrates and insects. Many plants, birds, animals and insects are protected species. Schisandra chinensis and edelweiss Palibina, spotted deer and Himalayan bear, black kite and Japanese starling, Sakhalin sturgeon and swallowtail butterfly - they all found shelter in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve.
The three most significant areas of the Altai Mountains - the Altai and Katunsky reserves and the Ukok plateau - were included in the UNESCO list in 1998 under the name “Golden Mountains of Altai”. Mount Belukha and Lake Teletskoye were also included in the list of protected geographical sites. The Altai Mountains received the natural criterion “x” for the most fully presented picture of alpine vegetation. In this area, five belts follow one after another: steppe, forest-steppe, mixed, subalpine and alpine. The territory of the golden mountains of Altai is home to rare species of animals - snow leopard, Siberian mountain goat and others.
The basin of Lake Uvs-Nur, located in the Republic of Tyva, belongs to both Russia and Mongolia. On the part of the Russian Federation, it is represented by the Ubsunur Basin biosphere nature reserve, which includes both the waters of the lake itself and the adjacent land areas. The latter is home to a unique and, in many ways, diverse ecosystem of the region - here you can find both glaciers and the northernmost deserts in Eurasia. On the territory of the Ubsunur depression there are taiga zones, forest and classical steppes, alpine tundra and meadows. The area of the reserve is replete with several tens of thousands of unexcavated burial mounds of ancient nomadic tribes.
Located in the Western Caucasus, the natural biosphere reserve belongs to the category of state ones. It is a large natural formation belonging to two climatic zones - temperate and subtropical. More than 900 species of vascular plants and 700 species of fungi grow on the territory of the reserve. Initially, the Caucasian Reserve was called the bison reserve. Nowadays, it was decided to abandon this definition, since, in addition to bison, there are a large number of other mammals in the Western Caucasus, each of which requires state protection. Today, on the territory of the reserve you can find wild boars and roe deer, Western Caucasian tur and brown bear, Caucasian mink and bison.
Not only the Moscow and Novgorod Kremlin are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Kazan Kremlin is also among the culturally significant objects of world significance. Its historical and architectural complex, consisting of a white-stone Kremlin, temples and other buildings, is a monument of three historical periods: XII-XIII, XIV-XV and XV-XVI centuries. The Kremlin territory of Kazan has the shape of an irregular polygon, coinciding in outline with the hill on which the ancient settlement is located. Initially, the Kazan Kremlin was a Bulgarian fortress. Then it came under the rule of the Kazan Khanate. After the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, the first Orthodox churches appeared on Kremlin territory. In 2005, in honor of the millennium of Kazan, the main mosque of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kul Sharif, was built within the Kazan Kremlin.
Currently, the Ferapontov Monastery is one of the inactive monasteries. The Ferapontovsky branch of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve and the unique Museum of Dionysian Frescoes located there became a stumbling block between the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2000, the Ferapontov Monastery was included in the UNESCO List, which finally gave it the status of not so much a religious, but a cultural heritage of humanity. The architectural ensemble of the monastery is represented by the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, painted by the famous Moscow icon painter of the 15th-16th centuries - Dionysius, the monumental Church of the Annunciation, the treasury chamber and service buildings.
The Curonian Spit is a long, narrow strip of sandy land that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. According to its geographical status, this natural object is sometimes classified as a peninsula. The length of the Curonian Spit is 98 kilometers, the width is from 400 to 4 kilometers. The saber-shaped strip of land belongs half to Russia, half to Lithuania. On Russian territory, the Curonian Spit contains the national park of the same name. The original peninsula was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its biological diversity. Numerous landscapes, from deserts to tundra, a large amount of flora and fauna, as well as the ancient migration route of birds make the Curonian Spit a unique natural complex that needs protection.
The southernmost city of Russia, located in the Republic of Dagestan, Derbent, is one of the ancient cities peace. The first settlements on its territory arose at the end of the 4th millennium BC. The city acquired its modern appearance in 438. In those distant times, Derbent was a Persian fortress, consisting of the Naryn-Kala citadel and double walls descending to the Caspian Sea. The ancient fortress, old town and fortifications of Derbent were included in the UNESCO List in 2003. Naryn-Kala has survived to this day in the form of ruins, ancient temple fire worshipers, a mosque, baths and water reservoirs located on its territory.
Wrangel Island, located in the Arctic Ocean, was discovered in 1849. In 1926, the first polar station was created on it, in 1948 the island was inhabited by domesticated reindeer, and in 1975 by musk oxen. The latest event led to the fact that the authorities of the Magadan region decided to establish a nature reserve on Wrangel Island, which also included the neighboring Herald Island. At the end of the 20th century, the adjacent water areas also became part of the Wrangel Island nature reserve. The island's flora consists mainly of ancient plant species. The fauna of the area is poorly developed: most often, birds and walruses are found here, which have established their main Russian rookery on Wrangel Island.
The Novodevichy Mother of God-Smolensk Monastery was founded in 1524 in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria”. The location of the Orthodox women's monastery is the Maiden's Field in Moscow. In the center of the monastery is the five-domed Smolensk Cathedral, from which the creation of the entire architectural ensemble of the religious monument of the Russian capital began. In the 17th century, the Church of the Assumption was built around it Holy Mother of God, Church of the Transfiguration, Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, bell tower, refectory, Lopukhinsky, Mariinsky and Funeral Chambers.
The historical center of Yaroslavl, consisting of Rubleny Gorod (the local Kremlin) and Zemlyanoy Gorod, was noted by UNESCO in 2005 as an outstanding architectural example of urban planning reform carried out under Catherine II. Construction from the time of classicism took place near the parish church of Elijah the Prophet, in front of which there was a semicircular square. Streets were drawn to it, each of which ended with an architectural monument that was earlier in construction - the Assumption Cathedral on Strelka, the Znamenskaya and Uglichskaya towers, the Church of Simeon the Stylite.
A network of 265 geodetic reference points, created in the first half of the 19th century to study earth parameters, is currently found in many European cities. On Russian territory it is represented by two points - “Point Mäkipällus” and “Point Z”, located on the island of Gogland. Of more than two hundred objects of the Struve arc, only 34 points have survived to this day, which served as the basis for including a unique scientific monument of humanity in the List of especially valuable cultural objects of our time.
Like many natural sites in Russia included in the UNESCO List, the Putarana Plateau was included in it due to the unique combination of different ecological systems. Located within an isolated mountain range, the Putorana State Nature Reserve combines the subarctic and arctic zones, taiga, forest-tundra and arctic desert within its territory. The Putorana subspecies of the snow leopard, listed in the Red Book of Russia, lives on the territory of the reserve. The world's largest population of wild reindeer also winters on the plateau.
Located on the territory of the Sakha Republic, the Lena Pillars are the most recent Russian site included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. The geological formation, located on the banks of the Lena, is a multi-kilometer complex of vertically elongated rocks. The basis of this unique natural monument is Cambrian limestone. Scientists attribute the beginning of the formation of the Lena Pillars to the Early Cambrian, a time 560 million years distant from ours. The relief form of the Lena Pillars was formed much later - only 400 thousand years ago. Near the Lena Pillars there is a natural park of the same name. On its territory there are blowing sands and the site of an ancient man. Fossilized remains of mammoths are also found here.
