Forth Bridge to be made World Heritage Site
THE Forth Bridge is set to join international landmarks such as the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal by becoming a World Heritage Site.
The plans are set to be approved when the World Heritage Committee meets in Bonn, Germany, at the end of next month.
It has been recommended by Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) advisers, and papers for next month’s international meeting now include a draft decision to inscribe the Forth Bridge as a World Heritage Site.
The Scottish Government said it has worked with Network Rail and Historic Scotland to make the case for the rail bridge being awarded the status.
It would mean the rail bridge, which opened in 1890, would become Scotland’s sixth world heritage site after St Kilda, the Antonine Wall, the old and new towns of Edinburgh and New Lanark.
World Heritage Sites are considered to be important for future generations due to their natural or cultural significance.
More than 1,000 sites currently have the Unesco status, including the Acropolis in Athens, Mount Etna, the Great Barrier Reef, the Great Wall of China, the Kremlin, Vatican City and the Taj Mahal.
Scotland’s Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “Together with Network Rail, Transport Scotland and the other partners in the Forth Bridges Forum, Historic Scotland has prepared a compelling nomination which presents a strong case for the bridge’s outstanding universal value.
“This is accompanied by a management plan which outlines how the bridge will be maintained in the future, together with ways in which the benefits of world heritage inscription can be maximised.”