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  • 13/07/2025
Countries as diverse as Germany, France and Cambodia are celebrating the inclusion of historic sites on Unesco's world heritage list. It's an index of places across the globe that are considered to have outstanding universal values. This year's additions include ancient megaliths and a Bavarian castle that inspired Hollywood. The BBC's Tim Allman reports.
Transcript
00:00Countries as diverse as Germany, France and Cambodia are celebrating the inclusion of
00:05historic sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List. It's an index of places around the
00:10world that are considered to have outstanding universal values. This year's additions include
00:16ancient megaliths and a Bavarian castle that inspired Hollywood. The BBC's Tim Allman
00:21reports. It is as picture postcard perfect as you can get. Neuschwanstein Castle was built in the
00:35late 1800s by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, although he died before it was ever completed. A symbol of
00:43German romanticism, it's been the location for numerous films and was even the inspiration for
00:49Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland.
00:52It's part of the Bavarian identity because, of course, it's now become an image of Bavaria
01:01and Germany abroad. Because these castles are so powerful in their appearance, we could say
01:06iconic, and are also perfectly embedded in a beautiful landscape.
01:12The list is nothing if not diverse. Here in Cambodia this museum was once a prison, known
01:18as S21. It was used by the Khmer Rouge to torture and kill just some of the two million people
01:25who died during the country's genocide. Noong Champal was just a child when he was imprisoned
01:31here, along with his mother, who was later murdered.
01:35I feel so excited and so glad, he says. In the future this site will serve as a reminder
01:44to prevent such a thing from happening in Cambodia again.
01:51Jubilation in France, where traditional Breton music was played to celebrate UNESCO's decision
01:57to list the megaliths of Karnak. These ancient stones are a mystery. Who put them there and
02:04why remains unknown. But there's no mystery as to why UNESCO wants to see them preserved
02:10and protected for generations to come. Tim Ullman, BBC News.

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