UNESCO World Heritage Sites Trivia Quiz

Answer: Castel del Monte

Castel del Monte ("Castle of the Mountains") is a 13th-century citadel located on a hill near to the monastery of Santa Maria del Monte. This structure is unusual amongst the many small castles found in this region because of its octagonal design -- the whole structure is octagonal, as are the towers at each corner. Each floor consists of eight main rooms constructed around an octagonal central courtyard.
Of the alternatives, the Medici Villas and Gardens are in Tuscany, the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy are in Piedmont, and Villa d'Este is in Tivoli near Rome.

Answer: Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven or Altar of Heaven, located in the southeastern part of central Beijing, was constructed at the same time as The Forbidden City. In the 16th century, the Jiajing emperor extended the complex and also built three more similar structures, the Temple of Sun in the east, the Temple of Moon in the west and the Temple of Earth in the north.

The magnificent triple-gabled circular building in the centre of the photo is "The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests". Built completely of wood with no nails, it is 112 feet in diameter and 115 feet tall.

The original building was struck by lightning in 1889 but was rebuilt to the same specifications. Of the alternatives, the Summer Palace is also in Beijing, the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion is in the city of Qufu in Shandong province, and the Yungang Grottoes are in Datong in Shanxi province.

Answer: Poblet Monastery

The Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet was founded in 1151 by French Cistercian monks on lands conquered from the Moors. Here are the burial sites of many of the important historical monarchs or the region. Many of the tombs have impressive alabaster statues over them, lions for the kings and dogs for the queens.

In the 14th century, Peter IV (reigned 1346-1387) stipulated that all kings of Aragon should be buried here. Only Ferdinand II (1475-1504), whose kingdom was merged with Castile, was buried elsewhere (in Granada). Of the alternatives, the Royal Monastery of Santa María is in the municipality of Guadalupe in the province of Caceres in southeastern Spain, the Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí is located in Catalonia at the edge of the Pyrenees, and the Monastery and Site of the Escorial is in San Lorenzo de El Escorial some 30 miles outside of Madrid.

Answer: Wartburg Castle

Originally built in the Middle Ages, Wartburg Castle stands atop a 1,350-foot overlooking the town of Eisenach in the state of Thuringia in central Germany. Some of the original structures built between the 12th and 15th centuries remain, although most of the interiors date back only to the Romantic period in the 19th century.

The home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary (1207-31), it is said that Wartburg Castle provided the Fairy tale king, Ludwig II, with the inspiration to build the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Of the alternatives, the Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square is in the region of Franconia in northern Bavaria, the Monastic Island of Reichenau is in Lake Constance in southern Germany, and the Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust are in the town of Brühl in northern Rhine-Westphalia.

Answer: Abbey of Fontenay

Consecrated by Pope Eugene III in 1147, the Abbey of Fontenay is one of the oldest and most complete Cistercian abbeys remaining in Europe. By the turn of the 13th century, the site was home to more than 300 monks, but it was pillaged by the armies of King Edward III in 1357, during the Hundred Years' War. Dechristianization during the French Revolution caused the monks to flee and it 1791 the site was turned into a paper mill.

It was bought by a philanthropist and restored in the early 20th century and today all but the original refectory remain. Of the alternatives, the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe is in the region of Poitou-Charentes in southwestern France, the Papal Palace is in Avignon in the department of Vaucluse in southeastern France, and the Town of Medieval Fairs is Provins in the Île-de-France region in north-central part of the country.

Answer: The Pyramids of El Tajín

Located in the highlands of the municipality of Papantla, near to the city of Poza Rica in modern day Veracruzl, El Tajín is a pre-Columbian archaeological site dating back as far as the 7th century. The city lasted until the early 13th century, but remained unknown to Europeans until accidentally discovered in 1785.

The most famous monument here is the "Pyramid of the Niches", but there are plenty of other important structures too. Now a major tourist attraction, more than 650,000 tourists visit the site annually. Of the alternatives, the Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza is in the state of Yucatan in southeastern Mexico, the Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro is in the state of Querétaro in north-central Mexico, and the Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul are in the state of Campeche, also in the southeast of the country.

Answer: Great Living Chola Temples

Situated in the centre of Thanjavur, the photograph shows 'Peruvudaiyar Kovil' (the Brihadisvara Temple), a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva that was completed in 1010 and thus just celebrated its 1,000th anniversary. A wonderful example of Dravidian architecture and one of the largest temples in India, it was designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
In 2004, the Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were added to the UNESCO site and collectively they are known as the "Great Living Chola Temples", all having been built during the rule of the Chola dynasty
Of the alternatives, Agra Fort is in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India, the Mahabodhi Temple Complex is in the state of Bihar in northeastern India, and Qutb Minar and its Monuments is in the national capital of Delhi.

Answer: Studley Royal Park

Located on the southwestern outskirts of the cathedral city of Ripon in North Yorkshire, Studley Royal Park was developed around the ruins of the 12th-century Cistercian Fountains Abbey. Functioning for more than four centuries from 1132, Fountains Abbey lasted until Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539.
The corn mill is the oldest intact building in the park, and England's only 12th-century Cistercian mill. Fountains Hall, a Jacobean mansion built in part with stone from the ruined abbey, dates to the late 16th century. Fire destroyed the original medieval manor house in 1946. Other features of the park include England's most impressive surviving Georgian water garden, a feature added in 1718, and the late-Victorian Saint Mary's Church (pictured) which is particularly notable for its stained-glass windows.
Of the alternatives, Saltaire is in Bradford in West Yorkshire, Blenheim Palace is in Oxfordshire and the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd are in Conwy on the Isle of Anglesey in northwest Wales.

Answer: Church of the Ascension

Built to celebrate the birth of the prince who would become Tsar Ivan IV ("the Terrible"), the Church of the Ascension on the former royal estate of Kolomenskoye on the outskirts of Moscow dates to 1532. Located to the southeast of central Moscow, the estate is an area of scenic beauty on the banks of the Moskva River.

The church, built from white stone, was the first tent-like stone church and is sometimes called "The White Column". The actual body of the church is octagonal, as is the 'tent' above it, just below the small dome. Of the alternatives, the Ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery is in Vologda Oblast in northwestern Russia, the Novodevichy Convent is also in Moscow, and the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal are in Vladimir Oblast, 120 miles east of Moscow.

Answer: Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Located in a remote canyon cut by the Chaco Wash, Chaco Culture National Historical Park contains the sacred ancestral homelands of the Hopi and Pueblo people. Built from sandstone and timber, much of it hauled great distances to the arid "Four Corners" area, the ancient Pueblo people left behind structures that would have been North America's largest complexes until well into the 19th century.

The largest of the fifteen sites within the park covers more than two acres and contains in excess of 650 rooms. Of the alternatives, Also in New Mexico is Taos Pueblo, in the north-central part of the state, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park, which is in the extreme southeast on the Mexican border.

The Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point are in Louisiana.