Cultural heritage (often just termed "heritage") consists of a nation's historic buildings, collections, monuments, etc., that are considered worthy of preservation for the future. Much of such heritage that consists of smaller objects such as artworks and other masterpieces is stored in museums and art galleries. Typically, by its nature, such heritage is unique and irreplacable. It can often form an important component in a country's tourist industry, attracting many visitors from abroad as well as locally. Building is either the act of creating an object assembled from more than one element, or the object itself; see also construction. ... Look up Collection on Wiktionary, the free dictionary In common usage, a collection is any group of items that has one or more properties in common, usually brought together for some specific purpose. ... The Taj Mahal in Agra (Uttar Pradesh, India) Monuments are usually created for the dual function of commemorating an important event or person while also creating an artistic object that will improve the appearance of a city or location. ... A museum is typically a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment. ... An art gallery or art museum is a space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art, and usually primarily paintings, illustrations, and sculpture. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ...

Countryside, including its flora and fauna, can itself be an important part of a nation's heritage too and is sometimes called natural heritage. Rural areas are sparsely settled places away from the influence of large cities and towns. ... In Botany a Flora (or Floræ) is a collective term for plant life and can also refer to a descriptive catalogue of the plants of any geographical area, geological period, etc. ... Fauna is a collective term for animal life. ...

See also

• Castle preservation
• Conservation
• English Heritage
• Heritage tourism
• Museology
• Preservation
• World Heritage Sites
• Folklore

Most castles around the world are in ruins. ... Conservation may refer to the following: Conservation ethic in relation to preserving ecosystems Conservationist Conservation movement Conservation ecology Conservation biology Energy conservation in reducing non-renewable energy consumption Conservation law of physics Conservation of energy Conservation of mass Conservation (genetics) in genetics Conservation (botany) in botanical nomenclature Conservation (psychology) in... English Heritage is a United Kingdom government body with a broad remit of managing the historic environment of England. ... Heritage tourism involves visiting historical or industrial sites that may include old canals, railways, battlegrounds, etc. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... Preservation is a broad term, applying in several areas where items are preserved or conserved in some manner. ... Site #86: Memphis and its Necropolis, including the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt). ... Folklore is the body of verbal expressive culture, including tales, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs current among a particular population, comprising the oral tradition of that culture, subculture, or group. ...

External links

• Cultural heritage search engine
• Cultural heritage information from UNESCO
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre
• EPOCH — a European Research Network on Excellence in Processing Open Cultural Heritage