A national monument is a
monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...
constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as
a country's founding,
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
,
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
, or the life and death of a
historical figure
A historical figure is a significant person in history.
The significance of such figures in human progress has been debated. Some think they play a crucial role, while others say they have little impact on the broad currents of thought and social ...
.
The term may also refer to a specific
monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...
status, such as a
national heritage site
A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage registe ...
, by reason of their cultural importance rather than age (''see
National Monument (United States)
In the United States, a national monument is a protected area that can be created from any land owned or controlled by the federal government by proclamation of the President of the United States or an act of Congress. National monuments pr ...
'').
National monument status is usually granted to colossal symbols of
national identity
National identity is a person's identity or sense of belonging to one or more states or to one or more nations. It is the sense of "a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language". National identity ...
.
Overview
Structures or areas deemed to be of national importance and afforded protection by the state are part of a country's
cultural heritage. These national heritage sites are often called something different per country and are listed by national conservation societies.
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
has listed at least one plant as a national monument,
''Nymphaea lotus'' f. ''thermalis''.
Example
National monument
*
National Monument (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
*The
National Monument (
Central Jakarta)
*
Maqam Echahid
The Maqam Echahid ( ar, مقام الشهيد, , en, Martyrs' Memorial) is a concrete monument commemorating the Algerian War. The monument was opened in 1982, on the 20th anniversary of Algeria's independence. It is fashioned in the shape of t ...
(
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
)
*The
Pakistan Monument
The Pakistan Monument ( ur, ) is a national monument and heritage museum located on the western Shakarparian Hills in Islamabad, Pakistan. The monument was constructed to symbolize the unity of the Pakistani people. It is dedicated to the peopl ...
(
Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
)
*The
National Martyr's Memorial (
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
)
*The
National Monument (
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, su ...
)
*The Netherlands
National Monument (
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
)
*The
National Monument of Scotland
The National Monument of Scotland, on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, is Scotland's national memorial to the Scottish soldiers and sailors who died fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. It was intended, according to the inscription, to be "A Memorial of ...
(
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
)
*
National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
)
*
National Kaiser Wilhelm Monument
The National Kaiser Wilhelm Monument (''Kaiser-Wilhelm-Nationaldenkmal'') was a memorial structure in Berlin dedicated to Wilhelm I, first Emperor of Imperial Germany. It stood in front of the Berlin Palace from 1897 to 1950, when both structures ...
(
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
)
*
Pobednik
''Pobednik'' ( sr-cyr, Победник, lit=The Victor) is a monument in the Upper Town of the Belgrade Fortress, built to commemorate Serbia's victory over the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires during the Balkan Wars and the First World Wa ...
(
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
)
National heritage sites
*
National heritage sites of South Africa
Section 27 of the National Heritage Resources Act (NHRA) of South Africa provides for places of historic or cultural importance to be designated national heritage sites. This came into effect with the introduction of the Act on 1 April 2000, when ...
*
National Monuments of Colombia
The National Monuments of Colombia ( es, Monumentos Nacionales de Colombia) are the set of properties, nature reserves, archaeological sites, historic districts, urban areas and property that, for values of authenticity, originality, aesthetics, ...
*
National monuments of Ireland
*
National monuments of Portugal
The national monuments of Portugal ( pt, Monumentos Nacionais) were constructed throughout the Portuguese territory, and date back to the period of pre-historic settlement of occupation. Subsequently, the region that is today Portugal has been col ...
*
National monuments of Singapore
National monuments of Singapore are sites, buildings and structures in Singapore that have been designated by the National Heritage Board (NHB) as being of special historic, traditional, archaeological, architectural or artistic value. For histor ...
*
National monuments of Spain The current legislation regarding historical monuments in Spain dates from 1985. However, ''Monumentos nacionales'' (to use the original term) were first designated in the nineteenth century. It was a fairly broad category for national heritage sit ...
*
National monument (United States)
In the United States, a national monument is a protected area that can be created from any land owned or controlled by the federal government by proclamation of the President of the United States or an act of Congress. National monuments pr ...
**
List of national monuments of the United States
See also
*
Cultural identity
*
National icon
*
National memorial (disambiguation)
*
National myth
A national myth is an inspiring narrative or anecdote about a nation's past. Such myths often serve as important national symbols and affirm a set of national values. A national myth may sometimes take the form of a national epic or be incorpor ...
References
{{Authority control
Types of monuments and memorials
National symbols
es:Monumento nacional