For the 2004 movie, see National Treasure

National treasure was originally a concept, in the same tradition as national epics, that grew out of the Romantic nationalism movement of the late 18th century. Nationalism was seen as an ideology which holds that the nation is a fundamental unit of human social life, which includes a shared language, values and culture. National treasure was part of a shared culture within a nation.

National treasure can be a shared cultural asset, which may or may not have monetary value, such as a skilled banjo player would be a Living National Treasure. Or it may refer to a rare cultural object, such as the medieval manuscript Plan of St. Gall in Switzerland. The government of Japan designates the most famous of the nation's cultural properties as national treasures of Japan, while the national treasures of Korea are a numbered set of artifacts, sites, and buildings which are recognized by South Korea as having exceptional cultural value.

National treasure can be taken more literally and signify the actual monetary worth of a nation. For example, going to war can use the national treasure.

Notable national treasures

There are thousands of national treasures around the world. Listed here are a representative sample of the different types of things that can be national treasure:

• People
  • Lalo Guerrero was declared a national treasure by the Smithsonian Institution in 1980.
• Places
  • Horyu-ji temple in Japan.
• Cultural artifacts
  • The Fairy Queen in India.
• Geographic features
  • The Greek constitution of 2001 declared that the Greek coastline is a national treasure (see Patra).