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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. Austria ratified the convention on December 18, 1992, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list.
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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". 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.
World Heritage Sites
The table lists information about each World Heritage Site:
Name; as listed by the World Heritage Committee 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 siteTentative 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. 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:
- Cultural Landscape of "Innsbruck-Nordkette/Karwendel" (2002)
- Iron Trail with Erzberg and the old town of Steyr (2002)
- Bregenzerwald (Bregenz Forest) (1994)
- Abbey of Kremsmünster (1994)
- Heiligenkreuz Abbey (1994)
- Hochosterwitz Castle (1994)
- Cathedral of Gurk (1994)
- National Park "Hohe Tauern" (2003)
- Hall in Tyrol – The Mint (2013)
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube Limes in Austria (2015)
- Extension to the Joint World Heritage Property “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany” (2015)
- Grossglockner High Alpine Road (2016)