Since 1945, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has been listing sites as "World Heritage". The aim of this programme is to classify, name and conserve cultural or natural properties of importance to the common heritage of humanity. The program was founded by the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted at the UNESCO General Conference on 16th November 1972. In 2019, 1,073 properties in 167 countries are listed.
In 2025, Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral will be honoured.
NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS CATHEDRAL, BANKS OF THE SEINE
Notre-Dame de Paris is a Gothic cathedral in the heart of the French capital, on the Île de la Cité. Built in the 11th century, its stained glass windows, gargoyles and buttresses have inspired a number of literary works, including Victor Hugo's novel. In April 2019, a violent fire destroyed a significant part of its structure, including its spire and roof. Restoration work then quickly got under way, with the aim of rebuilding the monument to its original state.
On the obverse, in the foreground, a medieval stonemason symbolising the craftsmen who built the cathedral. In the second plan, the left-hand side of the cathedral in a detailed view and the right-hand side, as well as the spire, in a schematic line of the structure to evoke its construction/reconstruction.
The reverse is common to all the coins in the 2025 UNESCO series. It depicts the globe with parallels and meridians on the left-hand side and inscriptions of major UNESCO World Heritage sites on the right-hand side. The inscriptions are engraved in stone, echoing the Rosetta Stone. The left-hand side of the globe is surrounded by the UNESCO logo and the words "World Heritage". The face value is inscribed on the left-hand side of the globe, blending in perfectly with the parallels and meridians.
