Every member country which has signed the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (The World Heritage Convention) maintains its own national list of world’s cultural heritage. This is a sign of quality stating the listed cultural or natural properties are fully or partially accustomed to international requirements. Only nationally registered places of Wold heritage can have the potential to be nominated for the International UNESCO World Heritage List.

The implementation of UNESCO programme “Memory of the World” in Latvia is one of the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO priorities, therefore the Latvian national register was initiated as a part UNESCO “Memory of the World” programme in 2009. The aim of this project is to promote the protection, accessibility and identification of the most important national documentary heritage in Latvia and worldwide. The register contains vital documentary testimonies that have influenced the development of history on the national and international level. All activities within the register are carried out in order to direct the attention of Latvian society towards the importance of documentary heritage and its role in relation to collective cultural memory, the significance of keeping the heritage intact, relevant use of technical appliances and proper interpretation. Right now, the registry contains eight nominations which in terms of the register are understood as recognition and honorary title for a documentary heritage object or specific item.