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Minister of State Müntefering on UNESCO’s decision to inscribe Naumburg Cathedral on the World Heritage List
Federal Foreign Office Minister of State for International Cultural Policy Michelle Müntefering issued the following statement today (1 July) on the decision by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to inscribe Naumburg Cathedral on the World Heritage List as the 44th German site:
I am delighted with the decision of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Our efforts over many years have been worthwhile. This is a great honour and gives due recognition to the special value of Naumburg and the entire region. As a central work of the Naumburg Master, Naumburg Cathedral shows how important cultural exchange and artist mobility have always been for societal and artistic developments in Europe.
Background information:
At its 42nd session in Manama/Bahrain, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee recognised Naumburg Cathedral as a World Heritage site. The Committee thereby confirmed its landmark decision from last year. The Cathedral’s outstanding significance is dominated by the work of the artist known by the Notname Naumburg Master, who gained a reputation in art and architectural history and who learned his art in northern France at the zenith of the High Gothic period. With his workshop, he brought the High Gothic style developed in the cathedrals of Noyon, Amiens and Reims across the Rhineland to Naumburg, to the east of the Roman Empire. He subsequently travelled on to northern Spain.
The application for a decision to inscribe Naumburg Cathedral on the World Heritage List was submitted to the Committee previously in 2015 and 2017. The surrounding cultural landscape was also included in these first two nominations. However, only Naumburg Cathedral was ultimately recognised as a site of outstanding universal significance.