UNESCO World Heritage - Worth It?
Battambang and UNESCO World Heritage Status Psar Nat (Nat Market), a central feature of Battambang life, built by the French in the 1960s. Battambang is in the process of applying for UNESCO World Heritage status. The city has a lot to offer to qualify it. The center of town is full of 1930s and 1960s French Colonial architecture that's fairly well preserved, and temples around town display different styles reminiscent of each era in Battambang's history—Thai occupation, Cambodian, and French colonial. Battambang also still has many traditional Khmer houses, but these are slowly being replaced with concrete buildings as they have been in other parts of the country. If given world heritage status, UNESCO would help Battambang work to protect these unique features along with other intangible cultural assets in the city (ways of living, music, dance, etc.). World Heritage status would help to preserve some amazing aspects of Battambang, but it also comes with an increase in tourism. T…
