Andrew_Kerr Profile
I wouldn't say I let UNESCO listings dictate where I go but whenever I have decided to go somewhere I check to see what is nearby. UNESCO sites, tentative sites and former tentative sites are usually worth a visit.
Recent Reviews Andrew_Kerr
Villages with Fortified Churches
Andrew_Kerr UK - 12-Dec-24
Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania, to give it it's full title. And, to be specific we are talking about 7 villages that make up the UNESCO WHS listing. They are:
Biertan, Prejmer-Tartlau, Viscri, Dârjiu, Saschiz-Keisd, Câlnic and Valea Viilor.
Whilst on a mini road trip of central Romania a few years back, I was lucky enough to visit 3 of the above villages. Anyone planning on visiting them all should be aware, you need at least 3 days and a car with a Sat-Nav (although when I did it I used old school maps). Some of the villages are really tucked away and off the beaten track and although they may look easily accessible on a map, the roads are often narrow, sometimes not tarmacked and while, not mountainous, certainly hilly.
Read OnThe historic urban site of Počitelj (T)
Andrew_Kerr UK - 02-Dec-24
After visiting Mostar on my way back to Croatia I stopped to see Počitelj. I enjoyed the site but following Mostar it was a bit like having a digestive biscuit after a slice of chocolate cake.
It's quite small but enjoyable nonetheless, it's not a site I would head to if I wasn't already in the vicinity though, there's just not enough to make that worthwhile.
There's just a couple of shops catering for the tourist trade and you can wander around the narrow cobbled streets and take in the Turkish style architecture.
Just based on the site's size alone, I would be surprised if it made it to the full WHS list.
Auschwitz Birkenau
Andrew_Kerr UK - 24-Nov-24
When I went to Krakow for the first time I deliberately chose not to go to Auschwitz, I know what happened there and it's truly horrific, I didn't feel that I needed to witness the place where those horrific events took place at first hand. That was 12 years ago and I returned to Krakow in 2024 with my wife who was keen to visit and pay her respects, so this time I went.
If I had to sum up my experience in one word I found the site to be depressing
Read OnStudenica Monastery
Andrew_Kerr UK - 17-Nov-24
Studenica Monastery is one of the WHS that means much more to the people of the nation where it resides than it does to outsiders. I went there with my Serbian friends while staying with them and it's a bit of trek to get to being somewhat buried in the Dinaric Alps.The reason that the Serbian people revere this monastery is because it was founded by Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the medieval Serbian nation. It's an important site for Serbian people and that is very apparent when you're there.The actual monastery comprises of the original Byzantine church and it's later extension plus some monastic buildings
Read OnTrakai Historical National Park (T)
Andrew_Kerr UK - 16-Nov-24
In October 2024 I was lucky that my planned balloon flight over Vilnius was changed at the last minute for a flight over Lake Trakai and the castle. I say lucky because you can get pretty good views over Vilnius from the many hills that surround it and being a bit further up wouldn't have made a huge difference.
The flight over Lake Trakai though, was spectacular, a truly memorable experience and the opportunity to see this region from the air.
The star of the flight was Trakai Castle and thanks to the skill of our Aeronaut we flew directly overhead for an amazing perspective.
It's a shame that the park won't make the full UNESCO list because it's absolutely stunning.
Profile Data
- Name
- Andrew_Kerr
- Country
- UK
- Most Impressive
- Old City of Havana or Valley of the Kings
Recently Visited WHS
- Update 15.12.24
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Visited WHS
Rating StatsBrugge 5Kotor 5Mostar 5Rhodes 5Riga 5Rome 5Verona 5Acropolis 4.5Budapest 4.5City of Bath 4.5Edinburgh 4.5Florence 4.5Istanbul 4.5Mystras 4.5Oporto 4.5Prague 4.5Westminster 4.5Corfu 4Ephesus 4Granada 4Kraków 4Modena 4Naples 4Pompei 4Salzburg 4Sintra 4Tallinn 4Vienna 4Belem 3.5Guimarães 3.5Ironbridge Gorge 3.5Kairouan 3.5Lake District 3.5Medina of Sousse 3.5Pergamon 3.5Thessalonika 3.5Vilnius 3.5Belfries 3Saltaire 2.5Reviewed WHS
Visited TWHS
- Ancient Greek Theatres (T)
- Archaeological site of Ancient Messene (T)
- Arsenal de Rochefort et fortifications de l'estuaire de la Charente (T)
- Central Park (T)
- City of Motovun (T)
- City of York: historic urban core (T)
- Ellis Island (T)
- Fortified Manasija Monastery (T)
- Gorge of Samaria National Park (T)
- Historical Lisbon, Global City (T)
- Historical-town planning ensemble of Ston (T)
- Jerusalem (T)
- Knights Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (T)
- Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral with Related Monastic Buildings, St. Cyril's and St. Andrew's Churches, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (T)
- Le Portail du Monastère de Ripoll (T)
- Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944 (T)
- Mdina (Citta Vecchia) (T)
- Rocks of Belogradchik (T)
- Rouen : ensemble urbain à pans de bois, cathédrale, église Saint-Ouen, église Saint Maclou (T)
- Smederevo Fortress (T)
- The Bodrum Castle (T)
- The historic town of Korcula (T)
- The historic urban site of Počitelj (T)