Cultural heritage destroyed by war
Cultural heritage is crucial to understanding where we come from. DW presents a selection of landmarks from UNESCO's World Heritage List which have been destroyed by war. Only a handful of them have been restored.
Collective cultural memory
Cultural heritage is crucial to understanding where we've come from. UNESCO has identified culturally significant landmarks across the world since 1972, when 190 countries signed a commitment to protect selected sites. One of them, which was destroyed and has since been rebuilt, is Dresden's Church of Our Lady. Others on UNESCO's list that have been destroyed have no prospect of restoration.
Symbol of medieval Syria
Another war-ravaged World Heritage site is the minarettes at the Great Mosque of Aleppo, which had served as a symbol of medieval Syria. Over centuries, the mosque endured numerous conflicts and earthquakes, but was finally destroyed during the civil war in April 2013, along with large parts of Aleppo's historical Old Town. A possibility of reconstruction is not yet in sight.
Victim of religious fanaticism
The Buddha statues of Bamiyan, located in Bamiyan Valley in the heart of Afghanistan, were the largest of their kind in the world. The tallest of the statues measured 35 meters and was chiseled into the cliff over a millennium ago. It remains unclear whether this former World Heritage landmark, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, can be reconstructed.
The pearl of the desert
The city of Timbuktu is located in Mali at the edge of the Sahara Desert in western Africa. Historically, it was an intellectual and spiritual center based on both trade and the Islamic faith. Its three great mosques recall Timbuktu's golden age. But in 2012, a large portion of the city was destroyed by Islamic extremists. Today these monuments are under threat from desertification.
Bridge between worlds
Stari Most, a bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is more than a cultural landmark. For centuries, it's been a symbolic link between East and West, between Christianity and the Islamic world, and between the Catholic Croats and the Orthodox Serbs. The bridge was destroyed in November 1993 during the Bosnian War. However, it has since been rebuilt and was added to the World Heritage List in 2005.
A symbol of reconciliation
For residents of Mostar, the bridge was a part of their everyday lives. To reconstruct it, international teams worked for years, copying the 1566 original stone for stone. UNESCO supported the project financially, marking the first time the organization went beyond its initial aim of protecting cultural landmarks.
Destruction of an icon
Notre-Dame de Reims is one of the most significant cathedrals in France. It is where all French kings were coronated. During World War I, it was targeted by the German troops for its national importance and largely destroyed. The building was of no military significance, but its destruction weakened French morale. Reconstruction began in 1919. Today it's a major tourism destination.
In new glory
The restoration of Notre-Dame de Reims was initially financed by the Rockefeller family from the United States. A meaningful act of reconciliation between the Germans and the French took place in the cathedral on July 8, 1962: French President Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer prayed together. The cathedral was listed as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1991.
Swallowed up in flames
For a Protestant place of worship, the Church of Our Lady in Dresden is particularly elaborate. In February 1945, it was destroyed during an aerial attack by the Allies. The fire resulting from the bombs spread out and the church collapsed on itself. In communist East Germany, the ruin served as an anti-war memorial. Reconstruction began in 1994, a few years after German reunification.
Landmark for peace
Reconstruction on the Church of Our Lady was financed by sponsors from all over the world. The renovated church was ceremoniously inaugurated in 2005. Once a memorial against war, it has now become a tourist attraction and a symbol of reconciliation.