UNESCO World Heritage – Summer-Ends.de

2026-01-032026-01-03

2025 Egypt – Day 12 – Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is one of the most iconic archaeological sites in Egypt, located near the southern border with Sudan in the region of Nubia, about 280 kilometers southwest of Aswan. The site is famous for its two massive rock-cut temples, built by Pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BCE to commemorate his reign, military victories, and divine status.

The temples of Abu Simbel were carved directly into a sandstone cliff facing the Nile and are renowned for their colossal statues, intricate interior reliefs, and astronomical alignment. They are dedicated to the gods Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, and to Ramses himself, as a deified ruler.

2025-12-20

2024 Italy – Siena

Siena is a historic city in central Italy, located in the Tuscany region approximately 70 kilometres south of Florence. It is situated on a series of hills overlooking the Tuscan countryside and forms part of a broader landscape of rolling ridges, river valleys, and agricultural land. Siena is renowned for its exceptionally well-preserved medieval urban fabric and has maintained a strong continuity of historical layout, architecture, and civic identity. The city functions today as a regional cultural, educational, and tourism center, while retaining a relatively compact scale and a close relationship to its surrounding rural landscape. Siena’s urban form is characterized by dense stone buildings, narrow streets, and a central civic space that reflects its medieval origins.

2025-12-20

2024 Italy – Porto Venere

Porto Venere is a historic coastal town in northwestern Italy, located at the eastern edge of the Ligurian coast near the Gulf of La Spezia. It lies at the transition between the open Ligurian Sea and the sheltered waters of the gulf, directly opposite the islands of Palmaria, Tino, and Tinetto. The town is built on a steep rocky promontory, with densely packed buildings rising above the harbor and cliffs dropping sharply into the sea. Porto Venere forms part of the cultural landscape of eastern Liguria and is closely connected to maritime activity, coastal defense, and seafaring traditions. Its dramatic setting, where urban fabric, cliffs, and sea are tightly interwoven, gives the town a distinct character shaped by both natural and human forces.

2025-12-20

2024 Italy – Florence

Florence is a historic city in central Italy and the capital of the Tuscany region. It is situated in the Arno River valley, surrounded by rolling hills that form part of the northern Apennine landscape. Florence is internationally recognized as one of the most important cultural and artistic centers in Europe and is widely regarded as the birthplace of the Renaissance. The city’s urban fabric is characterized by dense historic architecture, monumental public spaces, bridges across the Arno, and a compact historic core that contrasts with surrounding suburban and rural areas. Florence functions as a major center for tourism, education, art conservation, and regional administration, while also maintaining a strong identity shaped by its historical continuity and landscape setting.

2025-12-202025-12-20

2024 Scotland – Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of the most historically and culturally significant urban centers in the United Kingdom. It is located on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth on Scotland’s east coast and forms part of the Central Belt, the country’s primary population and economic corridor. The city is characterized by a dramatic natural setting shaped by volcanic landforms, coastal influences, and glacial processes. Edinburgh combines a medieval Old Town, a neoclassical New Town, extensive green spaces, and a modern metropolitan area. It serves as Scotland’s political, legal, educational, and cultural capital, hosting key institutions such as the Scottish Parliament, major universities, and national cultural bodies. The city’s layout and skyline are strongly influenced by its topography, with elevated ridges, extinct volcanic hills, and low-lying coastal plains defining its structure.

2025-12-182025-12-18

2023 Madeira – Day 6

Madeira is the principal island of the Madeira Archipelago, an autonomous region of Portugal located in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Geographically and biogeographically, Madeira belongs to the Macaronesian island group, alongside the Azores, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde. The island rises steeply from the surrounding deep-sea basin and exhibits exceptionally high relief energy, with elevations ranging from sea level to over 1,800 meters within short horizontal distances.

2025-12-17

2023 Madeira – Day 3

Levada dos Cedros Region – General Overview

The Levada dos Cedros region is located in the northwestern highlands of Madeira, primarily within the municipality of Porto Moniz, near the Fanal plateau. The area forms part of Madeira’s extensive levada network and lies within a largely intact mountainous interior characterized by high humidity, frequent cloud cover, and limited permanent settlement. The region is situated at elevations generally exceeding 900 meters above sea level and is strongly influenced by orographic and Atlantic climatic processes.