The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.^[1] Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage.^[2] The Slovak Republic ratified the convention on 31 March 1993, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list.^[3]

Bardejov

Banská Štiavnica

Spiš Castle

Beech forests

Levoča

Vlkolínec

Bratislava - Rusovce - Gerulata

Iža - Celemantia

Locations of World Heritage Sites in Slovakia. Blue dots mark the Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area. Grey dots mark the sites of the Slovak Karst.

As of 2021^[update], there are eight World Heritage Sites in Slovakia.^[3] The first three sites in Slovakia were added to the list in 1993. These sites were Vlkolínec, Historic Town of Banská Štiavnica and the Technical Monuments in its Vicinity, and Spišský Hrad. The latter site was extended in 2009 to include Levoča and the associated cultural monuments. The most recent site added to the list was the Danube Limes, in 2021. Six sites in Slovakia are cultural and two are natural. Three sites are transnational, the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst are shared with Hungary, the Danube Limes is shared with Germany and Austria, and the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe are shared with 17 other countries. In addition, Slovakia has 12 sites on the tentative list.^[3]

UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.^[4]

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World Heritage Sites

Site	Image	Location	Year listed	UNESCO data	Description
Historic Town of Banská Štiavnica and the Technical Monuments in its Vicinity		Banská Bystrica Region	1993	618rev; iv, v (cultural)	Banská Štiavnica is the oldest mining town in Slovakia. While mining activities in the area already took place in the Bronze Age, the town itself was founded in the 13th century. The rich deposits of polymetallic ores, containing also gold and silver, brought wealth to the town, resulting in construction of several representative buildings, such as palaces, churches, and castles. In 1762, the first Mining and Forestry Academy in Europe was founded here. The mining activities declined in the 19th century due to the depletion of the ore deposits.[5]
Levoča, Spišský Hrad and the Associated Cultural Monuments		Prešov and Košice Regions	1993	620bis: iv (cultural)	The Spiš Castle is one of the largest castles in the region and includes well-preserved buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries, in Romanesque and Gothic styles. In 2009, the site was expanded to include the town of Levoča, with its 14th century Basilica of St. James, home to the Late Gothic altar by Master Paul, as well as the associated sites in Spišské Podhradie, Spišská Kapitula, and Žehra, that also feature urban ensembles from the same period.[6][7]
Vlkolínec		Žilina Region	1993	622rev; iv, v (cultural)	Vlkolínec represents a traditional European rural settlement in a mountainous area, and is the best preserved ensemble of that type in the region. The village comprises 43 traditional log houses which mostly date to the 19th century, a church with a bell tower, and a school.[8]
Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst*		Košice Region	1995	725ter; viii (natural)	The site comprises 712 caves in Slovakia and Hungary. They represent a typical temperate-zone karstic system. The sediments and fossils in the caves show geological records of the subtropical and tropical climatic conditions from the Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary, as well as the Pleistocene glaciations. The original nomination listed the Domica, Gombasecká, Jasovská, Krásnohorská, and Ochtinská caves on the Slovakian side, with Dobšiná Ice Cave added as an extension in 2000. A modification of the site boundaries on the Hungarian side took place in 2008.[9][10]
Bardejov Town Conservation Reserve		Prešov Region	2000	973; iii, iv (cultural)	The town of Bardejov is located close to an important trade route to Poland across the Carpathians. The city plan dates to the 13th and 14th century and included fortifications that were advanced for contemporary standards. Burghers' houses from the 15th century and the Gothic Basilica of St Giles surround the main square. Bardejov also includes a small Jewish quarter from the 18th century.[11]
Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe*		Prešov Region	2007	1133quater; ix (natural)	This site comprises undisturbed examples of temperate forests that demonstrate the postglacial expansion process of European beech from a few isolated refuge areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean, and Pyrenees. The site was originally listed in 2007 as the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians, shared by Slovakia and Ukraine, extended in 2011 to include the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany, and further extended in 2017 and 2021 to include forests in a total of 18 countries. Four reserves in Slovakia are listed, Stužica – Bukovské vrchy, Rožok, Vihorlat, and Havešová. The modification of the boundaries of forests in Slovakia took place in 2021.[12]
Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area		Košice, Banská Bystrica, Žilina and Prešov Regions	2008	1273; iii, iv (cultural)	This site comprises eight wooden churches that were built in the Carpathian area of Slovakia between the 16th and the 18th centuries, as representative examples of wooden religious architecture at the area where communities of three different faiths coexist. Two churches are Roman Catholic, three are Protestant, and three are Greek Orthodox. The Wooden articular church of Hronsek is pictured.[13]
Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Western Segment)*		Bratislava and Nitra Regions	2021	1608rev; ii, iii, iv (cultural)	The Danubian Limes, a network of fortifications along the Danube river, protected the borders of the Roman Empire. The site is shared with Germany and Austria. Six sites at two locations, of military camps Celemantia and Gerulata (ruins pictured), are listed in Slovakia.[14]

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In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage list, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage list are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list.^[15] As of 2021^[update], Slovakia recorded 12 sites on its tentative list.^[3]