Scientific Developments

Connected Sites: 31

WHS where significant scientific discoveries were made. Name location and scientific development/discovery.

Connected Sites

  • Old City of Berne
    Inscribed: 1983
    3.35
    309
    10
    Einstein's house 49 Kramgasse: "Albert Einstein lived in Bern from 1903 to 1905 and developed his Theory of Relativity here." (see link), "in 1905, which has been called Einstein's annus mirabilis (amazing year), he published four groundbreaking papers, on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and the equivalence of mass and energy, which were to bring him to the notice of the academic world, at the age of 26." (wiki)
    See www.bern.com
  • Piazza del Duomo (Pisa)
    Inscribed: 1987
    3.80
    498
    14
    Galileo's experiments linked to Cathedral and Leaning Tower (disputed)
  • City of Bath
    City of Bath
    United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 1987
    3.57
    409
    13
    In 1781 William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus (orginally named "The Georgian Star" after the king!)using a home made telescope operated from the garden of his house in New King St (Now the Herschel Museum of Astronomy). It was the first planet to be discovered which could not be seen by the naked eye.
  • St. Petersburg
    Inscribed: 1990
    4.19
    267
    9
    Mendeleev developed the concept of the Periodic Table of Elements whilst Professor of Chemistry at St Petersburg university. The apartment, which came with the job and is part of the University, is maintained as the Mendeleev museum and contains his study and papers. It is situated in what is now named Mendeleevskaya Iniya close to the Neva across from the Admiralty
    See www.boltonsociety.net
  • Blaenavon Industrial Landscape
    Inscribed: 2000
    2.59
    120
    10
    Blaenavon Ironworks is where Percy Gilchrist and Sidney Gilchrist Thomas created a process to remove phosphorus from iron ore to make a stronger steel. This revolutionized the steel industry in Europe.
  • Miguasha National Park
    Inscribed: 1999
    2.44
    48
    5
    Of great importance is the presence of the crossopterygian group of fishes, which share many characteristics with the tetrapods: (four-legged land animals). It was the discovery of one of these, the Eusthenopteron (the so-called “Prince of Miguasha”) which focused the attention of the international scientific community on the Escuminac Formation, giving rise to the modern conception of evolution from fish to land dwelling vertebrates. (AB ev)
  • Galapagos Islands
    Inscribed: 1978
    4.60
    113
    9
    Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
  • Cordouan Lighthouse
    Inscribed: 2021
    3.00
    43
    5
    In 1823, Augustin Fresnel chose Cordouan to test out the optical system that would revolutionize the technology of lighthouse illumination around the world. The lighthouse was equipped with the prototype of the Fresnel lens. (nom file p8-9)
  • Evaporitic Karst and Caves
    Inscribed: 2023
    2.02
    52
    5
    Crit VIII: "An uncommon richness of rare speleothems and minerals, sometimes unique to these caves, have attracted naturalists and scientists since the 16th century and tens of evaporitic karst phenomena have been described here for the first time"
  • Møns Klint
    Inscribed: 2025
    2.77
    40
    2

    The site has played a key-role in the scientific history and acknowledgement of glaciotectonics, including important methodological contributions to the scientific discipline of glaciotectonism.
  • FRIM Selangor
    Inscribed: 2025
    2.07
    23
    2

    Research on reforestation
  • Teide National Park
    Inscribed: 2007
    3.83
    189
    7
    Early meteorological observations, including those to measure the 'weight of the air'
    See www.izana.org
  • Syracuse
    Inscribed: 2005
    3.59
    247
    8
    The Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes was born in Syracuse, where he lived his whole life. "Archimedes anticipated modern calculus and analysis". His "other mathematical achievements include deriving an approximation of pi, defining and investigating the Archimedean spiral, and devising a system using exponentiation for expressing very large numbers. He was also one of the first to apply mathematics to physical phenomena, working on statics and hydrostatics." Apart from this, he "is also credited with designing innovative machines, such as his screw pump, compound pulleys, and defensive war machines to protect his native Syracuse from invasion." (wiki)
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Struve Geodetic Arc
    Struve Geodetic Arc
    Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine
    Inscribed: 2005
    1.92
    212
    18
    Determination of Earth's size/shape
  • Stevns Klint
    Inscribed: 2014
    2.40
    153
    7
    It was one of the three sites studied by Álvarez before publising his famous hypothesis about the K-T extinction event
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Singapore Botanic Gardens
    Inscribed: 2015
    3.10
    273
    12
    Research into Botanical diversity
  • Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
    Inscribed: 1998
    2.82
    302
    14
    Tour St Jacques in Paris was where Pascal carried out experiments on atmospheric pressure and there is still a meteorological laboratory installed at the top of the tower.
  • Rammelsberg and Goslar
    Inscribed: 1992
    3.20
    204
    11
    A "problem for which a solution was needed in order to make mining at great depths possible was caused by the hemp ropes and iron chains which were used to hoist the ore. (...) The invention of the wire cable by the Clausthal "Oberbergrat" (head mining councilor) Wilhelm August Julius Albert in the year 1834 solved this problem. The cable was one of the most important technical inventions of all for the mining industry and its use spread to all the mining areas of the world in a very short time. It was also an invention that made technical solutions in many other areas possible, for example in bridge construction." (Nomination File, p. 49)
  • Paris, Banks of the Seine
    Inscribed: 1991
    4.19
    680
    20
    "In 1910, Father Theodor Wulf measured radiant energy at the top and bottom of the tower. He found more at the top than expected, incidentally discovering what are known today as cosmic rays."
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Mount Etna
    Inscribed: 2013
    3.55
    263
    12
    "The almost continuous eruptive activity of Mount Etna continues to influence volcanology, geophysics and other Earth science disciplines." (AB ev)
  • Maritime Greenwich
    Maritime Greenwich
    United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 1997
    3.14
    410
    10
    The Observatory - numerous Astronomical discoveries including basic measurements of "the motions of the Heavens". Also definition of Longitude
  • Lower German Limes
    Lower German Limes
    Germany, Netherlands
    Inscribed: 2021
    1.84
    198
    8
    "Constantin Koenen began excavating the legionary fortress at Neuss in 1887 (...). Constantin Koenen was the first to establish the principles of archaeological research based on excavations. The most modern methods were used, including the first photo documentation of the excavation process. This research represents the beginning of modern provincial Roman archaeology." (Nomination file, p. 89-90)
  • Lake Baikal
    Inscribed: 1996
    3.59
    76
    5
    Baikal Deep Underwater Neutrino Telescope
  • Kew Gardens
    Kew Gardens
    United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 2003
    3.24
    336
    18
    Research into Botanical diversity
  • Isole Eolie
    Inscribed: 2000
    3.67
    135
    8
    "Studied since at least the 18th century, the islands have provided the science of vulcanology with examples of two types of eruption (Vulcanian and Strombolian) and thus have featured prominently in the education of geologists for more than 200 years. The site continues to enrich the field of vulcanology." (AB ev)
  • Great Spa Towns of Europe
    Great Spa Towns of Europe
    Austria, Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 2021
    3.28
    442
    16
    – "The Great Spas of Europe exhibits an important interchange of innovative ideas that influenced the development of medicine, balneology and leisure activities from around 1700 to the 1930s." (Official description) "At their scientific core, spa doctors, physicians and balneologists brought forward advances in medicine, medical diagnostics and analytical chemistry of world significance. (...) The springs, and their geological and hydrological characteristics, also became the subject of seminal works, too". (Nomination File, p. 68)
  • Fortifications of Vauban
    Inscribed: 2008
    3.00
    264
    18
    Four solaire de Mont-Louis: The Mont-Louis Solar Furnace, is the world's first solar furnace, built in 1949, by engineer Felix Trombe
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Epidaurus
    Inscribed: 1988
    3.34
    242
    12
    Development of Medicine
  • Chaîne des Puys
    Inscribed: 2018
    2.85
    102
    5
    In 1648, Florin Périer, at the urging of Blaise Pascal, proved Evangelista Torricelli's theory that barometric observations were caused by the weight of air by measuring the height of a column of mercury at three elevations on Puy de Dôme. (wiki)
  • Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
    Inscribed: 1984
    4.41
    179
    9
    Burgess shale was the site where the Ediacaran explosion hypothesis was postulated, ending one of paleontology's biggest mysteries.
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Fray Bentos
    Inscribed: 2015
    2.79
    36
    5
    first place where beef extract was industrially applied