Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe

countries. Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Ukraine

year of inscription. 2007 (extensions: 2011, 2017)

criteria. Natural

This is a transnational WHS which spreads across twelve countries. At the end of the last Ice Age, the European Beech was confined to a few areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean, and Pyrenees. From thence, its adaptability and tolerance of different physical conditions have allowed it to spread across the whole of Europe. This WHS includes areas in Europe where virgin beech forests remain intact.

The protected areas can be found in the following regions:

• Albania: counties of Elbasan and Kukës
• Austria: states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Upper Austria
• Belgium: province of Brabant
• Bulgaria: provinces of Gabrovo, Lovech, Plovdiv, Sofia, and Stara Zagora
• Croatia: counties of Lika-Senj and Zadar
• Germany: states of Brandeburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Thuringia
• Italy: regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, and Tuscany
• Romania: counties of Brașov, Caraș-Severin, Gorj, Maramureș, Mehedinți, Suceava, and Vâlcea
• Slovakia: region of Prešov
• Slovenia: municipalities of Ilirska Bistrica, Kočevje, and Loška Dolina
• Spain: communities of Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León, Madrid, and Navarre
• Ukraine: oblasts of Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, and Zakarpattia

what. postcard (Germany, 2010)

what. postcard (Germany, 2010)