Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine World Heritage Site

Official name

Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine | UNESCO

Country

Poland | Map

Continent

Europe

Location

49.5338° Lat, 21.3220° Lon | Map

Code

1424

Time Zone

Europe/Warsaw (CET, +0100)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2013. Situated in the eastern fringe of Central Europe, the transnational property numbers a selection of sixteen tserkvas (churches). They were built of horizontal wooden logs between the 16 th and 19 th centuries by communities of Orthodox and Greek Catholic faiths. The tserkvas bear testimony to a distinct building tradition rooted in Orthodox ecclesiastic design interwoven with elements of local tradition, and symbolic references to their communities’ cosmogony. The tserkva s are built on a tri-partite plan surmounted by open quadrilateral or octagonal domes and cupolas. Integral to tserkvas are iconostasis screens, interior polychrome decorations, and other historic furnishings. Important elements of some tserkvas include wooden bell towers, churchyards, gatehouses and graveyards.