Five Serbian monasteries and three churches are enlisted at the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List. Another five sites have been put forward and are waiting to be included.
Among several hundreds of monasteries and churches, five monasteries and three churches from the Middle ages are enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List (UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Protected monasteries are Djurdjevi stupovi, Sopoćani, Studenica, Visoki Dečani and Gračanica, while among the churches the church of The Patriarchate of Peć, Bogorodica Ljeviška and the Church of Holy Apostles Peter and Paul near the town of Novi Pazar.
The complex of Stari Ras (eng. The Old Ras), which includes the monasteries Sopoćani and Đurđevi stupovi, as well as the Church of Holy Apostles Peter and Paul near the town of Novi Pazar, the oldest active church in Serbia, was included in UNESCO World Heritage Sites List in 1979.
Seven years later the Studenica monastery was added, followed by the Visoki Dečani monastery in 2004. Two years later the monasteries Gračanica, the Patriarchate of Peć and the church Bogorodica Ljeviška, all situated in Kosovo, were added to the list.
In 2007 the site Gamzigrad-Felix Romuliana-Palace of Galerius, near the town of Zaječar, were also included into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List .
Serbia has put forward for inclusion another five sites, Justiniana prima (Caričin grad, eng. Empress’s town), the Manasija monastery, Bač and Smederevo (cities-fortresses on the Danube), and Rajačke pimnice (Rajac breweries) near the town of Negotin.
Restoration of the Smederevo fortress, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe, and Bač, the oldest and best preserved medieval fortified complex in Vojvodina, are presently active.
As part of the UNESCO “Memory of the World” program, Nikola Tesla’s Archive (2003) and the Miroslav Gospel (2005) have been added to the World Documentary Heritage register.
The list of protected properties of natural value, enlisting about 150 places of outstanding value, include 5 national parks, 10 parks of nature, 14 areas of outstanding features, 72 nature reserves.
Serbia has also supported the nomination of 30 necropolises with stećci, most of which is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and some in Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia.
