The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.^[1] Estonia accepted the convention on 27 October 1995, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. The first site added to the list was the Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn, in 1997. The second site, the Struve Geodetic Arc, was added in 2005. This is a transnational site and is shared with nine other countries.^[2] Both sites are cultural sites.^[2] In addition to its World Heritage Sites, Estonia also maintains three properties on its tentative list.^[2]

Tallinn

Struve Geodetic Arc

World Heritage Sites in Estonia. Blue dots mark the sites of the Struve Geodetic Arc.

UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.^[3]

More information Site, Image ...

Site	Image	Location	Year listed	UNESCO data	Description
Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn		Tallinn	1997	822; ii, iv (cultural)	The historic centre of Tallinn is an outstanding example of a medieval northern European trading city. The city started around the 13th century castle built by the knights of the Teutonic Order. From the 13th to the 16th century the city was an important centre of the Hanseatic League, being one of the most remote outposts of the League. Hanseatic Tallinn was a wealthy city, which is demonstrated by its opulent public buildings, including churches, the Town Hall, and the merchant's houses. The Walls of Tallinn, built in the 13th century, are still largely extant today.[4]
Struve Geodetic Arc*		Väike-Maarja Parish, Tartu	2005	1187, ii, iii, vi (cultural)	The Struve Geodetic Arc is a series of triangulation points, stretching over a distance of 2,820 kilometres (1,750 mi) from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea. The points were set up in a survey by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve who first carried out an accurate measurement of a long segment of a meridian – and along with it the size and shape of the Earth. Originally, there were 265 station points. The World Heritage Site includes 34 points in ten countries (north to south: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine), three of which are in Estonia. The University of Tartu Old Observatory is pictured.[5]

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In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list.^[6] As of 2019, Estonia lists three properties on its tentative list.^[2]