Last reviewed: 2nd May 2024 | Next review due: 2nd May 2025
There are 41 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Northern Europe spread across four countries; Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. These countries, along with Iceland, make up Scandinavia.
Denmark boasts an impressive collection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Explore cultural wonders like Kronborg Castle, Shakespeare's Hamlet inspiration, or delve into Viking history with the newly added ring fortresses. Witness stunning natural beauty at the Wadden Sea National Park, a shared treasure with Germany and the Netherlands.
For the purpose of this blog, we've only included sites in mainland Denmark.
Cultural 8 | Natural 3 | Mixed 0
Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church
Cultural, 1994 Jelling
Culturally and historically important carved stones dating back to the 10th century, erected by King Gorm the Old in memory of his wife, and King Gorm's son, Harald Bluetooth, in memory of his parents. The stones are often associated with the founding of Denmark. The stones are housed in glass casing to protect them from weathering and damage, keeping them at a controlled temperature.
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Roskilde Cathedral
Cultural, 1995 Roskilde
Considered the most important church in Denmark, it is the official royal burial church of the Danish Royal Family. Construction began in the year 1200, and is the oldest surviving example of gothic architecture in the country although later alterations and extensions mean the building is a mix of different styles including Dutch Renaissance, Neoclassicism, Byzantine Revival and Modernist.
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Kronborg Castle
Cultural, 2000 Helsingør
Perhaps better known as Elsinore, immortalised in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Kronborg Castle is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was constructed by King Eric Vll in the 1420s, radically transformed in the late 1500s, destroyed by a fire in 1658 and used as an army base from 1785 to 1923, after which it was renovated and opened to the public.
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Stevns Klint
Natural, 2014 Stevns
At first glimpse, the rocky cliff looks unremarkable but this white chalk cliff face was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its geological importance. It is one of the best exposed Cretaceous-Paleogene boundaries in the world - in simple terms, these cliffs show the end of one historical period and mark the beginning of another through fossilised remains.
The Wadden Sea is the largest unbroken system of tidal sand and mud flats in the world, with tidal channels, sandy shoals, sea-grass meadows, mussel beds, sandbars, mudflats, salt marshes, estuaries, beaches and dunes. The area is home to numerous plant and animal species, including marine mammals such as the harbour seal, grey seal and harbour porpoise.
Located in southern Denmark sits Christiansfeld, a small community of just over 3,000 (2021 population). The settlement was founded in 1773 by the Moravian Church - one of the oldest denominations of Protestant Christianity, and listed as a UNESCO site in 2015 for its excellent town planning and architecture.
Cultural, 2015 Store Dyrehave, Gribskov, Jægersborg Dyrehave, Jægersborg Hegn
Located about 30 km northeast of Copenhagen, this cultural landscape encompasses the two hunting forests of Store Dyrehave and Gribskov, as well as the hunting park of Jægersborg Hegn/Jægersborg Dyrehave. This is a designed landscape where Danish kings and their court practiced par force hunting, or hunting with hounds, which reached its peak between the 17th and the late 18th centuries, when the absloute monarchs transformed it into a landscape of power.
These five archaeological sites comprise a system of monumental ring-shaped Viking-Age fortresses sharing a uniform geometric design, each positioned strategically near important land and sea routes. They are an emblematic demonstration of the centralised power of the Jelling Dynasty.
Finland boasts seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, showcasing the country's rich history, culture, and natural wonders. Explore the charming, medieval wooden town of Old Rauma, or delve into Finnish ingenuity at the Verla Groundwood and Board Mill, a monument to early industrialisation.
Cultural 6 | Natural 1 | Mixed 0
Old Rauma
Cultural, 1991 Rauma
Nestled in the centre of Rauma, a town in the south west of Finland with a population of 39,000, lies the old town centre; a network of medieval cobbled streets lined with 600 or so pastel-painted wooden houses, the oldest dating from the 18th century. Although much of the complex was destroyed in fires in the 1600s, the original layouts remain, and all were rebuilt. Residential buildings were built along the main streets, while factories, mills and other ancillary buildings are situated in narrow side streets.
Built in the second half of the 18th century by Sweden on a group of islands located at the entrance of Helsinki's harbour, this fortress is an especially interesting example of European military architecture of the time.
Wooden churches were common in northern Europe and the Baltic states during the medieval period and often demonstrated influences from different styles including Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. Petäjävesi Old Church was build between 1763 and 1765, with the bell tower added in 1821 and still has an active communion although it did fall out of favour in 1879 when a new church was built. Sitting abandoned for many years, it wasn't until the 1920s that renovations begun, bringing the church back to its former glory and eventually leading to its inclusion in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Verla groundwood and board mill and its associated residential area is an outstanding, remarkably well-preserved example of the small-scale rural industrial settlements associated with pulp, paper and board production that flourished in northern Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Only a handful of such settlements survive to the present day.
This Bronze Age burial site features more than 30 granite burial cairns, providing a unique insight into the funerary practices and social and religious structures of northern Europe more than three millennia ago.
High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago Natural, 2006 Kvarken
The Kvarken Archipelago is a collection of small, mostly uninhabited islands in the narrowest part of the Gulf of Bothnia - the body of water that lies between Finland and Sweden. It sits between the Bothnia Sea to the south and Bothnia Bay to the north. It was added to the UNESCO register for its outstanding demonstration of isostatic uplift, and the influence of glacial retreat on the evolution of landforms and topography.
From the dramatic beauty of the Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord to the charming Bryggen wharf and the ancient rock art of Alta, these sites showcase Norway's rich cultural and natural heritage. Explore historical sites like the Røros Mining Town and the Urnes Stave Church.
Cultural 7 | Natural 1 | Mixed 0
Urnes Stave Church
Cultural, 1979 Sogn og Fjordane
The wooden church of Urnes stands in the natural setting of Sogn og Fjordane. It was built in the 12th and 13th centuries and is an outstanding example of traditional Scandinavian wooden architecture. It brings together traces of Celtic art, Viking traditions and Romanesque structures.
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Bryggen
Cultural, 1979 Hordaland
Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen, is a reminder of the town’s importance as part of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century. Many fires, the last in 1955, have ravaged the characteristic wooden houses of Bryggen. Today, some 62 buildings remain of this former townscape.
Røros Mining Town is linked to the copper mines, established in the 17th century and exploited for 333 years until 1977. Completely rebuilt after its destruction by Swedish troops in 1679, Røros contains about 2000 wooden houses and a smelting house. Many of these buildings have preserved their blackened wooden façades, giving the town a medieval appearance.
You can find these rock paintings in the Alta Fjord, close to the Arctic Circle and they look pretty good for their age! Dating back to 4200BC, they provide scientists and historians with precise information on the environment and human activities during that period. The site is Norway's only prehistoric site and is now an open-air museum.
The archipelago is made up of around 6,500 small islands in the Norwegian Sea and was added to the UNESCO register for its long, traditional and frugal way of life in inhospitable conditions. The islands have been inhabited since the Stone Age and humans have relied on fishing and the harvesting of the down (feathers) of eider ducks.
West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord
Natural, 2005 Møre og Romsdal and Sogn og Fjordane
The West Norwegian Fjords are the most visited tourist sites in Norway, and they hold the titles of longest and deepest fjords, and the most scenically outstanding in the world.
Located in a dramatic landscape of mountains, waterfalls and river valleys, the site comprises hydroelectric power plants, transmission lines, factories, transport systems and towns. The Vemork Hydroelectric Power Station opened in 1911 and at the time it was the largest power plant in the world with a capacity of 108MW. It later became the world's first plant to mass-produce heavy water.
Struve Geodetic Arc Cultural, 2005 Finnmark (shared with Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine)
Sweden
Sweden boasts a rich history and diverse natural beauty, recognised by UNESCO with 15 remarkable World Heritage Sites. Explore the grand Royal Palace of Drottningholm, or delve into Viking history at Birka. Marvel at the well-preserved medieval town of Visby, a testament to the Hanseatic League's influence. Sweden's stunning landscapes are also celebrated, from the dramatic High Coast archipelago to the vast Laponian Area, a haven for indigenous Sami culture.
Cultural 13 | Natural 1 | Mixed 1
Royal Domain of Drottningholm
Cultural, 1991 Stockholm
Drottningholm is the private residence of the Swedish Royal Family, built on the island of Lovön, just outside of Stockholm. Construction started in the 16th century with the palace serving as the main summer residence of the monarchy throughout the 18th century. From 1818 the palace was left abandoned in favour of more modern royal palaces as reigning King Charles XlV John of Sweden regarded the building as a symbol of the old dynasty. When Oscar l of Sweden became king, he began renovating and modernising Drottningholm, drawing criticism for not restoring the palace to its original state. It was, however, restored to its former glory in 1907 and the monarchy returned to palace shortly after. It is a major tourist attraction and open to the public.
Once a bustling Viking trading centre, Birka and Hovgården flourished for more than 200 years, handling shipments from across Scandinavia, central and eastern Europe and the Orient. Much archaeological work has been done, leading to its UNESCO classification.
Iron production has been present at this site since at least the 13th century, with local people traditionally mining the ore and producing the iron using primitive techniques. The complex was modernised in the 16th century and production ramped up in the following decades. It was added to UNESCO in 1993, with UNESCO representatives remarking "Sweden's production of superior grades of iron made it a leader in this field in the 17th and 18th centuries. This site is the best-preserved and most complete example of this type of Swedish ironworks".
Scrawled on over 600 panels, and featuring thousands of carvings, the Tanum petroglyphs are distinctive in that there are such a high concentration of them. The carvings were first discovered in 1627 and date back to the Scandinavian Bronze and Iron Ages. Many of the glyphs depict boats, wagons or carts, or humans with a bow, spear or axe.
Skogskyrkogården is a cemetery located in southern Stockholm, designed by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz as part of an international competition in 1915 for the design of a new cemetery. Its design is that of Nordic Classicism and Functionalism - serving its purpose and solely its purpose. The architects designed the entire complex from the layout to the light fixtures in the chapel. Notable interments include Swedish football legend Lennart Skoglund and Swedish-born American Hollywood actress Greta Garbo.
A former Viking site on the island of Gotland, Visby was the main centre of the Hanseatic League in the Baltic from the 12th to the 14th century. The Hanseatic League was an influential medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in central and northern Europe. Visby is often regarded as the best-preserved medieval city in Scandinavia.
Gammelstad is a typical example of a church village, once common throughout Scandinavia. Around 420 small wooden houses huddle around the central church and would've housed worshippers on Sundays and religious days who had travelled to the church from surrounding towns and villages, and who couldn't easily return home the same day.
The Laponian Area is a large mountainous wildlife area in the Lapland Province of northern Sweden. It is home to the Saami people and is the largest area in the world (and one of the last) with an ancestral way of life based on the seasonal movement of livestock.
Karlskrona is the largest naval base in Sweden, with two of Sweden's three warfare flotillas moored there. It is an outstanding example of a late-17th-century European planned naval city with the original plan and many of the buildings surviving.
The Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland covers more than 56,000 hectares (140,000 acres), much of it dominated by a vast limestone plateau. Human beings have lived here for some five thousand years and adapted their way of life to the physical constraints of the island. As a consequence, the landscape is unique, with abundant evidence of continuous human settlement from prehistoric times to the present day.
The Falun Mine operated for a millennium from the 10th century to 1992. During its operational years, it providing Europe with as much as two thirds of its copper, with much of its profits during its peak helping fund Sweden's war efforts in the 17th century. In 1881 gold was discovered leading to a short-lived gold rush.
Built between 1922 and 1924, Grimeton was an early longwave transatlantic wireless telegraphy station. In its early years it was primarily used to transmit telegram traffic via Morse code to North America, and was Sweden's only telecommunication link with the rest of the world during the Second World War. Although not still in operation, all its equipment still works and it is the only surviving example of a major transmitting station based on pre-electronic technology.
The farmhouses of Hälsingland are an example of a traditional Swedish construction technique in the old farming society in Hälsingland. From the exterior the buildings are pretty but rather unremarkable, but on closer inspection once can observe elegantly profiled joinery work around windows and beautifully decorated doorways, mainly representing the construction style of the 19th century. Inside the walls are painted elaborately by painters, including known and unknown itinerant artists.
Ben deals with all things design, working on the visual design of our annual guides, Destinations magazine, information leaflets, social media and email campaigns, and much more across the Alan Rogers, Rallies and Worldwide brands. He also produces written content for our blogs alongside our other contributors.
Deeply ingrained in Britain's culture and history, the UK's UNESCO sites demonstrate pioneering Victorian industrial heritage and mining culture. Devon's Jurassic Coast and Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway make up the share of natural sites.
Western Europe is home to Europe's powerhouse nations; Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Together they host over 120 UNESCO sites between them, the remaining sites are scattered across Austria, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
We will be covering over 450 of Europe's UNESCO sites over four blogs; sorted into northern, southern, western and central/eastern Europe starting with the northern states. We hope to inspire more people to visit more UNESCO sites when travelling.
Europe is home to over 450 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Southern Europe alone has over 130. We'll be journeying through Greece, Vatican City, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Malta this week, so hold on tight!
