French government presents Nice's nomination for inscription on the World Heritage List

Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Franck Riester, Minister of Culture, announce that the application of Nice will be examined by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee during its session on July 2021.

« With the nomination of Nice, capital of Riviera tourism, the French model of cultural, heritage and tourism development is brought to the fore. Nice’s inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List will raise the cultural profile and attractiveness of France as a whole. » declared Jean-Yves Le Drian.

« Nice’s nomination, which we have decided to submit this year, is profoundly original. It underlines the heritage value of a previously unknown form of urban development: cosmopolitan and leisure-focused. From the late 18th century onwards, Nice was the scene of the invention of an important aspect of modern life. » declared Franck Riester.

Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Authority, Deputy President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d´Azur Region:

« The City of Nice is delighted and honored the French Government decided to accept the nomination of "Nice, capital of Riviera tourism" for inscription on the World Heritage List and to present it to UNESCO. The City would like to express its gratitude to the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron who, by this choice, highlights the quality of the nomination file presented.

The World Heritage Committee will thus be able, from 2021, during its plenary session, to evaluate this application after its instruction by ICOMOS experts.

The Government’s decision rewards with a success the national phase of this application started in 2012, when the chairmanship of the project was entrusted by the City to Jean-Jacques Aillagon.

The object of the nomination is, let us remember, an urban ensemble of nearly 600 hectares forged, from 1760 to the present day, by two and a half centuries of tourism economy and by the exclusive role that it has played in the urban development of Nice.

This ensemble is characterized by its ordered urban planning, its green spaces planted with exotic species, its promenades - in particular the emblematic Promenade des Anglais - its tourism heritage, reflecting influences from around the world, with its villas, hotels and « palaces », its leisure apartments, as well as places of worship and social life.

Tourism, a major phenomenon in the contemporary world, at times lamented for its excesses, can also be conducive to the creation of original heritage, carrying outstanding universal value. Nice attests to this. »

Jean-Jacques Aillagon, former Minister of Culture and Communication, Chairman of the Nice World Heritage Nomination Team:

« To all those who took part in this work, I would like to express my gratitude and the hope that, over the coming months, we will succeed in convincing UNESCO of the quality of our application.

In recent decades, UNESCO has inscribed on the World Heritage List a series of sites that are demonstrative of major phenomena of civilisation. To mention only the French ones, there is Albi, which shows the influence of episcopal power on the organisation of medieval towns; Versailles, which has become the very symbol of the architected design of natural and urban spaces by royal power; Bordeaux, which reflects Enlightenment thought; and Le Havre, a blueprint for post-war reconstruction. The inscription of Nice, capital of Riviera tourism, would similarly mean the inclusion on the World Heritage List of a new cultural site, it too derived from a phenomenon of civilisation, in this case the advent and the subsequent development in modern societies of what is today known as tourism. »

Nice, the birth of a city of “promenades”

The first urban promenades of Nice, from the river to the Promenade du Paillon.

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2018-2020 « Nice, the invention of tourism »

Nice World Heritage Nomination Centre, 75 quai des États-Unis

Bencho Obreshkov, Nice’s landscape, 1939, Sofia, National Gallery of Art © All rights reserved

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The growth of a new city thanks to the development of tourism, its unique urban planning and its special architectural heritage are the object of Nice’s application for the inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This exhibition presents the different steps that made Nice the capital of the riviera tourism and, a source of inspiration for many artists, writers, musicians and film-makers, starting from 18th century until today. The visitors can also discover the reasons and the procedure of the application.

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You can add your personal and family photographs to this gallery and take part in our initiative of collecting historical traces of the social life of the Prom’!

Nota Bene: Any total or partial reproduction of the presented elements is forbidden, without prior agreement of the donors.

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Upload files (.jpg only) using the form below, or bring your photos to the Mission Nice Patrimoine Mondial based at 75 Quai des États-Unis, where we'll immediately create digital copies and upload them for you.

By participating to this initiative, you'll be helping to study and promote this cultural heritage and contributing to Nice's application for inclusion on UNESCO World Heritage List.