Midwinter sunset at Stonehenge, United Kingdom. Photograph by Clive Ruggles Welcome to the integrated web portal for UNESCO’s Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative, supported by the International Working Group on Astronomy and World Heritage and by the International Astronomical Union through its Commission C4 on World Heritage and Astronomy. The Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy exists to raise awareness of the importance of astronomical heritage worldwide and to facilitate efforts to identify, protect and preserve such heritage for the benefit of humankind, both now and in the future.

Outstanding Astronomical Heritage: a new IAU List

The IAU has begun to compile its own list of astronomical heritage sites that are outstanding in the history of astronomy but are not necessarily suitable for inscription on the World Heritage List. The period from the European Renaissance to the middle of the 20th century was an extremely rich one for the history of astronomy and the initial list focuses on sites of this type. Examples:

NEW Uraniborg and Stellaeburgum, Sweden

NEW La Plata Observatory, Argentina

Movable objects

We have recently introduced movable object case studies in order to document items such as artefacts and portable instruments in a more suitable format. Examples:

NEW Nebra Sky Disc, Germany

Ishango Bone, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Full case studies

Full case studies, structured as sections of draft dossiers, aim to highlight issues that might arise if State Parties were to prepare nomination dossiers highlighting the astronomical values of the properties concerned. Examples:

Chankillo, Peru

Risco Caído and the sacred mountains of Gran Canaria, Spain

Short case studies

Short case studies follow the format used in the ICOMOS–IAU Thematic Study on Astronomical Heritage (see right). Examples:

Jantar Mantar at Jaipur, India

Sydney Observatory, Australia

Finding relevant information

You can locate case studies of interest both geographically and temporally using our astronomical heritage finder, or browse a complete list. You could also start from one of our Thematic Essays.

What is astronomical heritage?

McClean Building, Cape Observatory, South Africa. Photograph by Ian Glass Cultural heritage related to the sky is a vital component of cultural heritage in general.
Why preserve it?
What is the purpose of this web portal?

Astronomy and world heritage

UNESCO Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative This portal supports UNESCO’s Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative (AWHI) through the provision of thematic essays, case studies and general information, for example on preparing a nomination dossier for the World Heritage List.

We encourage professional users to register and login in order to view detailed information, propose a new case study or suggest changes to an existing one.

Astronomical heritage categories

Click on the different parts of this diagram to find out more about a certain category of astronomical heritage.

Regional and national heritage

Vienna University Observatory collections We are developing a list of astronomical heritage resources at the regional or national level that are available on other internet sites. If you have items that you would like added to this list, please contact our This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Dark skies

Starlight over the Church of the Good Shepherd, Tekapo, New Zealand. Photograph © Fraser Gunn See our Dark Skies Information page for further information about International Dark Sky Reserves, Starlight Reserves, and other Dark Sky Places.

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