UNESCO established 18 April as the International Day for Monuments and Sites in 1983. It aims to raise public awareness about the diversity and vulnerability of the world's built monuments and heritage sites and the efforts required to protect and conserve them.
The theme for 2014 is "Heritage of Commemoration"
Monuments and sites, including those more complex and diversified forms of heritage places such as living landscapes, are tangible carriers of the memory of a part of the human experience. Thus, through their authenticity and integrity, they contribute, in their way, to the commemoration and transmission of values which include history.
The theme provides an opportunity to present those constructions that have been intentionally created with the purpose of commemorating an event, a person, an idea, etc. This choice of theme is partly inspired by the centennial in 2014 of the beginning of the Great War of 1914-1918.
The heritage of commemoration takes a variety of forms: engraved inscriptions, mausoleums of exceptional architecture or works of monumental sculpture, more modest elements reflecting vernacular traditions or dedicated landscapes such as cemeteries or memorial gardens. This heritage also includes elements that were given a commemorative value; for example, ruins or industrial vestiges accompanied by dedication plaques, or public squares whose toponymy commemorates a historical event or individual.
