The stylistic unity of its Baroque architecture cakes the city of Ouro Preto in South America unique. In 1980 the town was the first Brazilian monument declared to be part of the “world's heritage”. The wealth of the goldmines was responsible for the construction of a number of magnificent churches, palaces, and private residences in the course of the eighteenth century. However today the rapid expansion of the city poses a threat to the historic centre of Ouro Preto and another danger is the heavy goods traffic along roads undermined by the tunnels of the old gold mines.

on this subject: Ouro Preto on the World Heritage