National heritage site
A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage register that is open to the public, and many are actively advertised by national visitor bureaus as tourist attractions.
Usually such a heritage register list is split by type of feature (natural wonder, ruin, engineering marvel, etc.). In many cases a country may maintain more than one register; there are also registers for entities that span more than one country.
History of national heritage listing
Each country has its own national heritage list and naming conventions. Sites can be added to a list, and are occasionally removed and even destroyed for economic or other reasons. The concept of protecting and taking pride in cultural heritage is something that goes back to the Seven Wonders of the World, but usually it is only after destruction, especially mass destruction in times of war, that new lists are drawn up or revisited. Many countries acknowledge under UNESCO their designation of objects considered to be worthy of having importance to the entire world or world heritage. These listings also acknowledge the need for a separate list of objects judged part of their own unique cultural heritage. The concept of a national heritage site can be split into many types, each type having its own unique list.
