Skip to content
The Cathedral of St Paul in Vigan is adorned with the New7Wonders City logo for the inauguration event. The church was commissioned by Juan de Salcedo and built in 1574

New7Wonders Cities Vigan

Vigan officially inaugurated as a New7Wonders City

The Cathedral of St Paul in Vigan is adorned with the New7Wonders City logo for the inauguration event. The church was commissioned by Juan de Salcedo and built in 1574
The Cathedral of St Paul in Vigan is adorned with the New7Wonders City logo for yesterday’s inauguration event. The church was commissioned by Juan de Salcedo and built in 1574.

VIGAN, the Philippines: Historic Vigan in the province of Ilocos Sur was officially inaugurated as a New7Wonders City last night. Established in the 16th century, Vigan represents a fusion of cultural elements from the Philippines, China and Europe, creating a city that is without equal in Asia.

Among the dignitaries attending the ceremony held within the precincts of St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral, were Philippines Vice President Jejomar Binay, New7Wonders Founder-President Bernard Weber and Mayor Eva Medina of Vigan. The guest speaker at the inauguration, Vice President Binay, said that the event should serve as an inspiration for how heritage preservation can be best harmonized with urban development. “In our quest to become strong competitors in the ASEAN and global economies, we cannot be too quick to tear down the old to build the new without serious deliberation and debate,” he said, adding, “As Vigan has proven, prosperity is not always measured by a city’s skyline. And it is not just malls that can bring in tourists and trade.”

The Vice-President of the Philippines, Jejomar Binay (left), with the Founder-President of New7Wonders, Bernard Weber (right), at the Official New7Wonders Cities Inauguration ceremonies for Vigan, which took place in the Philippines yesterday.
The Vice-President of the Philippines, Jejomar Binay (left), with the Founder-President of New7Wonders, Bernard Weber (right), at the Official New7Wonders Cities Inauguration ceremonies for Vigan.

Binay urged the people of Vigan to remain committed to promoting their culture and share their best practices to other regions. “Billions of dollars have been spent in cultural preservation and restoration. These costs would not have been incurred if peoples — past and present — had been mindful of their actions, if they had had more respect for their own and other peoples’ cultural legacies and for our own earth,” he said.

Along with a colourful show featuring light and dance, the event was marked by the unveiling of a specially-commissioned bronze commemorative plaque, which was cast in the Kunstgießerei München, a traditional metal foundry in the heart of Munich, Germany.

Mayor Eva Medina of Vigan (left) and Bernard Weber of New7Wonders during the unveiling of the specially-commissioned New7Wonders City plaque.
Mayor Eva Medina of Vigan (left) and Bernard Weber of New7Wonders (right) during the unveiling of the bronze plaque that lists Vigan as a New7Wonders City.
Jean-Paul de la Fuente, Director of New7Wonders (left),  with Bernard Weber,  Founder-President of New7Wonders (right), holding the specially-commissioned bronze commemorative plaque for Vigan.
Jean-Paul de la Fuente, Director of New7Wonders (left), with Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders (right), holding the specially-commissioned bronze commemorative plaque for Vigan.

v11

Vigan, which is the first of the New7Wonders Cities to be officially inaugurated, is joined in the “canon of 7” by Beirut (Lebanon), Doha (Qatar), Durban (South Africa), Havana (Cuba), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and La Paz (Bolivia).

Latest News

New7Wonders continues, find out how in our News Room

Petra honours all the New 7 Wonders of the World on 7 Wonders Day

On July 7, the official 7 Wonders Day around the world, Petra celebrates and honours all the New 7 Wonders of the World, with a visual recreation, by people standing together, of a human number “7” next to the historical treasury site in Jordan. With this 7 symbol, as well as other events to celebrate … Continued

Symbolic giant human “7” created at Machu Picchu, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World

To mark the official 7 Wonders Day, celebrated on 7 July every year around the world, Machu Picchu organises the highest-ever altitude recreation of a giant human number “7”. With this striking visual, Machu Picchu honours the world’s first-ever global vote to elect the New 7 Wonders of the World, a campaign organised by the … Continued

Bernard Weber & New 7 Wonders featured in Switzerland’s number one magazine

Zürich, 10 October 2023 The number one magazine in Switzerland publishes a cover article honouring the New 7 Wonders movement Founder-President, Bernard Weber. Coop magazine, with a readership of 3 million in a nation of 9 million inhabitants, also tells the story about how the world’s first ever global voting campaign for the New 7 … Continued

New7Wonders Wonder Marker at the Great Wall celebrated across Chinese News Media

Beijing and Zurich, 10 July 2023 The official unveiling of the New7Wonders Wonder Marker on 7 Wonders Day 2023 at the Great Wall has been widely reported across mainstream and social mobile media throughout China, recognising and celebrating the importance of this historic moment. Video news reports, distributed through the main mobile news portals that … Continued

Great Wall of China Unveils New7Wonders of the World “Wonder Marker”

Beijing and Zurich, 7 July 2023 Today marked the unveiling of the Wonder Marker, the 3 metre high signpost that celebrates the Great Wall of China as one of the official New 7 Wonders of the World (N7W) as chosen by a global public vote.  The ceremony took place at Huangyaguan Great Wall, Tianjin Province, … Continued