The destruction of cultural artifacts, heritage sites, and historical records such as temples, statues, museums, and libraries is among the many immeasurable tragedies of war. 

While cultural sites are often inadvertently destroyed during bombings, it is also common for these symbols and heritage sites to be targeted during war. For example, it was Hitler’s decision that the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia should not exist as a state that led to the complete destruction of The National Library of Serbia in 1941. 

More recently, numerous ancient monuments and temples have been destroyed by the Islamic State group (IS) because they were determined to be un-Islamic. 

Countless artifacts and historical sites of cultural significance have been destroyed during wars and violent conflicts. 24/7 Tempo selected 25 notable examples from the mid-19th century to World War II through the present day. (These were the 18 biggest battles of World War II.)

Click here to see 25 cultural treasures destroyed forever by war