France (38 WHS)

Active Nominations
* Chaîne des Puys et faille de Limagne (2014)
* La Grotte ornée Chauvet-Pont d'Arc (2014)
* Le vignoble Champenois (2015)
* Vignoble des côtes de Nuits et de Beaune (2015)
* Les Iles Marquises (2016)
* L'œuvre architecturale et urbaine de Le Corbusier (2016)

Possible Update to Tentative List
- 27/37 France tentative nominations are Pre-2002
- Active nominations are primarily from recent additions to the France T-list

There seems to be a very high likelihood of inscription for the Le Corbusier & Chauvet Cave nominations. How do the other active nominations hold up?

Promenade des Anglais (Nice) may be included on Frances tentative list.

http://www.connexionfrance.com/nice-promenade-des-anglais-unesco-world-heritage-site- france-38-albi-amiens-avignon-15701-view-article.html

I visited Nice in 2007, the promenade area is certainly pleasant. But can the angle for OUV really be the "first urban settlement to promote seaside leisure"? Certainly an interesting approach, we'll just have to see if this nomination is actually pursued.

A highly dubious claim.
Leaving aside what the Romans did for us .... (Baiae?) the mere title of "Promenade de Anglais" shows that it was built in response to the demands of rich English visitors. This commenced in 2nd half of 18C - but those people were merely replicating a fashion which had already commenced in England.

Scarborough is usually regarded as the "first" seaside resort, growing, in its case, out of its earlier "Spa" beginnings as the value of taking "sea waters" became a fashionable development of taking spa waters. Wiki notes that bathing machines were operational there from c 1736.

Scarborough has a lot going for it by the way - not as a potential WHS but for a pleasant visit to see its castle, bay/fishing harbour and its 18th/19th C buildings - the Grand Hotel which was one of the World's largest when constructed in 1865 and, for those interested in Geology and the history of Museums, its Rotunda Museum dating to 1829.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotunda_Museum

Of course UK did consider trying to develop Blackpool as a nomination, being the world's first "popular" seaside resort, but decided against. Here are the conclusions of the review panel
" The Panel agreed that tourism is a part of the development of industrialised societies which should be represented on the World Heritage List. Blackpool is undoubtedly one of the first places marking the rise of the popular seaside holiday, but the surviving major buildings are a half century later. Structures such as the main railway station, which were key to the whole concept of mass leisure, had been demolished. More information was needed on comparators to the surviving buildings and on nominations such as spas, also dealing with the rise of tourism. The Panel were not convinced by the case for a cultural landscape, which would have placed less reliance on the monumental buildings of Blackpool. They considered that the historic relationship with the sea, its main claim to OUV as a cultural landscape, had been changed by the new sea defences "

Given that the evaluation is probably correct in its assertion that tourism should be represented on the List one wonders if the Promenade de Anglais is the best example - though the domain probably justifies several sites covering different
a. Periods
b. Population - rich/poor
c. Types - seaside, adventure park, hotel, winter sports.....

One wonders how much anniversaries will be considered. The schedule for the D-Day and WWI site nominations both have the potential for meaningful anniversaries. Certainly France is capable of bringing forth a nomination to WHC evaluation in 4-5 years. It is important to consider, however, that the WWI nomination includes 105 components between France and Belgium!

WWI Sites/Memorials - 1918-2018 (100 year)
D-Day Landing Beaches - 1944 - 2019 (75 year) (June 6th, is very close to WHC date)

Yikes I'm starting to feel old, I remember the 50th anniversary so vividly, I think I still have a bottle of commemoration beer under the stairs somewhere.

I wonder if there are any legs in this proposal though, whilst it was a very important event in contemporary European/ Western history. Many of the associated sites are rather nondescript, the beaches are mostly just beaches. There are military remains and cemeteries, but I wonder if that could open up a can of worms with lots of countries putting forward battle sites that they regard as important.

These remains to my mind are different from those of the First World War sites where there was a distinct artistic response to the battle fields and cemeteries. I guess the Soviet response to the Great Patriotic War (WWII) would be the closest parallel.

Nice news article about Burgundy Vineyard nomination

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/31/the-next-unesco-world-heritage-site- burgundy-s-pinot-noir-country.html

French Polynesia with 2 nominations (2017)? Seemingly, at least one of these will be put forward for 2017. One wonders where this puts the Metz Royal and Imperial Power nomination. France seems to have plenty of nominations for 2018 as well.

Les Iles Marquises (2010)
Le site sacré de Tapu-tapu-ātea /Te Pō, vallée de Ō-po-ä (2010)

http://www.culture-patrimoine.pf/spip.php?article598

Does anyone have any definite info on which locations are/were intended by France for its T List entry of "Les villes bastionnées des Pays-Bas du nord-ouest de l'Europe"
The UNESCO web site write up is very thin on specifics. It has been on France's T List since 1996 and gives for "Coordinates" - "Nord de la France (Departements du Nord Pas de Calais, Champagne-Ardennes), mais aussi Belgique, Sud des Pays-Bas, soit le "Bas-Pays")".
Yet, despite this comment and the passage of many years, neither Belgium nor Netherlands have an equivalent entry on their T Lists!!
Rocroi close to the Belgian border seems likely to be one - even though I would hardly have called the "Ardennes" "Pay-bas"?

Apparently there is/was a European Project called "Septentrion" - "borne out of the desire of nineteen fortified towns in three countries in the North East of Europe to share their experience and competences in terms of urban planning and development, the protection and enhancement of their natural and cultural heritage, the awareness and involvement of their inhabitants and the future of their town."

The 19 towns are
Aire-sur-la-Lys
Bergues
Bouchain
Cambrai
Charleroi
Communauté de Communes du Montreuillois
Condé-sur-l'Escaut
Gravelines
Ieper
Lanaken
Landrecies
Le Quesnoy
Lille
Maastricht
Maubeuge
Région Bruxelles Capitale
Saint-Omer
's-Hertogenbosch
Watten

Whether these equate to those which might be included in any nomination for "villes bastionnées des Pays-Bas" isn't clear (as mentioned above neither NL nor Bel have placed an equivalent entry on their T List). The 19 include 2 in NL, 4 in Bel (Namur rather surprisingly is excluded whilst Brussels isn't!) and 13 in France!!!
The Web site doesn't appear to show recent activity. I just love this quote "Big meetings in Maastricht in 2004, in Bruxelles in 2005, in 's-Hertogenbosch in 2006. The closing meeting will take place in Lille at the end of 2007." Just love those "BIG" meetings!! All this cost the EU some 15 million Euros - no wonder so many of us in UK want out of this farce!
See (with a map) -
http://www.ryckeboer.fr/septentrion2/en/projet-septentrion

LATER - The above Web site does in fact include the objective of achieving UNESCO WH inscription on this "Action" page (scroll down) -
http://www.ryckeboer.fr/septentrion2/en/actions

When I search the web in Dutch, I only find the following news item from 2006 about Den Bosch and Maastricht wanting to become a WHS together with the French/Belgian sites.
http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/?news/57262592/Den+Bosch+wil+op+werelderfgoedlijst+van+Un esco.aspx

Nothing since then, so very unlikely in all.

Active Nominations
* Cha�ne des Puys et faille de Limagne (2016)
* L'�uvre architecturale et urbaine de Le Corbusier (2016)
* Le site sacré de Tapu-tapu-ātea /Te Pō, vallée de Ō-po-ä (2017)
* Metz (2017)
* WWI sites (2017)
* Martinique (2018)
* Carnac (2018)
* Nimes (2019)
* Les Iles Marquises (2019 or 2020)

And two more for 2018:
Great Spas of Europe (Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, France, Belgium)
Cross-border space Maritime-Mercantour (France, Italy)

Altogether until 2020 11 sites are already planned (in 5 years).

2016
- Architecture of Le Corbusier (Argentina, France, Germany, Switzerland, India, Japan) OFFICIAL
- Chaine des Puys et faille de Limagne (France) OFFICIAL

2017
- Taputapuatea - Opoa Valley (France) *Not 100% (few articles)
- Metz Royal and Imperial Power, Confrontations and Stylistic Urban Identity (France)

2018
- Nimes, Antiquity to the Present (France)
- Volcanic and Forested Areas of Martinique (France) *Unclear if aim is still 2018
- Great Spas of Europe (Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, France, Belgium)
- Funeral and memorial sites of World War I (Western Front) (France, Belgium)
- Cross-border space Maritime-Mercantour (France, Italy)

2019
- Les Iles Marquises (France)
- Megaliths of Carnac (France) *Mentions possibility of 2019 or 2020

Taputapuatea is on track for 2017.

http://polynesie.la1ere.fr/2016/01/13/l-inscription-de-taputapuatea-au-patrimoine-mon dial-est-sur-la-bonne-voie-321881.html

I've been to Taputapuatea and although the setting is divine as are all the islands of French Polynesia, I wouldn't recommend this ensemble to illustrate the importance of marae. There is a much more complete example on the island of Moorea which is perhaps less panoramic, being close the volcanic crater and hills, but much more complete with watchtowers, tikis and different marae structures.

The Iles Marquises are much more remote than Raiateia and are more famous for their tikis rather than for the marae structures, the former depicting a clear similarity to Easter Island in Chile (although much smaller and more primitive). I visited the Gaugain Museum in Tahiti, mostly to see the real tiki exhibit from the Iles Marquises. Both destinations make for quite an expensive trip but I wouldn't spend my money solely to visit any of the possible inscriptions in French Polynesia but more as a cultural side trip while island/beach hopping.