The United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural...

If you are a fan of history, then the UK has a stunning number of heritage destinations. The rich culture of the misty island has even resulted in a number of listings in the World Heritage Program. VoucherBin looked at the favourite UK World Heritage Sites and the reasons these destinations are such a good destination for a visit. What are World Heritage Sites? The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) keeps a list of sights that have special cultural or physical significance. The list is conducted by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which is composed of 21 UNESCO member states. These member states rotate and are elected by the UN General Assembly. As mentioned above, the program catalogues,†¦show more content†¦The most recent addition was the inclusion of Forth Bridge in 2015. 5 stunning World Heritage Sites you should visit It’s quite a difficult task to pick the best heritage sites from a wide selection of 25. But we wanted to make sure the attractions include a site from each of the countries in the UK: from Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Island. We also added a bonus attraction from the capital city of the UK, London. Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire, England Fountains Abbey is among the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. The abbey was founded in 1131, after 13 monks were expelled from the St Mary’s Abbey in York. The Archbishop of York, Thurstan, provided these monks refuge and a small piece of land, where they set the monastery. The monastery grew in size over the years, with the precinct covering around 70 acres of land. The abbey operated for over 400 years, closing in 1539 when Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Fountains Abbey was among the first UK entries on the UNESCO World Heritage site list. It was added on 1986, as a cultural site. Why visit Fountains Abbey: Fountains Abbey is a stunning attraction to visit and to learn about life in monasteries – something which was one central to the way of life on the island. The vast location offers plenty of things to see; you can visit indoor museums and spend time outdoors taking in the stunning views across the ruins.