Monuments of civil engineering and the World Heritage List

Abstract

Throughout history, civil engineers have created many admirable and long-lasting works that may rightly be considered a treasury of the merits and monumental highlights of their profession. Few of these buildings and constructions are regarded by official national, international and professional associations as deserving protection. The most important cornerstone for the protection of monuments is their identification, appreciation and eventual inscription in protection programmes such as the World Heritage List. The fact that few monuments have made it onto the list is not due to any lack of constructions that merit the civil engineering profession’s esteem, but reflects instead how little promotion engineering achievements receive. This paper focuses on the monuments of civil engineering that have been declared World Heritage Sites by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and outlines possible candidates deemed worthy of protection.