HERITAGE RECORD · 803

Las Médulas

拉斯梅德拉斯

The official record, selection criteria and sourced cultural context.

World Heritage record

In the 1st century A.D. the Roman Imperial authorities began to exploit the gold deposits of this region in north-west Spain, using a technique based on hydraulic power. After two centuries of working the deposits, the Romans withdrew, leaving a devastated landscape. Since there was no subsequent industrial activity, the dramatic traces of this remarkable ancient technology are visible everywhere as sheer faces in the mountainsides and the vast areas of tailings, now used for agriculture.

Open the official UNESCO record ↗

Wikidata reference

QIDQ696803 ↗

Area3163.36 ha

Administrative areaQ1605911 · Q1442718

WikipediaLas Médulas ↗

Chinese Wikipedia拉斯梅杜拉斯 ↗

Imported locally from Wikidata; it does not replace the UNESCO record or editorial copy.

Selection criteria

This property was inscribed under the following World Heritage Convention criteria.

(i)A masterpiece of human creative genius.

(ii)An important interchange of human values in architecture, technology, arts, town planning or landscape design.

(iii)A unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.

(iv)An outstanding example of a building, ensemble or landscape illustrating a significant stage in human history.

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