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You Have Something Important to Tell!
Around the world, there are places so special that many countries, through Unesco, have collectively decided to preserve them forever. These places are the absolute best examples of how we can explain something unique. It can be something created by humans or by the planet. These places belong to everyone, no matter where you live in the world, and that is why they are called World Heritage Sites.
How World Heritage Sites Make a Difference
1. Grimeton Radio Station, Varberg
Grimeton Radio Station, Varberg, is the best place in the world to experience and understand the development of wireless communication. This place, with its unique values, is important for all of humanity, and only by managing, using, and developing it, do we contribute to a better and kinder world.
It also contributes to increased understanding and knowledge about why radio is needed in society and, after 100 years, remains an important social actor in this field. The management challenges and inspires existing systems and ideas through various issues, such as buffer zones, protection of intangible values, work methods, and financing. The place fosters pride and a sense of community among local residents, contributing to new activities and products in the surrounding area for both locals and visitors. For the regional tourism industry, the site has also become an increasingly important player.
2. Naval Port of Karlskrona
The Naval Port of Karlskrona is the best place in the world to experience how the king’s vision from the 1600s of an ideal naval city became reality. A city that, after more than 340 years, still fulfills its role and continuously evolves, with advancements in both marine engineering and urban planning. The place, with its unique values, is important for all of humanity, and only by managing, using, and developing it, do we contribute to a better and kinder world.
It fosters a deeper understanding of the importance of urban development that balances modern societal needs with the preservation of unique cultural values. The city is growing, acting as a driving force in marine engineering development as well as a naval base for Sweden’s defense. The management also shows how cultural heritage can be a driving force in regional development, climate impact, preparedness, and the protection of intangible values. The World Heritage Site fosters pride and engagement, which strengthens both the city and its future.
3. Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland
The Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland is the best place in the world to see how generations of farmers have shaped a landscape while adapting to the natural conditions. A living agricultural landscape with villages, fields, alvar plains, and wetlands that together form the extraordinary whole that is the World Heritage Site. The place, with its unique values, is important for all of humanity, and when we manage, use, and develop it, we contribute to a better and kinder world.
The Agricultural Landscape of southern Öland contributes to ensuring that we do not go hungry! Enjoy food and drink from the World Heritage Site and become part of the continuous interaction between humans and nature. In a time when many live in cities and no longer have a connection to farms and agriculture, the story of this place becomes ever more significant. The World Heritage Site demonstrates how resilient and profitable farming businesses care for and manage a world-unique agricultural landscape, today and in the future. The agricultural landscape is preserved by being developed.
4. The Hanseatic Town of Visby
The Hanseatic Town of Visby is the best place in the world to experience a northern European walled trading town from the late 1200s. It has survived as an inhabited city despite socio-economic and cultural changes, with distinct annual growth rings to the present day. This place, with its unique values, is important for all of humanity, and only by managing, using, and developing it, do we contribute to a better and kinder world.
It also helps us understand why we need vibrant historic city centers as meeting places and spaces for dialogue among people. In an era of increasing online trade and the decline of town centers, inspiring and inclusive urban spaces can be vital for fostering community and well-being in our societies. In recent years, the site has also become an increasingly important arena for developing sustainable and resilient tourism management on the island.
5. Skogskyrkogården
Skogskyrkogården is the best place in the world to demonstrate a completely new type of cemetery, designed equally for the dead and the living. It is a place for everyone, regardless of religion or belief. Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz’s innovative architecture has inspired cemetery designs worldwide. At the Woodland Cemetery, a unique interplay exists between nature and culture, between the landscape and buildings. The grand entrance, the varied landscape spaces, and the iconic chapels create a tranquil oasis meant to be preserved forever.
Skogskyrkogården makes a difference because it shows that we are all equal in death. It is a legacy for the world that reflects both life and death—a legacy we must preserve, one that touches us all.
6. Birka and Hovgården
Birka and Hovgården are the best places in the world to understand Viking trade networks in the Baltic region. Birka is one of the most complete Viking trading sites from 700–950 CE, with the world’s largest Viking burial ground. Hovgården, located across the water on Adelsö, was home to the king who ruled Birka and controlled regional trade. Archaeological excavations here have uncovered some of the most famous artifacts from the Viking Age, many of which define our understanding of that period. This World Heritage Site, with its unique values, is important to all of humanity. By managing, utilizing, and developing it, we contribute to a better and kinder world.
This World Heritage Site fosters a deeper understanding of the socio-economic developments during the Iron Age, the significance of international trade, and the Baltic region’s historical progression. It is also an essential location for both regional and international visitors.
7. Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland
The Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland are the best places in the world to witness how farmers built large houses and halls exclusively for celebrations. The stunning interior art, with colorful stencils, landscape paintings, and marbling, not only adorned the houses and halls but also enriched the lives of the people living in Hälsingland. This World Heritage Site, with its unique values, is essential to all of humanity. By managing, utilizing, and developing it, we contribute to a better and more peaceful world.
The Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland also foster an understanding of how interior design and decoration are vital elements of life. Celebrations, food, and music enrich lives. Through the decorations, painters earned recognition in society, thanks to farmers who boldly prioritized grandeur over mere necessity.
8. Struve Geodetic Arc
The Struve Geodetic Arc is the best place in the world to understand how dedicated scientists historically conducted extensive measurements to increase knowledge about the Earth’s size and shape. This site, with its unique values, is important to all of humanity. By managing, utilizing, and developing it, we contribute to a better and kinder world.
It also helps people understand the value of international cooperation while illustrating that nature and cultural expressions transcend borders. Tornedalen is one of the areas where this World Heritage Site can best be experienced.
9. Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun
Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun is the best place in the world to experience a copper mine and understand how the mining industry shaped the town and landscape while contributing to the development of modern Swedish industry. With pioneering technological advancements and a progressive view of workers as resources for companies, Falun became Europe’s largest copper producer, accounting for 70% of all copper, earning it the title “Sweden’s Treasure Chest.” This site, with its unique values, is essential to all of humanity. By preserving, utilizing, and developing it, we contribute to a better and more peaceful world.
The World Heritage Site in Falun teaches us that workplaces valuing diverse human abilities foster development and innovation. The mining industry also caused severe environmental consequences—knowledge that is now used in research and education. By learning from history, the World Heritage Site in Falun continues to contribute to new knowledge and humanity’s progress.
10. The High Coast and Kvarken Archipelago
The High Coast and Kvarken Archipelago is the best place in the world to experience and understand land uplift following the last Ice Age. This World Heritage Site offers a unique example of landscapes shaped by geological and biological processes due to the land uplift caused by the melting of the Ice Age glaciers. This area, with its unique values, is essential to all of humanity. By managing, utilizing, and developing it, we contribute to a better and kinder world.
The High Coast and Kvarken Archipelago foster a deeper understanding of how geological processes shape the landscape we inhabit. A landscape formed by ice and sea, it continues to evolve due to ongoing land uplift. For thousands of years, animals, plants, and humans have adapted to these changes.
11. Royal Domain of Drottningholm
The Royal Domain of Drottningholm is the best place in the world to experience a European royal estate from the 1700s, featuring a palace, a court theater, a Chinese pavilion, historical parklands, and associated residential and functional environments. This site, with its unique values, is essential to all of humanity. By managing, utilizing, and developing it, we contribute to a better and kinder world.
The Royal Domain of Drottningholm fosters an understanding of the intercultural meeting places that royal environments have always been. Craftspeople and artists of various nationalities have worked here, while the theater and its productions, as well as the palace’s role as a residence for the Swedish royal family, maintain a living tradition. Today, the World Heritage Site is of great importance to Stockholm’s and Sweden’s tourism industries.
12. The Rock Carvings in Tanum
The Rock Carvings in Tanum is the best place in the world to experience the visual world of the Bronze Age. These carvings provide modern humans with a window into how ancient peoples perceived and explained their realities. They are an illustration of thoughts nearly 4,000 years old. This site, with its unique values, is essential to all of humanity. By managing, utilizing, and developing it, we contribute to a better and kinder world.
The world’s best rock carvings also strengthen local and regional identity by serving as symbols of community and shared history. They instill a sense of pride and rootedness in residents and their cultural heritage. The carvings are a significant force for promoting economic, social, and cultural development. Their World Heritage status ensures they are preserved, accessible, and explained to the public—making them comprehensible and known is their best protection!
13. Church Town of Gammelstad
Gammelstad Church Town, with its 404 church cottages surrounding the late medieval Nederluleå Church, is the best place in the world to experience a traditional church town in northern Scandinavia. This site combines culturally significant buildings, a historical road network, and ancient remains with a centuries-old tradition of staying in one’s church cottage during religious services. This site, with its unique values, is essential to all of humanity. By managing, utilizing, and developing it, we contribute to a better and kinder world.
Gammelstad Church Town also helps preserve and spread knowledge about the region’s cultural history and building traditions. Here, the past and present meet in a vibrant environment where visitors can learn, gather, and share experiences in a unique location that is still used and maintained for the future.
14. Laponia
Laponia is the best place in the world for demonstrating the coexistence of cultural and natural values. It showcases how landscapes have been shaped and continue to be shaped by the people who lived here before us, with the Sámi culture and reindeer herding playing a central role. Laponia tells the story of another culture within Sweden. This site, with its unique values, is essential to all of humanity. By managing, utilizing, and developing it, we contribute to a better and kinder world.
15. Engelsberg Ironworks
Engelsberg Ironworks is the best place in the world to experience the history of iron production in Bergslagen and its economic importance to Sweden. It is an exceptional example of a significant European industry from the 1600s–1800s, where the towering blast furnace majestically dominates the site. This site, with its unique values, is essential to all of humanity. By managing, utilizing, and developing it, we contribute to a better and kinder world.
It also fosters an understanding of the technology behind iron production and the significance of natural resources—such as ore, forests, and waterpower—in building Sweden’s prosperity.
About the Project
The project aimed to highlight and simplify communication about the importance of World Heritage Sites and to spread knowledge about how World Heritage Sites contribute to community development while also promoting examples of good place development. This was done by jointly creating a narrative and message about what the World Heritage Sites are and what they contribute to, with the goal of strengthening the World Heritage Sites’ voice and position in society, but also creating new opportunities for local and national place development.
The project was made possible thanks to funding from the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket) and the Foundation for the World Heritage Grimeton (Grimeton Radio Station), which was also the project owner, along with Karlskrona Municipality (Naval Port of Karlskrona), Mörbylånga Municipality (Southern Öland’s Agricultural Landscape), and Region Gotland (Hanseatic Town of Visby). The Swedish World Heritage Association actively supported the project, and all members were invited to participate in various activities and take part in the results.
If you wish to use the developed material when communicating about World Heritage Sites, contact your local World Heritage coordinator!
Vår styrelse:
- Sara Holmgren, kassör (Laponia)
- Camilla Lugnet, (Grimeton Radiostation)
- Emma Rydnér (Södra Ölands odlingslandskap)
- Christina Staberg (Falun och Kopparbergslagen)
- Anna-Karin Ferm, ordf. (Hälsingegårdar)
- Patrik Bylund, v.ordf. (Höga Kusten)
- Hans Lundenmark, sekr. (Tanums Hällristningar)
Kontakta oss
info@worldheritageinsweden.se
