Master student, Baku State University
E-mail. [email protected]
UDC 341.215.2
CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION:
DEFINITION AND CATEGORIES
The cultural heritage of the European Union is extremely diverse: it combines the cultural heritage of all its Member States, each of which is unique in its own way. The importance of cultural heritage is often emphasized, and there are many international legal documents aimed at its protection, as well as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), whose mission is to preserve and promote cultural diversity. But what exactly is the meaning of cultural heritage? What does it encompass, and what categories of cultural heritage exist? In order to understand why the preservation of cultural heritage and its protection from destruction—resulting from international armed conflicts, which we have witnessed in recent years, and various crimes related to its illegal trafficking—is so important, it seems necessary to answer these questions.