Historic Centre of Vienna inscribed on List of World Heritage in Danger

The World Heritage Committee on 6 July 2017 inscribed the Historic Centre of Vienna on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The step was taken due to high-rise projects in the middle of the historic city.

The Committee states that the Vienna Ice-Skating Club—Intercontinental Hotel project has failed to comply fully with previous Committee decisions, notably concerning the height of new constructions, which will have adverse effects on the Austrian capital.

About the Historic Centre of Vienna

• Vienna is the capital and largest city of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria.

• The city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2001.

• The city developed from early Celtic and Roman settlements into a Medieval and Baroque city to become the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

• The city is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque castles and gardens, and the late-19th-century Ringstraße lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks.

• The Historic Centre of Vienna is regarded as the City of Music because of its musical legacy. It also considered as The City of Dreams because it was home to Sigmund Freud, the world's first psycho-analyst.

About List of World Heritage in Danger

• The List of World Heritage in Danger is designed to inform the international community of conditions, which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List.

• Before a property is inscribed on the list, its condition is assessed and a potential programme for corrective measures is developed in cooperation with the State Party involved.

• Typical threats that lead to danger listing include armed conflict, natural disaster, unplanned urban developments, poaching and pollution.

• A few of the Heritage Sites that are inscribed on the list are: Ancient City of Aleppo, Georgia’s Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery, Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley, Kahuzi-Biega National Park, among others.