Québec, Canada, July 2, 2009. Gathered in Sevilla, (Spain) from June 22 to 30, the World Heritage Committee inscribed 3 new cities on the UNESCO List, which have within their boundaries listed Word Heritage Sites. "It is a great honour as well as a great privilege to welcome new members in the large family of World Heritage Cities; each and every one of those cities and towns bear such an exceptional value that its preservation is now a matter of concern to the whole world; they are treasures that enrich our collective memory and new places for everyone to visit and discover" said Mr. Denis Ricard, Secretary General of the Organization.

The new members are:

Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande (Cape Verde). The town of Ribeira Grande, renamed Cidade Velha in the late 18th century, was the first European colonial outpost in the tropics. Located in the south of the island of Santiago, the town features some of the original street layout impressive remains including two churches, a royal fortress and Pillory Square with its ornate 16th-century marble pillar.

• Blog: Cidade Velha – Candidata a Património Mundial >>
• Registration on the UNESCO List>>

La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle watchmaking town-planning (Switzerland) consists ofth century, after extensive fires, the towns owed their existence to this single industry. Their layout along an open-ended scheme of parallel strips on which residential housing and workshops are intermingled reflects the needs of the local watch-making culture that dates to the 17th century and is still alive today. The site presents outstanding examples of mono-industrial manufacturing-towns which are well preserved and still active. The urban planning of both towns has accommodated the transition from the artisanal production of a cottage industry to the more concentrated factory production of the late 19th and 20th centuries. The town of La Chaux-de-Fonds was described by Karl Marx as a “huge factory-town” in Das Kapital where he analyzed the division of labour in the watch-making industry of the Jura. two towns situated close to one another in a remote environment in the Swiss Jura mountains, on land ill-suited to farming. Their planning and buildings reflect watch-makers’ need of rational organization.

• Visit Website of the cities>>
• Registration on the UNESCO World Heritage List >>

10th OWHC World Congress congrès “Quito 2009”
September 8-11, 2009
Visit http://www.ocpmquito.org