Austrian World Heritage Sites

UNESCO Welterbe Austria ratified the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in December 1992. As of 2008, Austria has eight inscriptions on the UNESCO World Heritage List:

Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg (1996): Salzburg, with its dramatic townscape and historically significant urban fabric, together with its proliferation of prominent ecclesiastical and secular buildings from across the ages, is a salient example of an European ecclesiastical city-state.
Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn (1996): The ensemble constitutes an especially well preserved example of the Baroque princely residence in the form of a synthesis of arts.
Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape (1997): This alpine region is an outstanding example of a natural landscape of great beauty and scientific interest.
Semmering Railway (1998): The Semmering Railway represents a notable technological solution to a major physical problem in the construction of early railways, thereby creating a new form of cultural landscape.
City of Graz – Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg (1999 and 2010) (1999): The historic centre of the city of Graz reflects artistic and architectural movements originating from the Germanic region, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean, for which it served as a crossroad for centuries. The urban complex is an exceptional example of a harmonious integration of architectural styles from successive periods. The urban physiognomy faithfully tells the story of its historic development.
Schloss Eggenberg, constructed shortly after 1625 by the architect of the Graz Court, Pietro de Pomis, was built as a state residence of Duke Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg (1568–1634), one of the most prominent political personalities of 17th century Austria. The large four-winged site with three arcade courts and a crowning central tower is recognized as the most representative example of early baroque palace construction in Austria. Thus it became a prototype of building for the nobility of the following two centuries.
Wachau Cultural Landscape (2000): The Wachau is an outstanding example of a riverine landscape bordered by mountains in which material evidence of its long historical evolution has survived to a remarkable degree. The architecture, the human settlements, and the agricultural use of the land in the Wachau vividly illustrate a basically medieval landscape which has evolved organically and harmoniously over time.
Historic Centre of Vienna (2001): Three key periods of European cultural and political development – the Middle Ages, the Baroque period, and the Gründerzeit, the era of industrialization in Austria, – are exceptionally well illustrated by the urban and architectural heritage of the Historic Centre of Vienna. Since the 16^th century Vienna has been universally acknowledged to be the musical capital of Europe.
Fertö-Neusiedler See Cultural Landscape (jointly with Hungary, 2001): Fertö/Neusiedler See has been the meeting place of different cultures for eight millennia. Its varied landscape bears witness to this intercultural development process.

Since 2004, the Austrian Commission for UNESCO has been encouraging cooperation between the Austrian World Heritage sites. On the Commission’s initiative, eight Austrian sites have combined to hold annual meetings. Following Fertö/Neusiedler See, Semmering and Graz, the 4^th Austrian World Heritage Site Conference took place in Schönbrunn in September 2008.

World heritage education is a major factor in implementing the World Heritage Convention, as it fosters awareness of our joint responsibility for such sites and their long-term preservation.