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:
Asia and the Pacific [ edit ]
Rose Garden Palace , a historic building in Old Dhaka , Bangladesh
The Stadhuis is an old building in Jakarta Old Town
Keraton Kanoman is one of the oldest buildings in the historic town of Cirebon
Philippines as the former colony of Spain has numerous heritage structures, most notably in:
Old town (Bukchon Hanok Village ) in Seoul
Rank of Sino-Portuguese shophouses on both sides of the road in Phraeng Phuthon of Sam Phraeng within Rattanakosin Island
Old Town Salzburg across the Salzach river
Old town of Innsbruck
UNESCO World Heritage old towns in Austria:
Other notable/famous old towns include:
Bosnia and Herzegovina [ edit ]
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:
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:
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
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.
Poznań Old Town
UNESCO World Heritage Sites: [ edit ]
Other renowned old owns: [ edit ]
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
Other notable/famous old towns include:
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
Overseas territories [ edit ]
Old City of Jerusalem
Iraq
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
Old Town Eureka , California an original 19th Century Victorian commercial district in Eureka, California
Old Town, Kern County, California
Old Town, Marin County, California
Old Town, Santa Barbara County, California
Old Town, Ventura County, California
Old Town, California, former name of Pine Town, California , in Lassen County
Old Town Pasadena , California
Old Sacramento State Historic Park , Sacramento, California
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park , San Diego, California
Old Town, San Diego , a neighborhood of San Diego
Old Town, Florida , a town in Dixie County, not to be confused with the one in Orlando
Old Town Fernandina , Fernandina Beach, Florida; the last town in the Western Hemisphere to be platted according to the Spanish "Law of the Indies" in 1811; named for King Ferdinand VII
Old Town, Key West , the historic section of the city of Key West, Florida
Old Town , an amusement park/shopping center in Kissimmee, Florida
Old Town Scottsdale , Arizona
Old Town, Augusta , Georgia
Old Town, Chicago , Illinois
Old Town, Indiana
Old Town, Wichita , Kansas
Old Town, Maine , a city
Olde Towne Gaithersburg , Maryland
Old Town Lansing , Michigan
Old Town Albuquerque , New Mexico
Old Town, Staten Island , New York
Old Town Chinatown , Portland, Oregon
Historic center of Salvador
Pátio do Colégio (left) and surrounding historic buildings in São Paulo
Media related to Old towns at Wikimedia Commons