The article explores the relationship between heritage and modernity through the lens of World Heritage sites. It delves into paradoxes surrounding preservation, change, and the creation of heritage. The researchers investigate motives for preserving the past, theories explaining our interest in history, and key concepts like time and modernity. They also analyze the expansion of heritage and the genesis of World Heritage as a modern innovation. The study concludes that heritage can be both global and local, and that paradoxes in heritage preservation are inevitable.