2 - UNESCO: World Heritage

IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROPERTY
i. The nominated property
The “historic town” of Corfu, which is here nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List, consists of the
once-walled town in the form it had reached by the end of the Venetian period, in other words, the 18 th century.
Located at the northeastern end of today’s urban ensemble, the historic town is defined by the sea to the north
and east, while to the south and west stand the remnants of fortifications along the western front that once
completed the town’s defense.
The actual boundaries of the nominated property are now marked out by the roads that follow the course of the
fortification walls on the western and southern sides, namely Lochagou Vlaikou, Stamatiou Desilla and
Akadimias Streets.
ii. The buffer zone of the property
In the area surrounding the nominated property there are today various important archaeological sites,
Byzantine or more recent monuments and urban complexes, all of which—in addition to their inherent worth—
bear incontestable witness to the co-existence of cultures and the continuous inhabitation of the town of Corfu
by different peoples from the prehistoric age to the present day.
The inscription of the “Old town of Corfu” in the World Heritage List would include an integrated buffer zone,
that embraces the old town on the south and west.
For detailed description of the elements belonging to this protected area, see Chapter 2.
The existence of this buffer zone is deemed necessary for the following reasons:
• control of land use, so as to ban incompatible exploitation of the area.
• control of construction that would obstruct views toward the property.
• control of the design of constructions, so as not to offend the special historical character of each part of
the property.
The boundaries of the buffer zone cut across the urban fabric along the course of several streets —
Pol. Konstanta, Kolokotroni, Kiprou, Anapafseos, Dörpfeld, Analipseos.
1f. AREA OF NOMINATED PROPERTY (HA.) AND PROPOSED BUFFER ZONE (HA.)
• Area of nominated property: 70 ha.
• Buffer zone: 162 ha.
• Area of the remaining modern town: 275 ha.
• Total area of town: 507 ha.
The Old Town of Corfu Nomination for inclusion on the World Heritage List
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