Stralsund in Germany, an old town designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . European old towns are often recognizable by their density, small alleys and buildings of different eras.
The medieval old town of Porvoo on the Porvoonjoki river, Finland
Traditional houses, with the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Cross in the background, in the walled city of Nicosia , Cyprus
A street in the old town of Limassol , Cyprus
Historical centre of Verona , Italy
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on the periphery of the original settlement may have become the town's principal commercial and/or residential hub, leaving the historic "old town" as a secondary focus. There are many places throughout the world referred to as the old town (sometimes construed as a proper noun and capitalized). This is a list of some famous old towns:
Africa
Algeria
Côte d'Ivoire
Egypt
Ethiopia
Old Town of Harar , UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kenya
Libya
Mali
Morocco
Niger
Tanzania/Zanzibar
Tunisia
Asia and the Pacific
Australia
Bangladesh
Old Town of Lijiang
China
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
East China
Old Town of Qibao
Street in the Dali Ancient City
Southwestern China
Street in the Old Town of Kashgar
Northwestern China
South Central China
Fenghuang Ancient Town
Northeast China
Fiji
India
The Stadhuis is an old building in Jakarta Old Town
Keraton Kanoman is one of the oldest buildings in the historic town of Cirebon
Indonesia
Japan
Old Kyoto
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Chūbu
Chūgoku
Kansai
Post town of Narai
Kantō
Kyushu
Shikoku
View on Ouchijuku from above
Yokaichi Merchant District
Kasashima Port Town
Tōhoku
Malaysia
Old Town of Ipoh
Nepal
New Zealand
Oamaru historic district
Pakistan
Philippines
Philippines as the former colony of Spain has numerous heritage structures, most notably in:
Singapore
South Korea
Old town (Bukchon Hanok Village ) in Seoul
Taiwan
Thailand
Rank of Sino-Portuguese shophouses on both sides of the road in Phraeng Phuthon of Sam Phraeng within Rattanakosin Island
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Europe
Austria
Old Town Salzburg across the Salzach river
UNESCO World Heritage old towns in Austria:
Other notable/famous old towns include:
Armenia
Abovyan street in the Old Town of Gyumri
Albania
A view of Gjirokaster
Azerbaijan
Old houses in the Inner city of Baku
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Cyprus
Denmark
Estonia
Town Hall square in the Old Town of Tallinn
Finland
France
The Old Town of Albi , a UNESCO World Heritage site
The old city of Besançon and the meander of the Doubs River
The equivalent of "Old Town" in French is vieille ville , although the more formal centre historique ("historical center") is usually written on road signs.
UNESCO World Heritage old towns in France:
Other notable/famous old towns include:
Georgia
Germany
Old town (Altstadt ) of Regensburg in Bavaria , a World Heritage site
Hanseatic old town of Lübeck , aerial view
Old town of Quedlinburg
Wittenberg during Luthers Hochzeit festival
Old town of Würzburg
Other notable/famous old towns include:
Greece
A street in the Old Town of Corfu
Crete
Attica
Macedonia
Thessaly
A street in Plaka, Athens
Thrace
Epirus
Peloponnese
A view of Monemvasia from above
Ionian Islands
Aegan Islands
Street in Mykonos
Central Greece
Italy
Old town of Siena
Historic Centre of Rome
Venice as seen from the air
Old town of Urbino
Genoa
Vernazza, one of the towns of Cinque Terre in Liguria, Italy
Skyline of Assisi
I Borghi più belli d'Italia is an association of small Italian towns of historical interest.
Other notable old towns include:
Northern Italy
Central Italy
Southern Italy
Kosovo
Latvia
Vecrīga
Lithuania
Montenegro
Netherlands
Canal houses in Amsterdam
The standard term for 'Old Town' in the Netherlands is "binnenstad", which translates as "innercity", i.e. in city on the inside of the city walls.
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Poznań Old Town
Portugal
Romania
Russia
The embankment along the Moyka river, St. Petersburg
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Central Federal District
Overview of the Old Town of Rostov
Historic center of Moscow and Moscow Kremlin
Historic center of Tula and Tula Kremlin
Historic center of Tver
Old Town of Tutayev , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Kolomna , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Smolensk , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Ostashkov , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Toropets , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Yelets , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Torzhok , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Gorokhovets , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Galich , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Kineshma , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Plyos , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Shuya , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Krapivna , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Zaraysk , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Kasimov , historic settlement of federal importance
Old Town of Yegoryevsk
Old Town of Kaluga
Old Town of Rybinsk
Old Town of Zvenigorod and Zvenigorod Kremlin
Old Town of Dmitrov
Old Town of Sergiyev Posad
Old Town of Bezhetsk
Old Town of Kalyazin
Old Town of Myshkin
Old Town of Buy
Old Town of Palekh
Old Town of Yuryevets
Old Town of Gus-Khrustalny
Old Town of Serpukhov and Serpukhov Kremlin
Old Town of Borovsk
Old Town of Tarusa
Old Town of Belyov
Old Town of Skopin
Old Town of Pronsk
Old Town of Kadom
Old Town of Oryol
Old Town of Ostrogozhsk
Old Town of Roslavl
Old Town of Vyazma
Golden Ring of Russia
Volga Federal District
Street in the Old Town of Kazan
Northwestern Federal District
Ensemble of Pskov Kremlin
Southern Federal District
Astrakhan Kremlin
North Caucasian Federal District
Street in Vladikavkaz
Ural Federal District
Tobolsk Kremlin
Siberian Federal District
Historical center of Tomsk
Historic center of Tomsk , historic settlement of federal importance
Historic center of Irkutsk , historic settlement of federal importance
Historic center of Krasnoyarsk
Historic center of Omsk
Old Town of Yeniseysk , historic settlement of federal importance
Far Eastern Federal District
A street in Old Vladivostok
Serbia
Stari Grad , a neighborhood in Novi Sad
Petrovaradin suburb
Stari Grad , Sremski Karlovci - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stari Grad , Kikinda - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stari Grad , Zrenjanin - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance[ 1]
Stari Grad , Bečej - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stari Grad , Sombor - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stari Grad , Pančevo - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stari Grad , Subotica - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stari Grad , Sremska Mitrovica - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stari Grad , Zemun - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stari Grad , a municipality in Belgrade
Stara čaršija , Grocka , Belgrade - Two quarters of Old City are a Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Tešnjar , Valjevo - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stara čaršija , Novi Pazar - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stari Grad , a municipality in Kragujevac
Stari Grad , the remains of a fort in Užice
Stari Grad , Ivanjica - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Stari Grad , Negotin - Cultural Heritage of Extraordinary importance
Slovakia
Spain
Other notable/famous old towns include:
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Old Town of Safranbolu, UNESCO World Heritage site
UNESCO
Istanbul , Historic Peninsula (Fatih district), UNESCO World Heritage site
Bursa , Historic city center, UNESCO World Heritage site
Cumalıkızık , UNESCO World Heritage site
Safranbolu , UNESCO World Heritage site
Aegan region
Black Sea Region
Old Şirince
Central Anatolia Region
Eastern Anatolia Region
Old Houses in Ankara
Marmara Region
Mediterranean Region
An overview of the Old Town of Mardin
Southeastern Anatolia Region
Ukraine
United Kingdom
England
UNESCO World Heritage old towns in England:
Old Town, Barnsley
Old Town, Chard
Old Town, Croydon
Old Town, hamlet near Mansergh, Cumbria
Old Town, Eastbourne
Old Town, Hastings
Old Town, Isles of Scilly
Old Town, Kingston upon Hull
Old Town, hamlet near Otterburn, Northumberland
Old Town, Southampton , a district of the city of Southampton
Old Town, Swindon
Old Town, West Yorkshire
Scotland
Wales
Holyhead Old Town, a townscape heritage conservation area with the best surviving Roman Fort in Wales
Overseas territories
Middle East
Israel and Palestine
Old City of Jerusalem
Lebanon
Saudi Arabia
Historic houses of Jeddah
Syria
Yemen
Old Town of Sana'a
Iran
Overview of Masuleh
Historical Center in Yazd , UNESCO World Heritage Site
Historical Center in Isfahan , UNESCO World Heritage Site
Historical City of Masuleh
Historical City of Meybod
Iraq
North America
Canada
Quebec
Other
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Mexico
Historic center of Mexico City , Mexico City , a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Guanajuato City , Guanajuato , a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Morelia , Michoacán , a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Oaxaca City , Oaxaca , a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Zacatecas City , Zacatecas , a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Queretaro City , Querétaro
Campeche City , Campeche , a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tlacotalpan , Veracruz , a UNESCO World Heritage Site
San Miguel de Allende , Guanajuato, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Panama
Puerto Rico
United States
California
Painted Ladies in San Francisco
Florida
Northeastern USA
Historic center of Boston (North End , Back Bay and Beacon Hill ), MA
Historic center of Philadelphia (Chestnut Hill , Old City ), PA
Historic center of New York , NY
Historic center of Baltimore (Old West Baltimore , North Central Historic District ), MD
Old Annapolis , MD
Old Portsmouth , NH
Old Burlington , VT
Old New Haven , CT
Old Portland , ME
Old Town Jersey City , NJ
Old Town Salem , MA
New Castle , DE
North Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
New Mexico
Other US states
Old Town Scottsdale , Arizona
Old Town, Augusta , Georgia
Old Town, Chicago , Illinois
Old Town, Indiana
Old Town, Wichita , Kansas
Olde Towne Gaithersburg , Maryland
Old Town Lansing , Michigan
Old Town, Staten Island , New York
Old Town Chinatown , Portland, Oregon
South America
Argentina
Brazil
Northeast
Historic center of Salvador
Center-West
Southeast
Pátio do Colégio (left) and surrounding historic buildings in São Paulo
South
Colombia
Ecuador
Uruguay
Other uses
See also
References
External links
Media related to Old towns at Wikimedia Commons