The Lake District World Heritage Site:
- In July 2017, 'The Lake District' becomes one of just over 1,000 World Heritage sites
- The UK's largest World Heritage site: 229,200 ha
- The UK's 31st UNESCO World Heritage site
- The only UK National Park that will be entirely a World Heritage site
- The UK's 5th cultural landscape World Heritage Site
- Cumbria's second World Heritage Site together with Hadrian's Wall
- One of eight World Heritage Sites looked after by the National Trust
About the bid:
The Lake District?s bid for World Heritage status was put together by the 25 partners that make up the Lake District National Park Partnership. Inscription is in the 'Cultural Landscapes' category. This reflects the three themes that underpin the bid:
Identity: The acknowledged beauty of the Lake District is the result of thousands of years of industry and agricultural development of the spectacular natural landscape of mountains, valleys, lakes and woodland. It is a cultural landscape of international significance.
Inspiration: The beauty of the Lake District inspired artists and writers of the Picturesque and Romantic movements and generated ideas about landscape that have had global influence.
Conservation: The Lake District has been enjoyed and valued by visitors for 250 years. Concern to protect it was the inspiration for the birth of the conservation movement, including the National Trust and protected areas including UK National Parks.
What our Tourist Board says:
Cumbria Tourism Chairman, Eric Robson, says: ?World Heritage status means that the Lake District becomes one of just over a thousand exclusive sites with this special stamp of recognition. Being a member of this exclusive club is a fantastic opportunity to communicate with new visitor markets across the globe and to raise awareness of the Lake District?s cultural and environmental assets. Of course, Cumbria already has a large part of the Hadrian?s Wall World Heritage Site, so this additional boost can only reinforce the county?s already strong reputation as a world class visitor destination.?