The Role of Small Towns in a Potential Ecoregion through the Example of Fertő/Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape

Abstract

Fertő/Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape, as a transboundary World Heritage Site of Hungary and Austria, possesses unique cultural and natural values. The examined areas can be characterised as meeting places of different cultures. We examined the role of small towns in Fertő/Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape, which play an important role in regional development. In the last 25 years, different levels of cooperation started among the Hungarian and Austrian settlements aiming at nature and cultural heritage protection and tourism development. We formulated suggestions to maintain and strengthen the existing co-operation and relations.

Transnational World Heritage, (meta)governance and implications for tourism: An Italian case

“…Similarly, the Fertö/Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site in Austria and Hungary experiences cooperation at the local level, but there is a need for a greater level of integration across all levels. This could be particularly difficult given the power structures within the two nations, with Austrian control over the site being regional in comparison with Hungary where the central government manages the site (Sallay et al, 2016). These studies, combined with those focusing specifically on natural World Heritage Sites, illustrate the complexity and problematic nature of integration of governance and management systems across different national contexts, particularly in their multi-level implementation.…”

“…While transboundary sites are not a new trend in World Heritage listing, with the first two inscribed in 1979, interest in this type of site is growing (Stokin, 2015). However, there have been relatively few studies that address multi-level governance and management, and research on this type of site is limited, with most of the focus falling predominantly on natural sites (Johnston, 2006;Krzysciak-Kosinka, 2011;Makuvaza, 2012;Svels & Sande, 2016) and only two studies which concentrate on cultural sites, specifically cultural landscapes (Albrecht, 2010;Sallay et al, 2016). Nevertheless, there have not been any previous studies that directly discuss heritage governance, metagovernance and tourism at a transnational serial World Heritage Site.…”