Newfoundland & Labrador Celebrates Successful UNESCO Bid for Red Bay
Discovered in the 1970s, the location of a 16th century Basque whaling station on the Labrador coast at Red Bay has just been granted UNESCO World Heritage status, which is the highest global recognition for any heritage site.
With a population of less than 200, the fishing village of Red Bay is home to several wrecks including four Basque whaling galleons and several chalupas or small whaling boats. One of the ships, believed to be the San Juan that was lost at Red Bay in 1565, has been completely excavated, recorded and reburied on site.
Joining 16 other UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada, Red Bay offers whale-watching, hiking and iceberg viewing to visitors along with the story of the largest and most important whaling station on the 16th century.
At the 37th committee meeting, which took place in Cambodia, additions to the UNESCO list included Japan’s Mount Fuji and four other sites across the globe. The UN agency commented that Red Bay “provides the earliest, most complete and best preserved testimony of the European whaling tradition” ever found.
Just over five hours flight from London, Atlantic Canada is the closest part of North America to the UK and Red Bay is accessible as part of the Labrador Coastal Drive or via a ferry from St. Barbe, Newfoundland to Blanc Sablon, Quebec.