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Special plan for the protection and restoration of the historic city of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
In order to face challenges such as urban gentrification, the abandonment of the city centre and the impact of tourism, the City of Santiago de Compostela developed a comprehensive framework for heritage conservation, rehabilitation and urban development policies. The programme aimed to improve housing availability, enhance the quality of life of residents and regenerate open spaces, amongst others.
Santiago de Compostela, a pilgrimage site
Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) was inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1985 under criteria (i), (ii) and (vi). This famous pilgrimage site in north-west Spain became a symbol in the Spanish Christians struggle against Islam. Destroyed by the Muslims at the end of the 10th century, it was completely rebuilt in the following century. With its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings, the Old Town of Santiago is one of the world s
People Protecting World Heritage
The World Heritage Convention was created in 1972 – nearly half a century ago – as a legal instrument to protect our most outstanding cultural and natural sites around the world. It has been adopted since by 194 countries, nearing universality. Concretely, the World Heritage Convention is implemented in myriad ways, big and small, by people around the world.
In this issue, we introduce you to numerous individuals who dedicate their careers – even their lives – to taking care of these precious and fragile sites. This includes site managers on the ground, young people who run projects for hands-on heritage conservation or awareness raising to save sites, and civil society activists who protect sites, and the people who live near them, in difficult conditions.