Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Western Segment)

countries. Austria, Germany, and Slovakia

year of inscription. 2021

criteria: Cultural

At its zenith, the boundary of the Roman Empire stretched over 5,000km, from the Atlantic coast of northern Britain, through Europe from the North Sea to the Black Sea, and then to the Red Sea and across North Africa to the Atlantic coast. The modern term for this border defence and delimiting system is limes, and existed in the form of walls, ditches, forts, fortresses, watchtowers, and civilian settlements. Today, elements of the limes have been destroyed, excavated, or reconstructed.

The conservation of the limes as WHS has been categorised into the following three distinct sites:

• Frontiers of the Roman Empire
• Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Western Segment)
• Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes

The Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Western Segment) WHS is composed of the sites along the western segment of the Danube River, which demarcated the parts of the northern reach of the Empire. There are a total of 77 component sites and locations: 24 locations in Germany, 47 locations in Austria, and 6 locations in Slovakia. Hungary, which was one of the constituent countries seeking to list this WHS, withdrew its participation at short notice. Nonetheless, the remaining three state parties proceeded and the WHS was inscribed in 2021.

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