List of World Heritage Sites in Northern Europe

The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has designated 36 World Heritage Sites in eight countries (also called "state parties") commonly referred to as Northern Europe: Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, i.e. a combination of Nordic and Baltic countries.^[1] Greenland lying on the North American continent is not included in this list despite of its political ties with Denmark; it is included in the List of World Heritage Sites in the Americas. The United Kingdom and Ireland are included in Western Europe even though they are sometimes listed in Northern Europe.^[2]

Sweden is home to the most inscribed sites with 15 sites, two of which are transborder properties. Three sites are shared between several countries: the Curonian Spit (Lithuania and Russia), the High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago (Sweden and Finland) and the Struve Geodetic Arc (ten countries in Northern and Eastern Europe).^[3] The first sites from the region were inscribed in 1979, when the Urnes Stave Church and Bryggen, both in Norway were chosen a year after the list's conception.^[4][5] Each year, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee may inscribe new sites on the list, or delist sites that that no longer meet the criteria. Selection is based on ten criteria: six for cultural heritage (i–vi) and four for natural heritage (vii–x).^[6] Some sites, designated "mixed sites," represent both cultural and natural heritage. In Northern Europe, there are 32 cultural, 3 natural, and 1 mixed sites.^[7]

The World Heritage Committee may also specify that a site is endangered, citing "conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List." None of the sites in Northern Europe has ever been listed as endangered, though possible danger listing has been considered by UNESCO in a number of cases.^[8][9]

Legend

The table is sortable by column by clicking on the at the top of the appropriate column; alphanumerically for the Site, Area, and Year columns; by state party for the Location column; and by criteria type for the Criteria column. Transborder sites sort at the bottom.

Site; named after the World Heritage Committee's official designation^[3]

Location; at city, regional, or provincial level and geocoordinates

Criteria; as defined by the World Heritage Committee^[6]

Area; in hectares and acres. If available, the size of the buffer zone has been noted as well. A value of zero implies that no data has been published by UNESCO

Year; during which the site was inscribed to the World Heritage List

Description; brief information about the site, including reasons for qualifying as an endangered site, if applicable

Inscribed sites

  * Trans-border site

Site	Image	Location	Criteria	Area ha (acre)	Year	Description	Refs
Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland		Kalmar,  Sweden	Cultural: (iv), (v)	—	2000		[10]
Birka and Hovgården		Stockholm,  Sweden 59°20′07″N 17°32′34″E / 59.33528°N 17.54278°E	Cultural: (iii), (iv)	—	1993		[11]
Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki		Rauma (Lappi), Satakunta,  Finland	Cultural: (iii), (iv)	—	1999		[12]
Bryggen		Bergen, Hordaland,  Norway 60°23′50″N 05°19′23″E / 60.39722°N 5.32306°E	Cultural: (iii)	—	1979		[13]
Christiansfeld, a Moravian Church Settlement		Christiansfeld, Kolding Municipality, Southern Denmark,  Denmark 55°21′20″N 09°28′53″E / 55.35556°N 9.48139°E	Cultural: (iii), (iv)	—	2015		[14]
Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå		Norrbotten,  Sweden 65°38′46″N 22°1′43″E / 65.64611°N 22.02861°E	Cultural: (ii), (iv), (v)	—	1996		[15]
Curonian Spit		Neringa and Klaipėda district, Klaipėda County,  Lithuania* and Zelenogradsky District, Kaliningrad Oblast,  Russia* 55°16′28″N 20°57′45″E / 55.27444°N 20.96250°E	Cultural: (v)	—	2000		[16]
Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland		Gävleborg,  Sweden 61°42′26″N 16°11′45″E / 61.70722°N 16.19583°E	Cultural: (v)	14 (35); buffer zone 537 (1,330)	2012		[17]
Engelsberg Ironworks		Västmanland,  Sweden 59°58′00″N 16°00′30″E / 59.96667°N 16.00833°E	Cultural: (iv)	—	1993		[18]
Fortress of Suomenlinna		Helsinki,  Finland	Cultural: (iv)	—	1991		[19]
Hanseatic Town of Visby		Gotland,  Sweden 57°38′30″N 18°17′45″E / 57.64167°N 18.29583°E	Cultural: (iv), (v)	—	1995		[20]
High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago		Västernorrland,  Sweden* and  Finland* 63°18′00″N 21°18′00″E / 63.30000°N 21.30000°E	Natural: (viii)	194,400 (480,000)	2000[nb 1]		[21]
Historic Centre of Riga		Riga,  Latvia 56°57′15″N 24°07′00″E / 56.95417°N 24.11667°E	Cultural: (i), (ii)	438 (1,080); buffer zone 1,574 (3,890)	1997		[22]
Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn		Tallinn, Harju County,  Estonia 59°26′00″N 24°44′00″E / 59.43333°N 24.73333°E	Cultural: (ii), (iv)	113 (280); buffer zone 2,253 (5,570)	1997[nb 2]		[23]
Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church		Jelling, Vejle Municipality, Southern Denmark,  Denmark	Cultural: (iii)	4.96 (12.3)	1994		[24]
Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė)		Kernavė, Širvintos district, Vilnius County,  Lithuania 54°53′16″N 24°49′50″E / 54.88778°N 24.83056°E	Cultural: (iii), (iv)	194 (480); buffer zone 2,455 (6,070)	2004		[25]
Kronborg Castle		Helsingør, Capital Region, Zealand,  Denmark	Cultural: (iv)	—	2000		[26]
Laponian Area		Norrbotten,  Sweden 67°20′00″N 17°35′00″E / 67.33333°N 17.58333°E	Mixed: (iii), (v), (vii), (viii), (ix)	940,000 (2,300,000)	1996		[27]
Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun		Dalarna,  Sweden 60°36′17″N 15°37′51″E / 60.60472°N 15.63083°E	Cultural: (ii), (iii), (v)	43 (110); buffer zone 3,500 (8,600)	2001		[28]
Naval Port of Karlskrona		Blekinge,  Sweden 56°10′00″N 15°35′00″E / 56.16667°N 15.58333°E	Cultural: (ii), (iv)	—	1998		[29]
Old Rauma		Rauma, Satakunta,  Finland	Cultural: (iv), (v)	29 (72); buffer zone 142 (350)	1991[nb 3]		[30][31]
The par force hunting landscape in North Zealand		Capital Region, Zealand,  Denmark 55°54′49″N 12°21′28″E / 55.91361°N 12.35778°E	Natural: (ii), (iv)	—	2015	Includes three forest locations: Store Dyrehave, Gribskov and Jægersborg Dyrehave with Jægersborg Hegn	[32]
Petäjävesi Old Church		Petäjävesi, Central Finland,  Finland	Cultural: (iv)	—	1994		[33]
Rjukan–Notodden Industrial Heritage Site		Notodden / Rjukan, Telemark,  Norway 59°52′43″N 8°35′37″E / 59.87861°N 8.59361°E	Cultural: (ii), (iv)	—	2015		[34]
Rock Art of Alta		Alta, Finnmark,  Norway 69°57′00″N 23°11′00″E / 69.95000°N 23.18333°E	Cultural: {iii}	—	1985		[35]
Rock Carvings in Tanum		Västra Götaland,  Sweden 58°42′04″N 11°20′28″E / 58.70111°N 11.34111°E	Cultural: (i), (iii), (iv)	—	1994		[36]
Røros Mining Town and the Circumference		Røros, Sør-Trøndelag,  Norway 62°34′26″N 11°23′08″E / 62.57389°N 11.38556°E	Cultural: (iii), (iv), {v}	—	1980[nb 4]		[37]
Roskilde Cathedral		Roskilde, Region Zealand, Zealand,  Denmark	Cultural: (ii), (iv)	0.40 (0.99); buffer zone 1.50 (3.7)	1995		[38]
Royal Domain of Drottningholm		Stockholm,  Sweden 59°19′23″N 17°53′00″E / 59.32306°N 17.88333°E	Cultural: (iv)	—	1991		[39]
Skogskyrkogården		Stockholm,  Sweden 59°16′32″N 18°05′58″E / 59.27556°N 18.09944°E	Cultural: (ii), (iv)	—	1994		[40]
Stevns Klint		Store Heddinge, Zealand,  Denmark 55°16′02″N 12°25′24″E / 55.26722°N 12.42333°E	Cultural: (viii)	50 (120); buffer zone 4,136 (10,220)	2014	Stevns Klint is a 15 km (9.3 mi) long fossil rich chalk cliff. The fossil record includes evidence of the ash cloud following the Chicxulub meteorite impact that is believed to have caused a mass extinction 65 million years ago. The site also includes evidence of the recovery after the extinction.	[41]
Struve Geodetic Arc		Belarus*,  Estonia*,  Finland*,  Latvia*,  Lithuania*,  Moldova*,  Norway*,  Russia*,  Sweden* and  Ukraine*	Cultural: (ii), (iii), (vi)	—	2005		[42]
Surtsey		Vestmannaeyjar,  Iceland 63°18′11″N 20°36′08″W / 63.30306°N 20.60222°W	Natural: (ix)	3,370 (8,300); buffer zone 3,190 (7,900)	2008		[43]
Þingvellir National Park		Bláskógabyggð,  Iceland 64°15′14″N 21°2′14″W / 64.25389°N 21.03722°W	Cultural: (iii), (vi)	9,270 (22,900)	2004		[44]
Urnes Stave Church		Luster, Sogn og Fjordane,  Norway 61°18′00″N 7°20′00″E / 61.30000°N 7.33333°E	Cultural: (i), (ii), {iii}	—	1979		[45]
Varberg Radio Station		Halland,  Sweden 57°06′00″N 12°23′00″E / 57.10000°N 12.38333°E	Cultural: (ii), (iv)	109 (270); buffer zone 3,854 (9,520)	2004		[46]
Vegaøyan — The Vega Archipelago		Vega, Nordland,  Norway 65°37′00″N 11°45′00″E / 65.61667°N 11.75000°E	Cultural: (v)	103,710 (256,300); buffer zone 28,040 (69,300)	2004		[47]
Verla Groundwood and Board Mill		Kouvola (Jaala), Kymenlaakso,  Finland	Cultural: (iv)	23 (57); buffer zone 80 (200)	1996		[48]
Vilnius Historic Centre		Vilnius,  Lithuania 54°41′12″N 25°17′35″E / 54.68667°N 25.29306°E	Cultural: (ii), (iv)	—	1994		[49]
The Wadden Sea		Germany Denmark*,  Germany*,  Netherlands* 53°31′43″N 8°33′22″E / 53.52861°N 8.55611°E	Natural: (viii), (ix), (x)	968,393 (2,392,950)	2009	The Wadden Sea contains the Dutch Wadden Sea Conservation Area and the German Wadden Sea National Parks of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. The coast line is generally flat and has may mudflats, marshes and dunes. The site covers two-thirds of the entire Wadden Sea and is home to many plant and animal species. It is a breeding ground for up to 12 millions birds annually and supports more than 10 percent of the population of 29 species. Was expanded in 2014 to include the Danish part of the Wadden Sea.	[50]
West Norwegian Fjords — Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord		Møre og Romsdal,  Norway 62°7′00″N 7°10′00″E / 62.11667°N 7.16667°E	Natural: (vii), (viii)	—	2005		[51]
Ilulissat Icefjord		Ilulissat, Greenland,  Denmark 69°7′6″N 49°30′00″W / 69.11833°N 49.50000°W	Natural: (vii), (viii)	40,240 (99,400)	2004	On west coast of Greenland, where Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world, meets the sea	[52]

Tentative List

Denmark (7)

• Amalienborg and its district (1993)
• Kujataa - a subarctic farming landscape in Greenland (2003)
• Aasivissiot. Arnangarnup Qoorua (Greenlandic inland and coastal area) (2003)
• Moler landscape of Limfjord (2010)
• The Trelleborg fortresses (2010)
• Viking Monuments and Sites/Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church (2011)
• Viking Monuments and Sites/The Trelleborg fortresses (2011)

Estonia (3)

• Kuressaare Fortress (2002)
• Baltic Klint (2004)
• Wooded meadows (Laelatu, Kalli-Nedrema, Mäepea, Allika, Tagamoisa, Loode, Koiva, Halliste) (2004)

Finland (6)

• The Carvings from historic time at the island of Gaddtarmen (Hauensuoli) (1990)
• The large Stone Age ruin of Kastelli at Pattijoki (1990)
• The Rock paintings of Astuvansalmi at Ristiina (1990)
• The Holy place of worship of Ukonsaari by the Sami people at Inari (1990)
• Paimio Hospital (formerly Paimio Sanatorium) (2004)
• Saimaa-Pielinen Lake System (2004)

Iceland (7)

• Breiðafjörður Nature Reserve (2011)
• Mývatn and Laxá (2011)
• Viking monuments and sites/Þingvellir National Park (2011)
• Þingvellir National Park (2011)
• The Turf House Tradition (2011)
• Vatnajökull National Park (2011)
• Torfajökull Volcanic System/Fjallabak Nature Reserve (2013)

Latvia (3)

• Viking Monuments and Sites/Grobnia archaeological complex (2011)
• Kuldīga Old Town in the Primeval Valley of the River Venta (2011)
• Meanders of the Upper Daugava (2011)

Lithuania (1)

• Trakai Historical National Park (2003)

Norway (5)

• The Laponian area - Tysfjord, the fjord of Hellenbotn and Rago (extension) (2002)
• The Lofoten Islands (2007)
• Svalbard Archipelago (2007)
• Islands of Jan Mayen og Bouvet as part of a serial transnational nomination of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge System (2007)
• Viking Monuments and Sites/Vestfold Ship Burials and Hyllestad Quernstone Quarries (2011)

Sweden (1)

• The Rise of Systematic Biology (2009)

Notes

1. Extended in 2006 to include the Kvarken Archipelago and name change from High Coast to the present name.
2. Minor modification of boundaries in 2008.
3. Addition of the buffer zone in 2009 which had been established on a national level in 2003.
4. Extended in 2010 to include the circumference and name change from Røros Mining Town to the present name.

References

Notes

1. "Number of World Heritage Properties by region". UNESCO. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
2. "Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings". Geographical region and composition of each region. United Nations Statistics Division. 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
3. "World Heritage List". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
4. "Number of World Heritage properties inscribed each Year". UNESCO. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
5. Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, Second Session, Final Report (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C.: UNESCO. 5–8 September 1978. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
6. "The Criteria for Selection". UNESCO. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
7. "World Heritage List Nominations". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
8. "World Heritage in Danger". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
9. "Decision - 28COM 15B.75". UNESCO. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
10. "Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
11. "Birka and Hovgården". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
12. "Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
13. "Bryggen". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
14. "Christiansfeld, a Moravian Church Settlement". UNESCO. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
15. "Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
16. "Curonian Spit". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
17. "Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland". UNESCO. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
18. "Engelsberg Ironworks". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
19. "Fortress of Suomenlinna". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
20. "Hanseatic Town of Visby". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
21. "High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
22. "Historic Centre of Riga". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
23. "Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
24. "Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
25. "Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė)". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
26. "Kronborg Castle". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
27. "Laponian Area". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
28. "Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
29. "Naval Port of Karlskrona". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
30. "Old Rauma". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
31. "Old Rauma" (PDF). UNESCO. p. 52. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
32. "Christiansfeld, a Moravian Church Settlement". UNESCO. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
33. "Petäjävesi Old Church". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
34. "Rjukan–Notodden Industrial Heritage Site". UNESCO. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
35. "Rock Art of Alta". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
36. "Rock Carvings in Tanum". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
37. "Røros Mining Town and the Circumference". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
38. "Roskilde Cathedral". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
39. "Royal Domain of Drottningholm". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
40. "Skogskyrkogården". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
41. "Stevns Klint". UNESCO. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
42. "Struve Geodetic Arc". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
43. "Surtsey". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
44. "Þingvellir National Park". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
45. "Urnes Stave Church". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
46. "Varberg Radio Station". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
47. "Vegaøyan — The Vega Archipelago". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
48. "Verla Groundwood and Board Mill". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
49. "Vilnius Historic Centre". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
50. "The Wadden Sea". UNESCO. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
51. "West Norwegian Fjords — Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
52. "Ilulissat Icefjord". UNESCO. Retrieved 6 December 2015.