List of World Heritage Sites in Spain facts for kids

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) helps protect amazing places around the world. These special spots are called World Heritage Sites because they are important for everyone's history or nature. This idea started in 1972 with the World Heritage Convention.

Cultural sites can be old buildings, sculptures, or even ancient ruins. Natural sites are beautiful places like mountains, forests, or areas where rare animals and plants live. Spain joined this effort on May 4, 1982, which meant its own special places could be added to the list.

Spain's first five sites were added in 1984. These included the Great Mosque in Córdoba, the Alhambra in Granada, Burgos Cathedral, the Monastery of El Escorial, and some of Antoni Gaudí's famous buildings in Barcelona. By 2021, Spain had 49 World Heritage Sites. This is one of the highest numbers in the world, just behind Italy, China, and Germany. Most of Spain's sites (43) are cultural, 4 are natural, and 2 are a mix of both.

Some of these sites are found in the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. Four sites are shared with other countries. For example, the Pyrenees – Monte Perdido is shared with France. The Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites are shared with Portugal. The Almadén site is shared with Slovenia. And the Ancient Beech Forests are shared with 17 other European countries!

Spain's World Heritage Sites

UNESCO uses ten different rules to decide if a place can be a World Heritage Site. Each site must meet at least one of these rules. Rules one to six are for cultural sites, and rules seven to ten are for natural sites.

     * Transnational site

Name	Image	Location	Community	UNESCO data	Period	Description
Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain	example of cave art	Santillana del Mar	Cantabria, Asturias, Basque Country	310; 1985, 2008 (extended); i, iii	Upper Paleolithic	The Altamira Cave has amazing cave paintings from 35,000 to 11,000 BC. These paintings are very old! The site now includes seventeen other decorated caves. They are well-preserved because they are deep inside the earth.
Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct	View of Segovia	Segovia	Castile and León	311; 1985; i, iii, iv	1st to 16th centuries	This site includes a Roman aqueduct built in the 1st century. There's also a medieval palace called the Alcázar of Segovia from the 11th century. The beautiful Segovia Cathedral was built in the 16th century.
Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias	Santa Maria del Naranco	Oviedo	Asturias	312; 1985, 1998 (extended); i, ii, iv	9th century	In the 9th century, the Kingdom of Asturias was the only Christian area in Spain. It created its own special style of art and buildings. You can see this style in churches and other monuments like La Foncalada.
Historic Centre of Córdoba	Historic Centre of Córdoba	Córdoba	Andalusia	313; 1984, 1994 (extended); i, ii, iii, iv	7th to 13th centuries	This site started with the Great Mosque of Córdoba. It was first a church, then a mosque, and later a cathedral again. During the time of the Moors, Córdoba was a very grand city with many mosques.
Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín	Alhambra	Granada	Andalusia	314; 1984, 1994 (extended); i, iii, iv	14th century	These three sites show the strong influence of the Moors in southern Spain. The Alhambra fortress and Generalife palace were built by the rulers of Granada. The Albayzín area has many examples of Moorish homes.
Burgos Cathedral	Burgos Cathedral	Burgos	Castile and León	316; 1984; ii, iv, vi	13th to 16th centuries	This beautiful Gothic-style cathedral was built between the 13th and 16th centuries. It is the resting place of El Cid, a famous Spanish hero.
Monastery and Site of the Escorial	El Escorial	San Lorenzo de El Escorial	Madrid	318; 1984; i, ii, vi	16th century	El Escorial is a royal site because the Spanish royal family used to live there. King Philip II designed this palace to show Spain's important role in the Christian world.
Works of Antoni Gaudí	Casa Milà	Barcelona	Catalonia	320; 1984, 2005 (extended); i, ii, iv	19th and 20th centuries	The buildings by Antoni Gaudí are part of the Modernist style, but they are truly unique. The site includes famous works like Park Güell, Palau Güell, and Casa Milà. Later, more of his works were added.
Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)	Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela	Santiago de Compostela	Galicia	347; 1985; i, ii, vi	10th and 11th centuries	The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is believed to be where the apostle James is buried. It's the end point of the Way of St. James, a famous pilgrimage route. The town was rebuilt in the 11th century after being destroyed by Muslims.
Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches	City wall of Ávila	Ávila	Castile and León	348; 1985, 2007 (modified); iii, iv	11th century	The strong defensive wall around Ávila was built in the 11th century. It has 82 towers and 9 gates. It's one of the most complete town walls in Spain.
Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon	Saint Peter's Church in Teruel	Provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza	Aragon	378; 1986, 2001 (extended); iv	12th to 17th centuries	This site features buildings in the Mudéjar style. This style mixes traditional Islamic and European designs. It originally included four churches in Teruel and was later expanded to include six more monuments.
Historic City of Toledo	Toledo	Toledo	Castile-La Mancha	379; 1986; i, ii, iii, iv	8th to 16th centuries	Toledo was founded by the Romans and was once the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom. It was important during Muslim rule and the Reconquista. The city shows a mix of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish influences.
Garajonay National Park	Garajonay National Park	La Gomera	Canary Islands	380; 1986; vii, ix	N/A	This park is mostly covered by laurisilva or laurel forest. This type of forest grew during the Paleogene period and is now rare in mainland Europe.
Old City of Salamanca	Cathedral of Salamanca	Salamanca	Castile and León	381; 1988; i, ii, iv	13th to 16th centuries	Salamanca is famous for its university, founded in 1218. It's one of the oldest universities in Spain and Europe. The city center shows many architectural styles, including Romanesque, Gothic, Moorish, Renaissance, and Baroque.
Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville	Cathedral and Alcazar of Seville	Seville	Andalusia	383; 1987; i, ii, iii, iv	13th to 16th centuries	The Alcázar was built when the Almohad dynasty ruled southern Spain. The cathedral is from the 15th century and holds the tombs of Ferdinand III and Christopher Columbus. The Archivo (Archive) stores documents about the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Old Town of Cáceres	Cáceres	Cáceres	Extremadura	384; 1986; iii, iv	3rd to 15th centuries	The old town of Cáceres mixes Roman, Islamic, Gothic, and Italian Renaissance styles. It has over 30 Islamic towers.
Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture	Ibiza	Ibiza	Balearic Islands	417; 1999; ii, iii, iv, ix, x	N/A	The coast of Ibiza has posidonia oceanica, a special seagrass found only in the Mediterranean. This seagrass helps many sea creatures. The island also has old Phoenician ruins, and its walled city parts are from the 16th century.
Poblet Monastery	Poblet Monastery	Vimbodí	Catalonia	518; 1991; i, iv	12th and 13th centuries	This monastery was started by the Cistercians in 1151. It's one of the biggest in Spain and is a burial site connected to the Crown of Aragon.
Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza	Cathedral of Baeza	Province of Jaén	Andalusia	522; 2003; ii, iv	16th century	These two towns were rebuilt in the 16th century using the new Renaissance style. They are some of the first examples of this style in Spain.
Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida	Roman Theatre of Mérida	Mérida	Extremadura	664; 1993; iii, iv	1st to 5th centuries	Mérida was founded by the Romans in 25 BC. You can still see many Roman remains like a bridge, an aqueduct, an amphitheater, a theater, and a circus.
Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe	Santa María de Guadalupe	Guadalupe	Extremadura	665; 1993; iv, vi	13th to 16th centuries	This monastery is home to Our Lady of Guadalupe, a special shrine found in the 13th century. It became an important symbol during the Reconquista and the spread of Christianity in America.
Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain	Ancient Roman bridge on the Camino	—	Aragon, Castile and León, Galicia, Navarre, and La Rioja	669; 1993; ii, iv, vi	N/A	The Camino de Santiago is a famous pilgrimage route. It goes from the French-Spanish border to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. People believe the apostle James is buried there.
Doñana National Park	Doñana National Park	Provinces of Huelva and Seville	Andalusia	685; 1994, 2005 (extended); vii, ix, x	N/A	This park is where the Guadalquivir River meets the Atlantic Ocean. It has many different natural areas like lagoons, marshes, and dunes. It's a huge home for water fowl during winter.
Pirineos – Monte Perdido*	Ordesa Valley	Province of Huesca	Aragon (shared with France)	773; 1997, 1999 (extended); iii, iv, v, vii, viii	N/A	This site includes part of the Pyrenees mountains on the border with France. The Spanish side has two of Europe's largest canyons.
Historic Walled Town of Cuenca	Cuenca	Cuenca	Castile-La Mancha	781; 1996; ii, v	12th to 18th centuries	The Moors built this fortified city in the 8th century. Christians captured it in the 12th century. Its cathedral is the first Gothic example in Spain. The town is also known for its casas colgadas, houses that hang over a cliff!
La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia	La Lonja	Valencia	Valencian Community	782; 1996; i, iv	15th and 16th centuries	La Lonja de la Seda means "Silk Exchange." These Gothic buildings show how rich Valencia was as an important trading city in Europe during that time.
Las Médulas	Las Médulas	Ponferrada	Castile and León	803; 1997; i, ii, iii, iv	1st to 3rd centuries	The Romans mined gold here for 200 years. They used a clever method of hydraulic mining, cutting aqueducts into cliffs to bring water. The mining left behind unique cliff faces that you can still see today.
Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona	Hospital de Sant Pau	Barcelona	Catalonia	804; 1997; i, ii, iv	20th century	Both buildings were built in the early 1900s by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. They are great examples of the Modernist or Art Nouveau style that was popular in Barcelona.
San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries	San Millán Yuso	San Millán de la Cogolla	La Rioja	805; 1997; ii, iv, vi	6th to 16th centuries	The older Suso monastery was founded in the mid-6th century. It's where the Glosas Emilianenses were written, which are thought to be the first written examples of the Spanish and Basque languages. The newer Yuso monastery was built in the 16th century.
Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde*	Rock art in Côa	—	Castile and León (shared with Portugal)	866; 1998, 2010 (extended); i, iii	Paleolithic	This site has amazing Upper Paleolithic rock art. It includes 645 engravings in Spain's Siega Verde area. These sites have the best-preserved open-air Paleolithic art in the Iberian Peninsula.
Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula	Deer painting in cave	—	Andalusia, Aragon, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, Murcia, and Valencia	874; 1998; iii	Prehistoric	This site has over 750 examples of rock art from prehistoric times. The images show everything from simple shapes to scenes of people hunting animals.
Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco	Aqueduct of Tárraco	Tarragona	Catalonia	875; 2000; ii, iii	1st to 4th centuries	Tárraco was an important Roman city, now modern-day Tarragona. It was the capital of Roman provinces. You can still see parts of the Tarragona Amphitheatre and other Roman ruins.
University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares	University of Alcalá	Alcalá de Henares	Madrid	876; 1998; ii, iv, vi	16th century	Cardinal Cisneros founded the University of Alcalá in 1499. It was the first planned university city and became a model for others. The city is also the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, who wrote Don Quixote.
San Cristóbal de La Laguna	San Cristóbal de La Laguna	San Cristóbal de La Laguna	Canary Islands	929; 1999; ii, iv	16th to 18th centuries	This city has an old, unplanned upper town and a planned lower town. It was Spain's first colonial town that wasn't fortified, and it became a model for cities in America. Many buildings from the 16th century are still there.
Palmeral of Elche	Elche	Elche	Valencian Community	930; 2000; ii, v	N/A	This grove of date palm trees was set up with irrigation systems by the Moors in the 10th century. It's a rare example of Arab farming methods in Europe.
Roman Walls of Lugo	Walls of Lugo	Lugo	Galicia	987; 2000; iv	3rd century	These walls were built in the 3rd century to protect the Roman town of Lucus. They are still completely intact and are the best example of Roman walls in Western Europe.
Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí	Taüll – Sant Climent	Vall de Boí	Catalonia	988; 2000; ii, iv	11th to 14th centuries	This small valley in the Pyrenees has churches built in the Romanesque style. They are decorated with murals, statues, and altars. The churches are special because of their tall, square bell towers.
Archaeological Site of Atapuerca	Atapuerca	Atapuerca	Castile and León	989; 2000; iii, v	Prehistoric	The caves in the Atapuerca Mountains hold the oldest human remains found in Europe, dating back almost a million years. The "Pit of Bones" has the world's largest collection of ancient human fossils.
Aranjuez Cultural Landscape	Garden at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez	Aranjuez	Madrid	1044; 2001; ii, iv	15th to 19th centuries	The area around the Royal Palace of Aranjuez was designed by the Spanish royal family over three centuries. It shows new ideas in gardening and design. This area was only for the royal family until the 19th century.
Vizcaya Bridge	Vizcaya Bridge	Portugalete	Basque Country	1217; 2006; i, ii	19th century	This bridge was designed by Alberto Palacio in 1893. It was built to cross the Nervion river without stopping ships. It's the world's first transporter bridge.
Teide National Park	Mount Teide	Tenerife	Canary Islands	1258; 2007; vii, viii	N/A	This park is home to Mount Teide, a volcano. It's the highest point in Spain.
Tower of Hercules	Tower of Hercules	A Coruña	Galicia	1312; 2009; iii	1st century	The Romans built this 55-meter (180 ft) lighthouse on a 57-meter (187 ft) rock. It marks the entrance to the A Coruña harbor. It's the only fully preserved and still working Roman lighthouse.
Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana	Serra de Tramuntana	Majorca	Balearic Islands	1371; 2011; ii, iv, v	N/A	The Serra de Tramuntana on Majorca's northwest coast has been shaped by farming for a thousand years. People built terraces, water systems, and dry stone structures. This landscape shows how people adapted to the mountain environment for farming.
Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija*	Mines of Almadén	Almadén	Castile-La Mancha (shared with Slovenia)	1313; 2012; ii, iv	16th and 17th century	Almadén is an old mercury mining town, used since Roman times. It has buildings related to its mining history, like Retamar Castle, churches, a mining university, and traditional homes.
Antequera Dolmens Site	Dolmen of Menga	Antequera	Andalusia	1501; 2016; i, iii, iv	Neolithic and Chalcolithic	This site in southern Spain has three huge stone monuments: the Menga and Viera dolmens, and the Tholos of El Romeral. It also includes two natural mountains, La Peña de los Enamorados and El Torcal. These ancient tombs are amazing examples of prehistoric architecture in Europe.
Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe*	Lillas river in the Tejera Negra beech grove (Cantalojas, Guadalajara, Spain).		Castile and León, Navarre, Castile-La Mancha, and Community of Madrid (shared with 11 other countries in Europe)	1133; 2017; ix	N/A	These ancient beech forests are important for studying how the beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) spread across the Northern Hemisphere. They also help us understand forest environments. The site has been expanded several times to include forests in many European countries.
Caliphate City of Medina Azahara	Medina Azahara	Córdoba	Andalusia	1560; 2018; iii, iv	N/A	The Caliphate city of Medina Azahara is an ancient city built in the mid-10th century. It was the capital of the Caliphate of Cordoba. After a few years, it was destroyed during a civil war in 1009–1010.
Risco Caído and the sacred mountains of Gran Canaria Cultural Landscape	Risco Caído	Gran Canaria island	Canary Islands	1578; 2019; iii, v	N/A	This site on Gran Canaria island includes ancient cave dwellings and temples. It shows how the original people of the Canary Islands lived and practiced their beliefs.
Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences	Prado Museum	Madrid	Madrid	1500; 2020; ii, iv, vi	N/A	This area in Madrid is a beautiful blend of nature, art, and science. It includes the famous Prado Museum and the lovely Buen Retiro Park, showing how culture and nature can come together in a city.
Prehistoric Sites of Talayotic Menorca	Naveta des Tudons	Menorca island	Balearic Islands	1528; 2023; iii, iv	Iron Age	This site on Menorca island features ancient stone structures from the Talayotic culture. These include burial sites and settlements, showing how people lived in the Iron Age.

Sites by Autonomous Community

This section shows how many World Heritage Sites each region of Spain has. "Exclusive sites" are only in that region. "Shared sites" are found in more than one region or country.

Possible Future World Heritage Sites

Loarre Castle

Countries can also suggest sites they think should become World Heritage Sites in the future. This is called a "tentative list." A site must be on this list before it can be officially nominated. As of 2018, Spain had 32 sites on its tentative list. Here are a few examples:

• Romanesque Cultural Enclave in the North of Castile and León and the South of Cantabria (1998)
• The Silver Route (1998)
• The Ribeira Sacra (1996)
• Loarre Castle (2007)
• Jaén Cathedral (2012)
• The Olive Grove Landscapes of Andalusia (2017)
• The Hadrianic city of Italica (2019)

Images for kids

• Location map+ Spain

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• Location map+ Canary Islands

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See also

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

• List of Intangible Cultural Heritage elements in Spain