German abbey on UNESCO list

The Imperial Abbey of Corvey, located on the Weser River in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, was named to the list at a meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Doha on Saturday.

The Abbey (pictured above) was founded in the year 822 under the patronage of Louis the Pious, son of Frankish King Charlemagne, in what was then the Duchy of Saxony. It was the only structure nominated by Germany for this year's Heritage Committee meeting.

The Abbey became Germany's 39th site on the World Heritage List, joining the likes of Cologne Cathedral, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley and the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in the south-western city of Trier.

Other new entries

Also added to the World Heritage List on Saturday were historical monuments and sites in South America, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands.

The ancient Inca road system Qhapaq Nan, which spans six countries in South America, was among them, as was Irbil Citadel in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.

The Tomioka Silk Mill near Tokyo, which was established in 1872 was selected as it illustrated "Japan's desire to rapidly adopt the best mass production techniques."

The Saudi port city of Jeddah was added to the list due to its role as an important Red Sea trade route during its history of more than 2,500 years.

Also added to the list was the Van Nellefabriek north-west of the Dutch city of Rotterdam. The 1920s-era building "bears witness to the long commercial and industrial history of the Netherlands in the field of importation and processing of food products," a UNESCO statement said.

The 38th session of the Heritage Committee convened last Sunday and is to continue meeting through Wednesday. Delegates have been considering about 40 sites nominated for inclusion on the list.

pfd/se (dpa, AFP)