List of World Heritage Sites in Romania facts for kids

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) helps protect important places around the world. These places are called World Heritage Sites. They can be important for their culture or natural heritage. UNESCO started this program in 1972.

Cultural sites include old buildings, sculptures, or archaeological areas. Natural sites are special places like forests, mountains, or areas where rare animals and plants live. Romania joined this program on May 16, 1990. This made its historical places able to be added to the list.

As of 2022^[update], Romania has nine World Heritage Sites. Seven of these are cultural sites, and two are natural. The first site, the Danube Delta, was added in 1990. More sites were added in 1993 and 1999. Some sites were even made bigger later on.

The newest site is the Roșia Montană Mining Cultural Landscape, added in 2021. It was immediately put on the list of World Heritage in Danger. This is because there are plans to start mining there again. One site, the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, is shared with 17 other European countries. Romania also has 16 sites on a "tentative list." These are places that might become World Heritage Sites in the future.

Romania's World Heritage Sites

UNESCO lists sites based on ten different rules, called criteria. Each site must meet at least one of these rules. Rules 1 to 6 are for cultural sites. Rules 7 to 10 are for natural sites.      * Shared with other countries       In danger

World Heritage Sites

Site Name	Image	Location	Year Listed	UNESCO data	What Makes It Special
Danube Delta	Dalmatian Pelican and Great Cormorant in the Danube Delta	Tulcea County	1991	588; vii, x (natural)	The Danube river flows into the Black Sea here. This delta is Europe's largest wetland area. It is home to over 300 types of birds and 45 types of freshwater fish. This includes rare sturgeons. You can also find European mink, European wildcat, and Eurasian otter here.
Fortified Churches in Transylvania	Church with surrounding walls and houses	Sibiu, Alba, Harghita, Brașov, and Mureș County	1993	596bis; iv (cultural)	This site includes seven villages with fortified churches. People called Transylvanian Saxons built them between the 13th and 16th centuries. The way these villages are set up has stayed the same since the Middle Ages. Six villages were listed in 1993. The village of Biertan (pictured) was added in 1999.
Horezu Monastery	A richly ornamented church building with two bell towers	Vâlcea County	1993	597; ii (cultural)	This monastery in Horezu was built in 1690. Constantin Brâncoveanu, a prince of Wallachia, founded it. It is a great example of the Brâncovenesc style of architecture. The monastery is famous for its detailed decorations and paintings. A school for painting was also started here in the 18th century.
Churches of Moldavia	Sucevita church with painted walls inside a walled complex	Suceava County	1993	598bis; i, iv (cultural)	This site has eight churches built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Their outside walls are covered with frescos. These paintings are inspired by Byzantine art and show Bible stories. They are still in very good condition. The Sucevița Monastery church (pictured) was added to the list in 2010.
Historic Centre of Sighișoara	A winter view of the old town, including several spires	Mureș County	1999	902; iii, v (cultural)	The old town of Sighișoara dates back to the 12th century. It is a great example of a small, fortified medieval town. It was built by the Transylvanian Saxons. These German merchants and craftspeople have lived in the area for over 850 years. Their culture is now mainly seen through these old buildings.
Wooden Churches of Maramureş	A wooden church with a pointy spire	Maramureș County	1999	904; iv (cultural)	This site includes eight wooden churches from the 17th and 18th centuries. They mix Orthodox and Gothic styles. Many have tall, thin clock towers and roofs covered with wooden shingles. The Church of Saint Nicholas (pictured) is one of them.
Dacian Fortresses	Ruins of different buildings in a grassy setting	Hunedoara County and Alba County	1999	906; ii, iii, iv (cultural)	Six fortresses make up this site. They were built around the 1st century BCE and CE. They helped protect against Roman attacks during the Roman-Dacian wars. These forts are good examples of Iron Age Europe defenses. They include Sarmizegetusa and Costeşti-Cetăţuie.
Ancient Beech Forests*	Waterfall in a beech forest	several sites	2017	1133quater; ix (natural)	This site protects untouched temperate forests. They show how European beech trees spread across Europe after the last ice age. The site started in 2007 with forests in Slovakia and Ukraine. It has been expanded several times. Now, it includes 12 areas in Romania and forests in 17 other countries.
Roșia Montană Mining Cultural Landscape	Open-pit mine	Alba County	2021	1552rev; ii, iii, iv (cultural)	Roșia Montană is in the western Carpathians of Romania. This area has been a gold mining center since the Bronze Age. It was a main source of gold in Europe before America was discovered. Important Roman remains are here from the mining town of Alburnus Maior. The site is now endangered because of plans to restart mining.

Places on the Tentative List

Countries can suggest sites they think should become World Heritage Sites. This is called a "tentative list." A site must be on this list before it can be officially nominated. As of 2022^[update], Romania has 16 sites on its tentative list.

Tentative World Heritage Sites

Site Name	Image	Location	Year Listed	UNESCO Criteria	What Makes It Special
Neamț Monastery	A stone church with tourists around	Neamț County	1991	i, ii, iv (cultural)	This monastery was founded in the 14th century. Its church was built in the late 15th century by King Stephen III of Moldavia. It is a key example of Moldavian religious architecture. The monastery was an important center for culture, with a printing press and a school.
Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Churches in Curtea de Argeș	Church building in white stone	Argeș County	1991	i, ii, iv (cultural)	Curtea de Argeș was the old capital of Wallachia. The royal court from the 13th to 16th centuries is now in ruins. The Church of St. Nicholas is from the 14th century. The Curtea de Argeș Cathedral (pictured) is from the 16th century.
Sculptures of Constantin Brâncuși		Gorj County	1991	i, ii (cultural)	The Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși created these monuments in Târgu Jiu. They honor soldiers who died in World War I. The group has three sculptures: The Table of Silence, The Gate of the Kiss, and the Endless Column.
Cave Complex from Basarabi	Rock carving of a lion	Constanța County	1991	(cultural)	This rock complex is near Murfatlar. It was an old chalk quarry that became a monastery from the 10th to 12th centuries. Walls have carvings and writings in different old languages. These include Greek, Glagolitic, Cyrillic, and Turkic runes.
Church of the Three Hierarchs in Iași	Church with a decorated facade	Iași County	1991	i, iv (cultural)	This church was finished in 1639. It shows Romanian architecture that mixes Byzantine features with local Moldavian and Wallachian art. The outside walls are covered with rich, sculpted stone designs.
Cule from Oltenia	A white tower with a wooden roof	several sites	1991	iv, v (cultural)	Cule (singular: culă) are tower-like buildings found in the Oltenia region. They were built to watch important roads. Important families used them. The Culă Greceanu (pictured) is an example.
Densuș Church	A church built in stone	Hunedoara County	1991	i, iv (cultural)	This church was built by the 14th century. It stands on the site of an old Roman temple. Materials from the temple were used to build the church. The paintings inside the church are from the 15th century.
Historic Town of Alba Iulia	Star fort, look from above	Alba County	1991	iv, v, vi (cultural)	Alba Iulia is built on the site of a 2nd-century Roman camp. The medieval town was surrounded by walls in the 18th century. Important buildings include the Catholic St. Michael's Cathedral from the 13th century. The Alba Carolina Citadel (pictured) is a star-shaped fort.
Retezat Massif	Mountains and a small lake	Hunedoara County	1991	(natural)	This site is a natural area in the Retezat Mountains.
Pietrosul Rodnei mountain peak	Mountains and some old houses in front	Bistrița-Năsăud County	1991	(natural)	This site is the Pietrosul Rodnei mountain peak.
Sânpetru Formation	Drawing of a pterosaur	Hunedoara County	1991	(natural)	The Sânpetru Formation is a geological site. It has many dinosaur and other fossils from the Late Cretaceous period. The picture shows an artist's idea of a pterosaur called Eurazhdarcho, found at this site.
Slătioara secular forest		Suceava County	1991	(natural)	This forest was nominated to be a World Heritage Site. It is now part of the larger Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe site.
The Historic Centre of Sibiu and its Squares	Grand Square with some people walking	Sibiu County	2004	ii, iii, iv, v (cultural)	Sibiu was founded by Transylvanian Saxons. It was first recorded in 1191. Since 1366, it was known as Hermannstadt. It became the capital of the Saxon settlement in Transylvania. The town has three connected squares and buildings in Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles.
The old villages of Hollókő and Rimetea and their surroundings*	Two old houses with white facades, flower pots in front	Alba County	2012	v (cultural)	This site is an extension to the Hollókő village in Hungary, which is already a World Heritage site. Rimetea developed in the 17th and 18th centuries. It has been kept as a living example of old rural life. The village has a strong Hungarian community.
Frontiers of the Roman Empire — The Danube Limes (Romania)*	Stone gate with two towers and two arched passes	several sites	2020	ii, iii, iv (cultural)	This nomination covers Roman forts along the Danube river. The reconstructed gate at Porolissum (pictured) is one example. This is part of a larger nomination with other countries.
Frontiers of the Roman Empire — Dacia (Romania)		several sites	2020	ii, iii, iv (cultural)	This nomination includes the Roman border in the Dacian area. It was the longest land Roman border in Europe, stretching over 1,000 km (620 mi). About 100 forts and many towers have been found in Romania.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Patrimonio de la Humanidad en Rumania para niños