UNESCO has officially added 26 new destinations to its prestigious World Heritage List. This brings the total number of globally recognized landmarks to 1,248, spanning over 170 countries. The newly inscribed sites span six continents and showcase humanity’s most remarkable cultural achievements and natural wonders. Among these additions is Malawi’s Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape, which earned recognition after spending 25 years on the tentative list.
From Germany’s fairytale-inspiring Neuschwanstein Castle to Jamaica’s 17th-century Port Royal, these additions celebrate diverse cultural expressions. They also highlight breathtaking landscapes that possess “outstanding universal value” to humanity. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization finalized these selections on July 11 after months of careful deliberation, recognizing 21 sites of cultural importance, four natural wonders, and one mixed property with both cultural and natural significance.
Cultural Treasures From Around The World
Germany’s palaces, including those of King Ludwig II, such as the world-famous Neuschwanstein Castle, have now joined the elite list of protected cultural treasures. This 19th-century Bavarian masterpiece, which inspired Walt Disney‘s Sleeping Beauty castle, stands as perhaps the most instantly recognizable new addition.
Greece’s Minoan Palatial Centres in Crete earned UNESCO recognition for their extraordinary archaeological significance, with six sites built between 1900 and 1100 BCE representing “a major prehistoric Mediterranean culture.” Jamaica’s historic Port Royal joined the list, highlighting this 17th-century pirate haven that once earned the nickname “wickedest city in the west,” now offering a unique cultural site that combines land and marine archaeology.
Mexico’s Wixárika Route, which passes through Sacred Sites to Wirikuta, has been protected as a living pilgrimage trail maintained by the Wixárika (Huichol) people. This route connects sacred natural sites in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains, which remain vital to Indigenous cosmology and cultural identity.
Natural Wonders And Mixed Heritage Sites
Denmark’s Møns Klint made the prestigious list due to its stunning white chalk cliffs, which dramatically plunge into the Baltic Sea, attracting adventure seekers who kayak along their imposing facades. The Peruaçu River Canyon in Brazil’s Minas Gerais region earned recognition for its remarkable biodiversity and impressive rock formations, which outdoor enthusiasts praise for exceptional hiking trails.
Malawi’s Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape finally received UNESCO status after 25 years on the tentative list, with this spiritually significant mountain range holding deep importance for the Yao, Mang’anja, and Lhomwe peoples through historical paths, burial grounds, ritual sites and ancient caves. Sierra Leone received its first-ever World Heritage designation for the Gola-Tiwai Complex, which features biodiverse forests that host more than 1,000 plant species (113 endemic) and 55 mammal species, including the endangered African Forest Elephant and the Pygmy Hippopotamus.
Complete List Of UNESCO’s 2025 World Heritage Additions
The 26 newly inscribed World Heritage sites include:
- Palaces of King Ludwig II (Germany)
- Minoan Palatial Centres (Greece)
- Acropolis of Eretria (Greece)
- Historic Centre of Subotica with its Secessionist Masterpieces (Serbia)
- Tradigital Sites of the Kanawa Textiles (Indonesia)
- Port Royal (Jamaica)
- Møns Klint (Denmark)
- Gola-Tiwai Complex (Sierra Leone)
- Peruaçu River Canyon (Brazil)
- Zagros Fold-and-Thrust Belt (Iran)
- Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape (Malawi)
- Architectural Complex of the Maya at Chichen Itza and Yaxunah (Mexico)
- Wixárika Route through Sacred Sites to Wirikuta (Mexico)
- Sumela Monastery Complex (Türkiye)
- Prehistoric Dammed Lakes (South Korea)
- Bora Ceremonial Houses (Colombia)
- The Defence Line of Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Yinchuan Landscape (China)
- Hà Nội Imperial Citadel, Thăng Long and the Co Loa Vestiges (Vietnam)
- Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia (Greece)
- Historic Districts of the Silk Road (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)
- Maaloula Ancient Village (Syria)
- Aya Triada and Aya Eleni churches (Türkiye)
- The Balkan-Mediterranean Beech Forest (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia)
- Cultural Landscape of the Great Spas (Belgium)
- The Venetian Works of Defence (Croatia, Italy, Montenegro)
