Nice, Capital of Riviera Tourism, candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status (13 Jan. 2020)

Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Franck Riester, Minister of Culture, announce the candidacy of “Nice, Capital of Riviera Tourism,” for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

It was in Nice that a new type of urban planning emerged in the late-18th century aimed at transforming the town into a winter resort and later a summer resort. On this exceptional location, nestled between the mountains and the sea, a cosmopolitan new town was created around a pre-existing urban core; its development between 1760 and 1960 was determined by its function as a resort.

In the second half of the 19th century, Nice’s international success inspired the development of similar sites along the coast featuring a comparable topography and climate. Its urban scale and the diversity of its heritage made Nice the standard for Riviera towns.

This candidacy will be examined by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee during its July 2021 session.

“The candidacy of Nice, Capital of Riviera Tourism, highlights the development of French cultural, heritage and tourism sites. Inscribing Nice on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites will strengthen its appeal and the cultural influence and prestige of all French regions,” said Jean-Yves Le Drian.

“The case of Nice, which we decided to champion this year, is utterly original. It showcases the heritage value of an innovative type of urban development: cosmopolitan and leisure-oriented. What occurred in Nice, starting in the late-18th century, was the invention of an important part of our modernity,” said Franck Riester.