Organization of World Heritage Cities
Asia-Pacific Regional Secretariat

Living World Heritage Cities
with Life, History and Creation

World Congress

The World Congress is the OWHC’s largest event where
the World Heritage Cities across the globe are brought together.

It is a truly meaningful occasion held every two years for member cities to gather under a specific theme relevant for heritage cities,
and bolster the OWHC network worldwide. The 2019 World Congress was held in Krakow, Poland from 2 to 5 June.
Representatives of the World Heritage Cities and experts participated in various discussions, activities and events organized under the theme “Heritage and Tourism”.

For more information, please visit the official websites of the OWHC and Krakow World Congress!

World Congresses

Year City/Country Theme
Year1991 City/CountryQuebec, Canada Theme Safeguarding, historic urban ensembles in a time of change
Year1993 City/CountryFez, Morocco Theme Financing presentation initiatives in World Heritage Cities: why, by whom and how?
Year1995 City/CountryBergen, Norway Theme Communication: How to communicate and Exchange Knowledge, Bearing in Mind Cultural and Linguistic Diversity and Regional Particularities
Year1997 City/CountryEvora, Portugal Theme Tourism and World Heritage Cities – Challenges and Opportunities
Year1999 City/CountrySantiago de Compostela, Spain Theme Innovation in the Management of World Heritage Cities
Year2001 City/CountryPuebla, Mexico Theme Prevention and protection measures for the World Heritage Cities in case of disasters
Year2003 City/CountryRhodes, Greece Theme Keeping Heritage Alive: Education and training for the preservation and management of cultural heritage
Year2005 City/CountryCuzco, Peru Theme Heritage of Humankind, a Heritage with Humanity
Year2007 City/CountryKazan, Russian Federation Theme Heritage and Economics
Year2009 City/CountryQuito, Ecuador Theme Revitalization of Historical Centers: How to engage all social actors
Year2011 City/CountrySintra, Portugal Theme World Heritage Cities and Climate Change
Year2013 City/CountryOaxaca, Mexico Theme Heritage Cities, Sustainable Cities
Year2015 City/CountryArequipa, Peru Theme World Heritage Cities, Resilient Cities
Year2017 City/CountryGyeongju, Republic of Korea Theme Heritage and Communities: Tools to Engage Local Communities
Year2019 City/CountryKrakow, Poland Theme Heritage and Tourism