Belgium | World Heritage Explorer

Belgium has been a State Party to the World Heritage Convention since 1996. With 16 inscribed properties, the country is one of the more prominent contributors to the World Heritage List. The majority of its sites are cultural properties, reflecting a strong emphasis on historical and architectural heritage. Some of these properties are shared with neighboring countries, demonstrating cooperation across borders in heritage conservation.

Belgium as a State Party to the World Heritage Convention

State Party since: July 24, 1996

Status: Ratification

Mandates to the World Heritage Committee: 1999-2003, 2021-2025

Total of Mandate Years: 8

Total of Mandates: 2

WHC Electoral Group: I (Western Europe/North America)

World Heritage Sites in Belgium (16)

Cultural: 15 | Natural: 1 | Mixed: 0

Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe · Natural (Transboundary)
Belfries of Belgium and France · Cultural (Transboundary)
Colonies of Benevolence · Cultural (Transboundary)
Flemish Béguinages · Cultural
Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front) · Cultural (Transboundary)
Historic Centre of Brugge · Cultural
La Grand-Place, Brussels · Cultural
Major Mining Sites of Wallonia · Cultural
Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels) · Cultural
Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons) · Cultural
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai · Cultural
Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex · Cultural
Stoclet House · Cultural
The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement · Cultural (Transboundary)
The Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainaut) · Cultural
The Great Spa Towns of Europe · Cultural (Transboundary)

Map of World Heritage Sites

This interactive map shows the location of all UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Belgium.

Tentative World Heritage Sites (16)

Workers’ Assembly Halls · submitted: January 31, 2025
Les sites à fossiles néandertaliens de Wallonie · submitted: April 3, 2019
Hôpital Notre-Dame à La Rose - Lessines · submitted: April 3, 2019
Hoge Kempen Rural - Industrial Transition Landscape · submitted: May 25, 2011
Les passages de Bruxelles / Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert · submitted: April 8, 2008
L’œuvre architecturale d’Henry van de Velde · submitted: April 8, 2008
Le Palais de Justice de Bruxelles · submitted: April 8, 2008
Le plateau des Hautes-Fagnes · submitted: April 8, 2008
Le tronçon Bavay-Tongres de la chaussée romaine Boulogne-Cologne situe sur le territoire de la Région wallonne · submitted: April 8, 2008
Le palais de Princes Evêques de Liège · submitted: April 8, 2008
Le champ de bataille de Waterloo, la fin de l’épopée napoléonienne · submitted: April 8, 2008
Le Panorama de la Bataille de Waterloo, exemple particulièrement significatif de « Phénomène de Panoramas » · submitted: April 8, 2008
Les citadelles mosanes · submitted: April 8, 2008
Le noyau historique médiéval ou la 'Cuve' de Gand, et les deux abbayes qui sont à son origine · submitted: April 2, 2002
Noyau historique d'Antwerpen -Anvers- de l'Escaut aux anciens remparts de vers 1250 · submitted: April 2, 2002
Leuven/Louvain, bâtiments universitaires, l'héritage de six siècles au sein du centre historique · submitted: April 2, 2002

Source: UNESCO Tentative Lists

Country Profile Belgium

Official Name: Kingdom of Belgium

Continent: Europe

Subregion: Western Europe

UNESCO Region: Europe and North America

Capital: Brussels

Population (2024): 11,876,844

Land Area: 30,280 km²

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Country Data Sources

Links

UNESCO World Heritage Convention: State Party Belgium

About States Parties

States Parties are countries that have joined the World Heritage Convention. They commit to identifying, nominating, and protecting properties of outstanding cultural or natural value on their territory. States Parties are also expected to monitor and report on the condition of inscribed sites.

World Heritage Insights

How Politics and Institutions Shape the UNESCO World Heritage List

The UNESCO World Heritage List is usually seen as a catalogue of the world’s most important cultural and natural places. Yet behind every inscription there is a structured decision process: countries must first join the Convention, run for a seat on the World Heritage Committee, prepare nominations through a fixed procedure, and finally obtain enough votes for inscription.

World Heritage Info

Background

Learn about UNESCO, the World Heritage Convention, Tentative Lists, and how World Heritage Sites are selected and preserved. Explore the history, structures, and processes that protect humanity’s cultural and natural treasures.

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