List of World Heritage Sites in Austria

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.[1] Austria ratified the convention on December 18, 1992, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list.[2]

Sites in Austria were first inscribed on the list at the 20th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Mérida, Mexico in 1996. At that session, two sites were added: the "Historic Centre of Salzburg", and the "Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn".[3] Other sites were added each year until 2001 and again in 2011. As of July 2014, Austria has 9 total sites inscribed on the list. Of these two sites are shared with other countries: "Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape" with Hungary; and "Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps" with France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland. All World Heritage Sites in Austria are of the cultural type.[2]

World Heritage Sites

The table lists information about each World Heritage Site:

Name; as listed by the World Heritage Committee[4]
Location; place, with co-ordinates provided by UNESCO
Period; time period of significance, typically of construction
UNESCO data; Site reference number, the year the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List, and the criteria it was listed under: criteria i through vi are cultural, while vii through x are natural
Description; brief description of the site
  * Trans-border site
Name Image Location Period UNESCO data Description
City of Graz – Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg A short but large clock tower shines at dawn. Styria,
 Austria
47°4′27″N 15°23′30″E / 47.07417°N 15.39167°E / 47.07417; 15.39167 (City of Graz – Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg)		 15th to 18th centuries 931; 1999; ii, iv A branch of the Habsburg family lived in Graz for centuries. The Habsburgs and other local nobles beautified and expanded Graz over centuries, leading to a city with grand buildings in a number of styles.[5]
Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape A crow walks on a frozen lake near a narrow dock. Burgenland and Győr-Moson-Sopron County,
 Austria*
 Hungary*
47°43′9.4″N 16°43′21.8″E / 47.719278°N 16.722722°E / 47.719278; 16.722722 (Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape)		 12th to 19th centuries 772; 2001; v The Fertö/Neusiedler Lake area has been occupied by different peoples for eight millennia. A number of 18th and 19th century villages and castles were built on top of the ancient settlements and landscape.[6]
Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape A large lake surrounded by mountains lies in front of a small town in the corner of the frame. Salzkammergut,
 Austria
47°33′34″N 13°38′47″E / 47.55944°N 13.64639°E / 47.55944; 13.64639 (Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape)		 2,000 BCE to 18th centuries 806; 1997; iii, iv The region built itself around salt mining, which began as early as 2,000 BCE and continued in the modern era. The region is also known for its mountain ranges and caves, the longest of the latter reaching a length of 81 km (50 mi).[7]
Historic Centre of Salzburg A distant view of a city sitting atop a hill, overlooking a river at dawn. Salzburg,
 Austria
47°48′2″N 13°2′36″E / 47.80056°N 13.04333°E / 47.80056; 13.04333 (Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg)		 12th to 19th centuries 784; 1996; ii, iv, vi Best associated with Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Salzburg is known for its ecclesiastic city-state qualities only second to Vatican City. It is also where German and Italian cultures intersected, which is reflected by its blend of Gothic- and Baroque-style buildings.[8]
Historic Centre of Vienna A large statue depicting a soldier riding a horse stands in the middle of a park.  Austria
48°13′0″N 16°22′59″E / 48.21667°N 16.38306°E / 48.21667; 16.38306 (Historic Centre of Vienna)		16th to 20th centuries 1033; 2001; ii, iv, vi "The historic centre of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque castles and gardens, as well as the late-19th-century Ringstraße lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks."[9]
Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn Rocoo three and four story palace stretches across most of the midground. In the foreground are manacured lawns and walkways, while the background is the old city of Vienna with a cathedral on the horizon. Vienna,
 Austria
48°11′12″N 16°18′48″E / 48.18667°N 16.31333°E / 48.18667; 16.31333 (Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn)		 17th to 20th centuries 786; 1996; i, iv The residence of the Habsburg emperors from the 18th century to 1918. It was built in the rococo style as a single, unified project. It was designed by the architects Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Nicolaus Pacassi and was the site of the world's first zoo.[10]
Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps Reconstruction of a pile house at the Pfahlbau Museum Unteruhldingen on Lake Constance in Germany  Austria*,
 France*,
 Germany*,
 Italy*,
 Slovenia*,
  Switzerland*
47°16′42″N 8°12′27″E / 47.27833°N 8.20750°E / 47.27833; 8.20750 (Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps)		 5,000 to 500 BCE 1363; 2011; iv, v Contains 111 small individual sites with the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. While only some of the sites have been excavated, they contain a wealth of information on life and trade in agrarian Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures in Alpine Europe. Fifty-six of the sites are located in Switzerland.[11] Five are in Austria, at the lakes Attersee, Mondsee and Keutschacher See.
Semmering railway A photochorm picture of the a curving railroad bridge coming out of a tunnel bored into a large mountain. In the background another bridge and mountains are visible. Gloggnitz,
Semmering in Styria,
 Austria
47°38′55.6″N 15°49′40.7″E / 47.648778°N 15.827972°E / 47.648778; 15.827972 (Semmering railway)		19th century 785; 1998; ii, iv The Semmering Railway, was built between 1848 and 1854 and covers 41 km (25 mi) of rugged mountains. This project was undertaken in the early days of railroad construction and required a number of innovations. The tunnels, viaducts and other works are still in use today.[12]
Wachau Cultural Landscape A large oranate church with an enclosed forecourt. The west façade is topped by two towers and the transept crossing is topped by a large round tower. The entire building is decorated with horizontal white and yellow bands. Wachau,
 Austria
48°21′52″N 15°26′3″E / 48.36444°N 15.43417°E / 48.36444; 15.43417 (Wachau Cultural Landscape)		 18th and 19th centuries 970; 2000; ii, iv The Wachau is a 40 km (25 mi) long valley along the Danube river between Melk and Krems. The valley was settled in prehistoric times and has been an important region since then. It is home to a number of historic towns, villages, monasteries, castles and ruins.[13]

Tentative list

In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage list, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage list are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list.[14] As of 2014, Austria recorded 10 sites on its tentative list. The sites, along with the year they were included on the tentative list are:[15]

  1. Cultural Landscape of "Innsbruck-Nordkette/Karwendel" (2002)
  2. Iron Trail with Erzberg and the old town of Steyr (2002)
  3. Bregenzerwald (Bregenz Forest) (1994)
  4. Abbey of Kremsmünster (1994)
  5. Heiligenkreuz Abbey (1994)
  6. Hochosterwitz Castle (1994)
  7. Cathedral of Gurk (1994)
  8. National Park "Hohe Tauern" (2003)
  9. Hall in Tyrol – The Mint (2013)
  10. Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube Limes in Austria (2015)
  11. Extension to the Joint World Heritage Property “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany” (2015)
  12. Grossglockner High Alpine Road (2016)

References

  1. ↑ "The World Heritage Convention". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Austria – Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List". UNESCO. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Report of the Rapporteur". UNESCO. March 10, 1997. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  4. ↑ World Heritage List, UNESCO, retrieved 2014-07-12
  5. ↑ "City of Graz – Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg". UNESCO. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  6. ↑ "Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape". UNESCO. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  7. ↑ "Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape". UNESCO. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  8. ↑ "Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg". UNESCO. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  9. ↑ "Historic Centre of Vienna". UNESCO. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  10. ↑ "Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  11. ↑ "Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps". UNESCO. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  12. ↑ "Semmering railway". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  13. ↑ "Wachau Cultural Landscape". UNESCO. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  14. ↑ "Tentative Lists". UNESCO. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Hungary – Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List". UNESCO. Retrieved July 12, 2014.

Notes

  1. ↑ The site Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps consists of 111 separate sites spread over six countries. The dot in the map indicates the Attersee which is home to three of Austria's five UNESCO pile dwellings.

External links

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