You're a real Asterix connoisseur, JanWillem!

Indeed!

A useful link:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_des_lieux_dans_Ast%C3%A9rix

Some places Asterix went to add:

- Bordeaux
https://asterix.fandom.com/fr/wiki/Burdigala

- Byblos
https://asterix.fandom.com/fr/wiki/Byblos

- Champagne
https://asterix.fandom.com/fr/wiki/Durocortorum

- Lyon
https://asterix.fandom.com/fr/wiki/Lugdunum

- Nice
https://asterix.fandom.com/fr/wiki/Nicae

Thank you for adding both connections, Els!

Rose garden: Fertö/Neusiedlersee: Eszterháza: Cziráky Margit rózsakert

https://www.elmenynektek.hu/cziraky-margit-rozsakert-fertod/

I'm not sure about Itálica. I just had a look at the comic book in a supermarket. They mention the "circus of Híspalis" (that is, of Seville, not of Itálica, although it's very likely that the latter would be the one being referred to here, since Seville apparently never had a Roman circus). The problem is that its existence has never been confirmed either. The state party even seems to have dropped that argument for the UNESCO inscription, as this article says.
I think the circus in the comic book is more fiction than anything else. In any case, I don't think we can say for sure that it's the one from Itálica, but I could be missing something!

Urban heritage atlas

https://whc.unesco.org/en/urban-heritage-atlas/

Is this something we want as a connection? Nan already found Ohrid through Albanian Lin), then Asmara, Cordoba, others... It's not clear to me how young this initiative is, it looks as if it just started?

Hi Jasam, I agree, I don't know what made me think it refers to Itálica. This can be taken out of the connection.

The Plain of Jars is everything but plain. And it only has 9 connections! Let's add some new ones!

Connection: Archaeological potential

Plain of Jars – "Despite these efforts (and more than 100 reports prepared in the past 20 years), many components have had no archaeological research. ICOMOS considers that the scientific research and knowledge of these sites has considerable future potential." (AB Ev)

Connection: Cremation

Plain of Jars – "Site 1 (...) has (...) a cave that possibly functioned as a crematorium, (...)." (AB Ev) – "Colani interpreted the cave as a crematorium and columbarium, with the holes acting as chimneys. However, more recent consideration of the crematorium hypothesis has questioned this use, and suggested Neolithic occupation and use including the use of fires but not for cremation (...)." (Nomination file, p. 41) – "In some of the jars, Colani found (...) ash from cremations, possibly belonging to several individuals of varying ages (...) The ashes enabled Colani to formulate an early conclusion: "These discoveries leave us in no doubt whatsoever about the funerary function of the jars" (...) Colani undertook a second mission and excavation in 1931, this time to Sites 2 and 3. In addition to noting the presence of jars with a recessed inner rim, not found at Site 1, Colani also found ash from cremations and burnt human bones." (Nomination file, p. 84)

Connection: Female Archaeologists

Plain of Jars – Madeleine Colani - "Archaeological research has been undertaken at the Plain of Jars by Madeleine Colani through the École Française d'Extrême-Orient in the 1930s" (AB Ev) – "(...) the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) (...) undertook research into prehistoric sites in Indochina, including by Madeleine Colani who had trained as a geologist. As part of her work she led the first archaeological expedition to the Plain of Jars in 1931. This included excavations at Jar Site 1." (Nomination file, p. 84) - "Colani is the source for today's understanding of the megalithic stone jars on the Plain of Jars, investigating and arguing "convincingly" that they were urns, used in funerary rites." (Wikipedia)

Connection: Legends and Folk Myths

Plain of Jars – "Lao legends tell of a race of giants who inhabited the area and were ruled by a king named Khun Cheung who fought a long and ultimately victorious battle against an enemy. He supposedly created the jars to brew and store huge amounts of lau hai (lau means 'alcohol', hai means 'jar'; so lau hai means 'rice beer' or 'rice wine' in the jars) to celebrate his victory. Another local story states that the jars were molded from natural materials including clay, sand, sugar, and animal products in a type of stone mix. This led the locals to believe the cave at Site 1 was actually a kiln, and that the jars were fired there and are not actually hewn from stone." (Wikipedia)

To be continued...

https://worldheritagesite.org/connections/hitler-was-here/

"WHS outside the current borders of Germany to which Hitler made a historically or personally significant visit."

Therefore, Rammelsberg and Goslar should no longer appear in this connection.

Stalin was here (new connection)

We have a connection "Once named after Stalin" but not one concerning the places he himself physically visited. This type of connection also exists for Hitler, Mao, and Napoleon.

- Kremlin and Red Square
- Potsdam: Cecilienhof
- St. Petersburg

I don't see this as a list. Just work done by UNESCO.

What do you mean?

The atlas is just a tool.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/hul/

"Historic Urban Landscape" would be more appropriate, but it would need rationales/referenced links to official documentation.

Hello Els

Does your 6 week travel mean we better hold off posting new connections and new connection proposals?

Creative Cities:

- Cuenca
- Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town
- Quanzhou
- Quito

https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/world-cities-day-2025-unesco-creative-cities-network-welcomes-58-new-member-cities