The World Monuments Watch is a flagship advocacy program of the New York–based private non-profit organization World Monuments Fund (WMF) and American Express aimed at identifying and preserving the world’s most important endangered cultural landmarks. It targets selected sites for immediate action, to call attention to the need for innovative approaches to protect threatened sites throughout the world.

Selection process

Every two years, the program publishes a select list known as the Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites that is in urgent need of preservation funding and protection. The sites are nominated by governments, private organizations active in the field of heritage conservation, and concerned individuals. An independent panel of international experts then convene to evaluate and select 100 candidates from these entries to be part of the Watch List, based on the significance of the urgency of its situation, the viability of proposed remedies, and the site's overall significance. WMF and American Express award grants to sites included on the Watch List through the WMF Fund, which is composed of donations from corporate, individual and foundation sponsors. These grants are meant to support activities such as strategic planning, emergency and technical assistance, educational and local fund raising programs, and conservation treatment.

1996 Watch List

The 1996 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites was launched on August 4, 1995.

List by country/territory

Brazil's Serra da Capivara National Park has the largest concentration of prehistoric small farms on the continent.
The Churches of Chiloé in Chile are a unique architectural phenomenon in the Americas and one of the most prominent buildings of Chilota architecture.
The temples of the Angkor area in Cambodia comprise the most significant site of Khmer architecture.
The historic center of Split, centered on Diocletian’s splendid palace, is today the cultural heart of the Croatian city.
India’s Taj Mahal is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture.
Borobudur, a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage, is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.
In 2003, UNESCO proclaimed the White City in Tel Aviv, Israel a World Heritage Site, as "an outstanding example of new town planning and architecture in the early 20th century."
The Ibn Danan synagogue contains perhaps the only complete set of Moroccan synagogue fittings in existence.
Typhoon Nadia in 1994 and an influx of refugees escaping civil war on the mainland have strained the already stressed architectural environment of Mozambique Island.
Russia’s Alexander Palace is primarily known as the favoured residence of the last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II, and his family.
The Church of the Holy Ascension played a significant role in evangelizing the indigenous people in then Russian Alaska.
Number[A]Country/TerritorySite[B]Location[C]Period[C]
1AlbaniaButrint Archaeological SiteSarande8th century BC–18th century AD
2ArgentinaSan Ignacio MiníSan Ignacio17th century
3AustriaBelvedere GardensVienna1700–1721
4AustriaFranciscan ChurchVienna1603–1742
5BarbadosMorgan Lewis Sugar MillSt. Andrew18th century
6BelgiumTour and Taxis (transport hub)Brussels1897–1907
7BelizeEl Pilar Archaeological ReserveBelize River Area5th century BC–10th century AD
8BeninRoyal Palaces of AbomeyAbomey1645–1906
9Bosnia and HerzegovinaVillage of PočiteljPočitelj1444–present
10BrazilSerra da Capivara National ParkSao Raimundo Nonato, PiauiStone Age
11BulgariaMadara HorsemanKaspichan8th–9th century
12CambodiaAngkor Archaeological DistrictSiem Reap9th–13th century
13ChileChurches of ChiloeChiloe Archipelago17th–20th century
14ChileElevators of ValparaisoValparaiso1883–1915
15ChileOrongoEaster Island15th–18th century
16ChinaLiao Dynasty SiteChi Feng City, Inner Mongolia916–1125
17ChinaNamseling ManorDrachi, Tibet14th century
18ChinaSan Xing Dui SiteGuang Han City, Sichuan Province5th–3rd millennium BC
19CroatiaLopud Franciscan MonasteryDubrovnik-Neretva County1400–1430
20CroatiaOld City HarborDubrovnik13th–19th century
21CroatiaSplit Historic CenterSplit295–present
22CroatiaVillage of TvrđaOsijek1730–present
23CubaConvent of Santa Clara of AssisiSanta Clara1638–1644
24Czech RepublicČeský Krumlov GardenČeský Krumlov1550–1575
25Czech RepublicKladruby Benedictine MonasteryKladruby1115–1775
26EcuadorChurch of the CompañiaQuito1605–1765
27EgyptQa'itbay Sebil (Fountain House)Cairo1477–1478
28FranceChateau AqueductCastelnau-Pegayrolles11th century
29FranceSaint-Emilion Monolithic ChurchSaint-Emilion11th–15th century
30GeorgiaPitareti Monastic ComplexTetritskaro District1216–1222
31GermanyFestspielhaus HellerauDresden Hellerau1911
32GreeceEtz Hayim SynagogueHania, Crete15th–19th century
33GuyanaMoruka-Waini Cultural LandscapeWarao Settlements5th millennium BC
34HungaryRoyal Garden PavilionsBudapest1875–1882
35IndiaJaisalmer FortRajasthan12th century
36IndiaTaj MahalAgra1632–1643
37IndonesiaBorobudurCentral Java9th century
38IrelandClonmacnoise New GraveyardCounty Offaly6th–13th century
39IsraelGemeindehausGerman Colony, Haifa1869
40IsraelThe White CityTel Aviv1930–1939
41ItalyAncient PompeiiNaples1st century BC–AD 79
42ItalyBartolomeo Colleoni MonumentVenice1488–1496
43ItalyGarden of Villa Medici at CastelloFlorence1500–1799
44ItalyGrottos of San MicheleSalerno8th–9th century
45ItalyNeopitagorica BasilicaRome1st century
46ItalyNero's Palace (Domus Aurea)RomeAD 64
47ItalyRuins on the River CentaAlbenga (Savona)1st century BC–1st century AD
48ItalySan Giacomo Maggiore PorticoBologna1477–1481
49ItalySanta Maria in StelleVerona2nd–5th century
50ItalySts. Ambrogio and Carlo al CorsoRome1612–1685
51ItalyTemple of HerculesForum Boarium, Rome179–142 BC
52JordanPetra Archaeological SiteWadi Mousa1st–6th century
53JordanSouthern TemplePetra, Wadi Mousa, Petra100–599
54LaosVat SisaketVientiane1819–25
55LatviaAbava Valley Cultural LandscapeKurzeme13th–19th century
56LebanonAncient TyreTyre3rd millennium BC–Present
57MaliDjenne-Djeno Archaeological SiteDjenne3rd century BC–13th century AD
58MexicoChurch of Jesus NazarenoAtotonilco, Guanajuato1740–1776
59MexicoModern Mural Paintingsvarious cities1920–1950
60MexicoSan Juan de Ulua FortVeracruz1535–1786
61MexicoYucatan Indian ChapelsYucatan Peninsula16th–18th century
62MongoliaBogd Khaan Palace MuseumUlaanbaatar1893–1903
63MoroccoMedieval SijilmassaRissani757–1393
64MoroccoRabbi Shlomo Ibn Danan and Mansano SynagoguesFez17th century
65MozambiqueMozambique IslandNampula Province16th century – present
66NepalGombas of Upper MustangLo Manthang, Mustang15th century
67NepalTeku Thapatali Monument ZoneKathmandu18th–19th century
68NorwayVaga Old ChurchVagamo, Oppland12th century, 1625–1630
69PakistanTamba WariIndus River Delta, Sindh11th century
70PeruCusco Historic CenterCusco13th–17th century
71PeruMurals of Allauca ChurchRapaz17th century
72PhilippinesAngono PetroglyphsRizal3rd millennium BC
73PolandDebno Parish ChurchNowy Targ15th century
74PolandOur Lady's Assumption BasilicaKraków13th–14th century
75PolandProzna StreetWarsaw1881–1912
76PortugalCôa Valley PetroglyphsVila Nova de Foz CôaStone Age
77RomaniaConstantin Brâncuși's Endless ColumnTârgu Jiu1937–1938
78RomaniaRoman Catholic ChurchGhelinţa13th century
79RussiaAlexander PalaceTsarskoye Selo, St. Petersburg1792–1796
80RussiaKizhi PogostKizhi Island, Lake Onega18th century
81RussiaPaanajarvi VillageKemi Province14th century – present
82SpainMoorish Houses of GranadaGranada14th–16th century
83SurinameJodensavanne Archaeological SiteRedi Doti1660–1830
84TanzaniaKilwa Kisiwani Portuguese FortLindi Region13th–15th century
85ThailandAyuttaya and other flooded sites along Chao Praya RiverCentral Thailand14th–18th century
86TurkeyAni Archaeological SiteOcarli Koyu, Kars3rd–14th century
87TurkeyÇatalhöyükCumra, Konya10th millennium BC
88TurkeyHagia SophiaIstanbulAD 532–563
89UkraineAncient ChersonesosSevastopol, Crimea5th century BC–15th century AD
90United StatesAdobe Missions of New MexicoNew Mexico17th–20th century
91United StatesChaco Culture National Historic ParkMcKinley County, New Mexico900–1150
92United StatesEastern State PenitentiaryPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania1822–1836
93United StatesEllis IslandNew York, New York1892–1954
94United StatesGolden Gate Park ConservatorySan Francisco, California1876–1878
95United StatesHoly Ascension ChurchUnalaska, Alaska1826–1896
96United StatesLafayette Cemetery No. 1New Orleans, Louisiana1833–present
97VietnamMinh Mang TombHuế1840
98VietnamMy Son Temple DistrictDuy Xuyen District3rd–12th century
99YugoslaviaSubotica SynagogueSubotica1902
100ZimbabweKhami National MonumentBulawayoMid-15th century – mid-17th century

Statistics by country/territory

The following countries/territories have multiple sites entered on the 1996 Watch List, listed by the number of sites:

Number of sitesCountry/Territory
11Italy
7United States of America
4Croatia and Mexico
3Chile, China, Poland, Russia and Turkey
2Austria, Czech Republic, France, India, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, Romania and Vietnam

Notes

^ A. Numbers list only meant as a guide on this article. No official reference numbers have been designated for the sites on the Watch List. ^ B. Names and spellings used for the sites were based on the official . ^ C. The references to the sites' locations were based on the official .

External links