Andorra, Spain, France Launch Joint UNESCO Bid for Co-Princeship Monuments

Andorra, Spain, and France presented their joint UNESCO World Heritage candidacy on Thursday evening at the Casa de la Vall, highlighting 12 monuments linked to the origins and evolution of the Pyrenean state's Co-Princeship. Titled “Material Witnesses to the Construction of the Pyrenean State: The Co-Princeship of Andorra,” the dossier—developed over seven years starting in 2015—will be signed by the UNESCO ambassadors of the three nations on 26 January in Paris, followed by official submission on 31 January. Evaluation visits are scheduled for this summer, with a decision anticipated in 2027.

The serial nomination includes ten Andorran sites: the Casa de la Vall; churches of Sant Joan de Caselles, Santa Coloma, Sant Miquel d'Engolasters, Sant Martí de la Cortinada, and others including les Bons, Pal, and Nagol; plus archaeological sites at Roc d'Enclar and Roureda de la Margineda. These are joined by France's Château de Foix and Spain's Seu d'Urgell cathedral complex. Recent preparations, such as interventions at Sant Miquel d'Engolasters, a major overhaul at Sant Martí de la Cortinada, and upgrades at Château de Foix, have ensured readiness for inspections. A proposal to include Lleida's Seu Vella was rejected by the steering committee (COPIL) last June.

General Syndic Carles Ensenyat opened the event, describing the monuments as a material embodiment of governance and collective heritage. Institutions, he said, belong to the people, who must pass them on to future generations.

Culture Minister Mònica Bonell emphasised the Co-Princeship's exceptional status as a unique governance model sustained by consensus, not imposition. She portrayed the sites as living community spaces and called for preservation ahead of summer visits, noting the bid's potential to project Andorra's dialogue-based identity globally while strengthening institutional ties.

Head of Government Xavier Espot positioned the Casa de la Vall as the heart of Andorran institutions, praising the Co-Princeship's endurance through cooperation, balance, and shared sovereignty. In a time of international fragmentation, he expressed hope that UNESCO would recognise this Pyrenean model of nation-building.

France's ambassador to Andorra, Nicolas Eybalin, hailed the dossier's solidity and originality, tying it to the 1278 *paréages* and recent Foix works, which reflect nearly 750 years of relations forming a Pyrenean nation.

Spain's ambassador to Andorra, Carles Pérez-Desoy, called the timing apt amid global conflicts, presenting the Co-Princeship as a modern example of negotiation and mutual respect. Spain's UNESCO ambassador, Miquel Iceta, echoed this, framing it as a centuries-old story of compromise where intelligence prevails over force. Spain, though not central, is proud to participate.

Andorra already holds five UNESCO designations: Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley, summer solstice fire festivals, Bear Festivals, transhumance, and dry-stone walling.