Avila was included in the UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1985 as recognition of a set of outstanding universal values that must be conserved and passed down as a legacy for future generations, summarised in accordance with the following criteria:
-
Criterion (iii): To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a civilisation which is living or which has disappeared¹
"For being an example of a fortified city that has conserved its walls intact. The density of civil and religious monuments both inside and outside the walls make it an example of extraordinary value"
-
Criterion (iv): to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history.
For being an example of repopulation started by the Kingdom of Castile after the reconquest of Toledo. Highlighting the outstanding mediaeval character of the City of Ávila, with a combination of both religious and defence elements.
¹ Reference is made to the definition of criterion (iii) that was in effect when the site was inscribed. Said criterion has since been revised. The current definition of the criterion is: "To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation which is living or which has disappeared"
The mediaeval walls and the Romanesque extra-muros churches of San Pedro, San Vicente, San Andrés and San Segundo are the buildings that are expressly mentioned in the inscription as the main repositories of said values and those which give it its name: "Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches".
The inscription made in 1985, together with the declaration as a historical ensemble, entails recognition of the city's value and its conservation. In 2007, the UNESCO confirmed its recognition by adopting an extension to the original inscription to include the churches of San Nicolás, Santa María de la Cabeza and San Martín, together with the convents of La Encarnación and San José and the Royal Monastery of Santo Tomás. The new inscription includes not only mediaeval elements, but also elements from the 16th century, the city's period of splendour, which is a step forward in the integral understanding of the city.
35th Anniversary of Ávila's World Heritage Site
In this year 2020 Ávila celebrates it's 35th anniversary as World Heritage Site.
Ávila Managment Plan
The work for protecting, conserving and recovering the old town of Ávila has been onoing since it was listed.At the same time, its, cultural values have been used as a redource for generating value on a cultural, social, territorial and economic scale. At the present time, there is a need for a firm commitment to sustainable development of the town, taking advantage f the potencial of culture and heritage as a competitive edge for Ávila.
Accordingly, there is need for a summary document containing all the lines of work that are being carried out for the protection and growth of the town´s value, where said document should also contribute to is focus and efficient coordination.
Management plans are the planning instruments required by UNESCO for all the items included on the World Heritage List and they are for the effective implementation of the work designed to achieve the knowledge, conservation and dissemination of their Excepcional Universal Values.