Unfinished constructions

Connected Sites: 44

Definition
WHS that include major architectural elements that were never finished or realized.

Map

Connected Sites

  • Edinburgh
    Edinburgh
    United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 1995
    4.00
    472
    17
    National Monument on Carlton Hill
  • Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans
    Inscribed: 1982
    2.79
    127
    7
    The Saltworks was constructed but the "ideal city" which would have described an entire circle rather than the current semi-circle was never completed
  • Strasbourg
    Inscribed: 1988
    3.52
    396
    10
    Cathedral (second tower never erected)
  • Monastery of Batalha
    Inscribed: 1983
    3.44
    233
    11
    Capelas Imperfeitas is half finished
  • Ancient Kyoto
    Inscribed: 1994
    4.44
    351
    20
    Ginkakuji silver pavilion is still not covered with silver as its original plan
  • Qutb Minar
    Inscribed: 1993
    3.45
    209
    6
    Second minerat is unfinished
  • Royal Palace at Caserta
    Inscribed: 1997
    3.19
    198
    4
    San Leucio Royal Colony: The king had planned to expand it into a true new city, called Ferdinandopoli, but the project was halted by the French invasion.
  • Siena
    Siena
    Italy
    Inscribed: 1995
    4.05
    378
    10
    Duomo: After the completion of the transept and the building of the east wall, the money ran out and the rest of the planned cathedral was abandoned.
  • Angkor
    Angkor
    Cambodia
    Inscribed: 1992
    4.72
    363
    30
    Large portion of Angkor Wat and many small temples remain unfinished
  • Amphitheater of El Jem
    Inscribed: 1979
    3.48
    156
    9
    the amphitheatre was never completed due to political rivalries and lack of funding.
  • Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau
    The original plans to paint the walls was never realized as by the end of construction a style shift occurred and the lavish decoration of the Palau was no longer in mode.
  • Schönbrunn
    Inscribed: 1996
    3.50
    507
    14
    Due to the War of Spanish Succession the side wings were not completed as planned.
  • Santa Ana de los Rios de Cuenca
    Inscribed: 1999
    2.93
    81
    5
    The square twin towers at the front of the New Cathedral are said to be unfinished (supposed to have a blue dome each as well)
  • Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs
    Inscribed: 2000
    2.80
    118
    9
    The Cella Septichora (no roof tiles have been found)
  • Val di Noto
    Inscribed: 2002
    3.35
    208
    11
    Church of San Nicolò l'Arena
  • Agrigento
    Inscribed: 1997
    3.72
    216
    8
    Temple of Olympian Zeus, "The roof was probably never completed, though the pediments had a full complement of marble sculptures"
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Santo Domingo
    Santo Domingo
    Dominican Republic
    Inscribed: 1990
    3.00
    88
    5
    Cathedral: "It’s anyone’s guess what the planned bell tower would have looked like: a shortage of funds curtailed construction, and the steeple, which undoubtedly would have offered a commanding view of the city, was never built." (LP)
    See www.lonelyplanet.com
  • Blenheim Palace
    Blenheim Palace
    United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 1987
    3.06
    232
    12
    Great Bridge
  • Wadden Sea
    Wadden Sea
    Denmark, Germany, Netherlands
    Inscribed: 2009
    3.06
    292
    11
    unfinished dam to Ameland (1872)
    See www.ameland.net
  • Inscribed: 2023
    2.07
    16
    3
    "The construction works were in an advanced state of implementation, with most of the concrete structures completed and some buildings already finished with furniture and equipment, when they were suddenly interrupted in 1975 due to the outbreak of the war." (AB ev)
  • Itchan Kala
    Itchan Kala
    Uzbekistan
    Inscribed: 1990
    3.75
    122
    5
    Kalta-minor: "short minaret": In 1855 the Khiva ruler Muhammad Amin Khan was killed and the construction of the magnificent minaret was stopped, leaving it at a height of 29m (where 70 or 100m was aimed)
  • Hegra
    Hegra
    Saudi Arabia
    Inscribed: 2008
    3.89
    53
    9
    "The full stories behind many of these tombs remain unknown. Hegra’s largest tomb,.... It was left unfinished, with rough, unsmoothed chisel marks skirting its lower third. A few tombs were abandoned mid-construction for unclear reasons. The deserted work at Tomb 46 shows most clearly how the Nabataeans built from top to bottom, with only the stepped “crown” visible above an uncut cliffside." (see link)
    See www.smithsonianmag.com
  • Bordeaux
    Bordeaux
    France
    Inscribed: 2007
    3.27
    260
    7
    Bordeaux Cathedral: "The south front of the transept is flanked by two towers which were built to contain the Cathedrals' bells. They were originally intended to have spires, which were never built."
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Rabat
    Rabat
    Morocco
    Inscribed: 2012
    3.16
    212
    7
    Hassan Tower: "The tower was intended to be the largest minaret in the world, and the mosque, if completed, would have been the largest in the western Muslim world. When al-Mansur died in 1199, construction on the mosque stopped." (wiki)
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria
    Inscribed: 2025
    3.32
    205
    7
    Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee are unfinished
  • Works of Antoni Gaudí
    Inscribed: 1984
    4.11
    553
    18
    Sagrada Familia
  • Vienna
    Vienna
    Austria
    Inscribed: 2001
    4.02
    592
    20
    Northern tower of St. Stephan's Cathedral
  • Val d'Orcia
    Inscribed: 2004
    3.23
    199
    11
    The costs of rebuilding the church and the convent of Sant'Antimo Abbey exceeded the economic possibilities of the Benedictine monks; and the façade and part of the service premises of the convent were not completed. (Nomination file, p. 86, 89)
  • Thracian tomb of Sveshtari
    Inscribed: 1985
    2.85
    87
    6
    The body of the diseased ruler was laid in the chamber. The unfinished decoration on the walls and the ceiling shows that he had died before his eternal home was completed. - official website
    See www.bulgariatravel.org
  • The Porticoes of Bologna
    Inscribed: 2021
    2.99
    297
    6
    The facade of Basilica di San Petronio has remained unfinished.
  • Tchogha Zanbil
    Inscribed: 1979
    3.39
    32
    4
    The whole city remained unfinished after it was invaded by Ashurbanipal in 640 BC, as shown by the thousands of unused bricks left at the site. It was unlikely that many people ever lived there.
  • Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
    Inscribed: 1998
    2.82
    302
    14
    Of the abbey church of the royal abbey Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Saint-Jean-d'Angély only the western façade with its towers was built. (Nomination file)
  • Qhapaq Ñan
    Qhapaq Ñan
    Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
    Inscribed: 2014
    2.79
    180
    9
    Ollantaytambo: The unfinished structures at the Temple Hill and the numerous stone blocks that litter the site indicate that it was still undergoing construction at the time of its abandonment (wiki)
  • Pampulha
    Pampulha
    Brazil
    Inscribed: 2016
    2.56
    54
    4
    "For various reasons, the overall scheme was never completed. The Golf course was not developed and today the space is occupied by Belo Horizonte Zoo. The ensemble was also intended to have a hotel on a lake promontory and a restaurant on Love Island but neither of these were built." (AB ev)
  • Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles
    Inscribed: 2021
    3.93
    253
    12
    The façade of the Cathedral of Padua is unfinished.
    See it.wikipedia.org
  • Gwynedd Castles
    Gwynedd Castles
    United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 1986
    3.39
    178
    10
    Beaumaris Castle: Work started in 1295 and continued for 35 years, with over 3,500 workmen employed at the peak of construction. Finances and material ran out when King Edward turned his attentions towards Scotland, and the castle was not completed (wiki)
  • Florence
    Inscribed: 1982
    4.45
    588
    15
    Saint Lawrence's Basilica unfinished facade
  • Ferrara
    Ferrara
    Italy
    Inscribed: 1995
    3.19
    234
    10
    Ferrara Cathedral: "The marble campanile attributed to Leon Battista Alberti was initiated in 1412 but is still incomplete, missing one projected additional storey and a dome, as it can be observed from numerous historical prints and paintings on the subject."
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Elephanta Caves
    Inscribed: 1987
    3.05
    116
    7
    one of the caves at the Stupa Hill
  • Church of Atlántida
    Inscribed: 2021
    2.54
    38
    3
    The belltower stands to the side of the church, as it was meant to be a focal point of a future square. This idea was never precisely formulated by Dieste, however. (Nomination text, p. 22)
  • Belfries
    Belfries
    Belgium, France
    Inscribed: 1999
    2.95
    443
    17
    Belfry and Sint-Pieterskerk of Leuven, tower of the St. Rumbold's Cathedral (Mechelen)
    See nl.wikipedia.org
  • Australian Convict Sites
    Inscribed: 2010
    2.66
    181
    13
    Old Great North Road - Finch's Line was abandoned prior to completion in 1829 due to it being too steep and the alternative route up Devines Hill was selected.
    See www.convicttrail.org
  • Assisi
    Assisi
    Italy
    Inscribed: 2000
    3.76
    250
    8
    Santa Maria degli Angeli: In 1685, one of the two planned campaniles was completed and the church took its final form since the other one will never be built. (Nomination file, p. 44)
  • Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
    Inscribed: 2003
    3.39
    67
    4
    "The building remained unfinished at the death of Timur in 1405, and was never completed. Therefore, the main entrance still lacks the surface finish and the two minarets that were planned." (AB ev)