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.