UNESCO nominated Salzburg's Old City as part of the world's cultural and natural heritage.
Two significant cultural sites in Austria were placed on UNESCO's list of the world's cultural and natural heritage on January 1, 1997: Salzburg Old City and Schönbrunn Palace. In 1972 UNESCO agreed on a convention to protect internationally acknowledged objects of culture and nature.
In the meantime 178 countries have joined the agreement. This convention for the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage, which Austria only ratified in 1993, was established to help the community of countries protect cultural and natural monuments and to insure that effective help is provided if these monuments are endangered.
Many extraordinary products of nature or objects created by man over thousands of years have been lost, frequently by the force of nature but more often by man's destructive ambition, robbing future generations of a rich natural or unique cultural heritage.
Responsible cultural politicians recognized that everyone should be held responsible for the preservation of our heritage and that only international institutions would be in a position to implement effective measures because of their reputation. Every citizen should be aware of the heritage to be preserved in his own country and should be familiar with the invaluable cultural and natural sites of the world.
To promote this awareness, UNESCO declared the decade between 1988 and 1997 as the world decade for cultural development. The list of the world's cultural and natural heritage currently includes more than 700 sites in 124 countries of the world. Being on the list signifies that the individual cultural heritage requires a higher degree of protection: 'Monumenta semper sunt servanda' - the cultural and natural heritage of the world must be protected.
This nomination is a high distinction for the City of Salzburg and a substantiation of the consistent government policies for the preservation of the historic town center.
