Ukraine UNESCO Heritage Sites

By Khaled Abou Alfa • 13th of March, 2022

UNESCO heritage sites are both cultural and natural sites in a country that have transcended their importance from the local population to a global one. They offer a glimpse of where we came from, to remember, to enjoy and learn from. We also have a responsibility to protect and maintain these sites for future generations.

The UNESCO list details the 1154 sites around the world (52 are currently in danger). The sites are awarded this status based on achieving one of the 10 selection criteria.

Ukraine has 6 cultural heritage sites and 1 natural site, these are:

• Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings (pictured above)
• L’viv, the Ensemble of the Historic Centre
• Struve Geodetic Arc
• Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans
• Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora
• Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine
• Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe

The senseless destruction in Ukraine continues. The human cost cannot be measured. The silver lining, if anything can be found during these times, is that wiping out an entire country’s cultural heritage is beyond a dictator and that almost anything can be rebuilt. The road is long and heartbreaking but the lumbering war machine will eventually run out of fuel (real or emotional). Until then my hope is that resourceful Ukrainians are planning the journey of rebuilding, better than before.

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