Pretzien weir during opening, photographed from above with a drone

Candidates in Saxony-Anhalt

Becoming World Heritage

Unique and Worthy of Protection: UNESCO World Heritage Applicants

Before a site or building is recognized as an official UNESCO World Heritage Site, it undergoes a careful selection process. Candidates are places that the state or federal state believes to have "outstanding universal value" and could therefore be included in the World Heritage List – promising candidates, so to speak.

Saxony-Anhalt's candidates and Tentative List show that there are many places of great historical, technical or scenic importance that are worthy of international recognition and protection. This opens up the possibility that these treasures will one day become World Heritage Sites – for us and for future generations.

Pretzien Weir

Pretzien Weir

Silent hero of flood protection

Pretzien Weir
Francke Foundations Historic Orphanage

Francke Foundations

The "school town" of August Hermann Francke

Francke Foundations
Merseburg incantations in Merseburg Cathedral

Merseburg Incantations

Magic, sound & myth

Merseburg Incantations

What is the tentative list?

The so-called Tentative List is a country's official nomination list. Before a site can even be nominated, it must be on this list for at least one year. Only then may a formal application for inclusion on the World Heritage List be made.
A place on the Tentative List means intention, not guaranteed status – but nothing works without a Tentative List.

Who is currently nominated for Saxony-Anhalt?

The candidates from Saxony-Anhalt on the latest Tentative List currently include the Pretzien Weir near Schönebeck, the Francke Foundations in Halle (Saale) and the "Green Belt" application (with areas also in Saxony-Anhalt). The Merseburg Incantations have been nominated for the Memory of the World.

How does the procedure work?

A federal state proposes a site, which is initially placed on the national tentative list. After at least one year, a detailed nomination dossier is prepared and submitted to UNESCO. Expert committees then examine the application before the World Heritage Committee decides once a year whether to include the site on the World Heritage List.