UNESCO World Heritage Sites Around the World

From mountains, lakes, and deserts, to palaces, churches, and even whole cities, there are more than 890 UNESCO World Heritage sites around the globe.

Their cultural and natural heritage have an "outstanding universal value" and, to quote the UNESCO, "belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located."

Learn about some some of the best UNESCO world heritage sites here - my colleague Martha Bakerjian, About.com Guide to Italy Travel, collected articles, photos, and travel inspirations from about.com travel writers in her latest blog A Look at UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Germany is proud to have 33 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and I have covered the following:

• Weimar: Bauhaus Buildings
• Cathedral of Cologne
• Wadden Sea
• Wartburg Castle
• Berlin Museums Island
• Pilgrimage Church "Wieskirche"
• Wuerzburg Residence Palace

Once a World Heritage Site, always a World Heritage Site?

Last month, the UNESCO removed Germany's Dresden Elbe Valley from its World Heritage List due to the construction of a four-lane bridge in the heart of the cultural landscape.

In recent years, there has been a lot of controversy in Dresden and Germany about the construction of the bridge in the Elbe Valley. In 2005, the people of Dresden cast their vote and said "yes" to the steel bridge, which is aimed to end traffic problems in the city - at the expense of losing a cultural heritage.

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