The growing list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites may soon include an eighth Slovak item of interest, being the former border of the Roman Empire, known as the Danube Limes. This nomination is presented by Slovakia in cooperation with Germany, Austria and Hungary. According to UNESCO, The Danube Limes comprised hundreds of military forts, watchtowers and adjacent civil settlements running 1,500 kilometres through Europe, which demonstrate the Roman Empire's evolution and culture. The organisation states that the remains of this fortified frontier, both above and below ground, are often in good condition but are at risk of being lost due to development and urban growth, adding that 50% of the former Roman frontier has already been destroyed.
This joint submission was presented to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris on February 1, stated the head of the Slovak Department of National Cultural Monuments Ľubica Pinčíková to the SITA news agency. She added that, "A one-and-a-half-year assessment process has begun, with the goal being to have the sites of the Roman border on the Danube River achieving UNESCO World Heritage status."
The World Heritage Committee's decision on whether the Danube Limes is to be included in the World Heritage List is expected in the summer of 2019. If approved, it would ensure the protection and conservation status of sites and remnants along the former border. The 2,300-page nomination includes 98 monuments on the border section which linked the northern frontier of the Roman Empire along the Danube River, from Bad Gögging in Germany to the Hungarian-Croatian border. Slovak sites along the former Roman border include the Roman military camps Gerulata in Bratislava and Celemantia in the village of Iža near Komárno, southern Slovakia.
