UNESCO World Heritage

On December 9, 1995, Schokland became the first Dutch heritage site to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The former island and its surroundings provide an exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition that began in prehistory, evolving into a culture of island inhabitants, threatened by water and eventually evacuated in 1859. This tradition continued with the first settlers on the reclaimed land from the sea in 1942, who cultivated and built the new land.

The area is an exceptional example of a culture (or cultures), especially when it becomes vulnerable due to irreversible change. UNESCO awarded World Heritage status to the former island of Schokland and its surroundings because of the recognizable contours of the island, the (mostly agricultural) landscape on and around the former island, the built monuments, and the archaeological archive, which consists of 160 archaeological sites. These sites house a piece of Dutch habitation history from prehistory to the present, with the intact preservation of organic remains being particularly unique.

About UNESCO

UNESCO is best known for the World Heritage Convention and its associated World Heritage List. The 1972 convention aims to better preserve heritage of unique and universal value to humanity for future generations.

In addition to the protection that heritage sites receive by being placed on the World Heritage List, this status also promotes mutual understanding between cultures.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands currently has 13 World Heritage sites. Twelve are located in the Netherlands, and one is in Curaçao.