UNESCO objects in Ukraine
Famous UNESCO World Heritage List includes man-made masterpieces, the most valuable cultural and historical objects, as well as natural wonders. Ukraine boasts seven of them.
St. Sophia Cathedral
St. Sophia Cathedral, Holy Wisdom of God Cathedral, St. Sophia in Kyiv is a Christian cathedral in the center of Kyiv. It is a monument of Ukrainian architecture and monumental painting of the second decade of the 11th (1011–1018). This is one of the few surviving buildings of the Kyivan Rus’ time. This is one of the most important Christian shrines in Western Europe, the historical center of Kyiv Metropolis
Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
The Holy Dormition Kiev-Caves (“Kyiv-Pechersk”) Lavra is the first and the most ancient monastery on the territory of contemporary Ukraine.Today, only three monasteries are endowed with the status of “lavra” and all are consecrated in honour of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, they are: Kyiv-Caves Lavra, the Pochayiv Lavra and the Holy Mountains (“Svyatogorsk”) Lavra. This bears witness of the special veneration of the Most Holy Mother of God by our Orthodox people and is a testimony of the close ties between the monasticism of Kievan Rus and the ancient skete of the Dormition on Mount Athos. The monastery was founded in the mid-11th century by the venerable Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves (of “Pechersk”). The incorruptible relics of more than 120 saints currently rest in peace in the caves of the monastery.
Lviv Historic Centre Ensemble
The city of L’viv was founded in the late Middle Ages where a settlement had existed since the 5th and 6th centuries. It flourished as an administrative, religious and commercial centre due to its favourable geographical position for trade and political development. Today, the surviving architectural and artistic heritage reflects a synthesis of Eastern European traditions influenced by those from Italy and Germany. The property, “L'viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre”, consists of two components: the primary area, encompassing the castle, its surrounding area and the city centre, and to the southwest, a smaller area on St. Yuri’s Hill for the ensemble of St. Yuri’s Cathedral.
Struve Geodetic Arc
The Struve Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through 10 countries and over 2,820 km. These are points of a survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, which represented the first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian. This helped to establish the exact size and shape of the planet and marked an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping. It is an extraordinary example of scientific collaboration among scientists from different countries, and of collaboration between monarchs for a scientific cause.
Virgin Beech Forests of the Carpathians
This transboundary property stretches over 12 countries. Since the end of the last Ice Age, European Beech spread from a few isolated refuge areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean and Pyrenees over a short period of a few thousand years in a process that is still ongoing. The successful expansion across a whole continent is related to the tree’s adaptability and tolerance of different climatic, geographical and physical conditions.
Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans
The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans represents a masterful synergy of architectural styles built by Czech architect Josef Hlavka from 1864 to 1882. The property, an outstanding example of 19th-century historicist architecture, also includes a seminary and monastery and is dominated by the domed, cruciform Seminary Church with a garden and park. The complex expresses architectural and cultural influences from the Byzantine period onward and embodies the powerful presence of the Orthodox Church during Habsburg rule, reflecting the Austro-Hungarian Empire policy of religious tolerance.
Wooden churches of the Carpathian region
Situated in the eastern fringe of Central Europe, the transnational property numbers a selection of sixteen churches. They were built of horizontal wooden logs between the 16th and 19th centuries by communities of Orthodox and Greek Catholic faiths. The churches bear testimony to a distinct building tradition rooted in Orthodox ecclesiastic design interwoven with elements of local tradition, and symbolic references to their communities’ cosmogony. The churchea are built on a tri-partite plan surmounted by open quadrilateral or octagonal domes and cupolas. Integral to tserkvas are iconostasis screens, interior polychrome decorations, and other historic furnishings. Important elements of some churches include wooden bell towers, churchyards, gatehouses and graveyards.