What is considered Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO?
Austrian Commission for UNESCO
What do the dialect of Montafon, avalanche risk management, scythe forging, and the songs of the Lovara have in common? They are all forms of intangible cultural heritage as defined by UNESCO. Unlike buildings or collections of objects, intangible cultural heritage does not consist of material items but of knowledge, skills, and cultural practices that are passed down from one generation to the next. It includes everyday practices, expressions, and techniques that have been handed down from the past and continue to exist today. Examples include practices of storytelling, annual festivals, environmental knowledge, and traditional crafts.
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The 2003 UNESCO Convention
The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) defines the term as follows: “The ‘intangible cultural heritage’ means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.”
The Convention distinguishes five domains of intangible cultural heritage:
- oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage;
- performing arts;
- social practices, rituals and festive events;
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe;
- traditional craftsmanship.
What all these domains share is that intangible cultural heritage consists of living practices that are not a relic of the past. Each cultural practice is carried out by individuals and communities who actively engage in it, adapt it, and pass it on to the next generation. UNESCO understands this heritage as constantly evolving so that it stays relevant to those who practice it. It strengthens social cohesion, shapes identities, and contributes significantly to community resilience. At the same time, UNESCO regards it as a valuable resource for sustainable and responsible interaction with the environment and local habitats.
A central goal of the Convention is therefore to make intangible cultural heritage, its diverse forms, and its societal value visible and to document it through national inventories. Austria ratified the Convention in 2009. Since then, the Austrian Commission for UNESCO – the national liaison office for all UNESCO matters – has maintained the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which collects cultural practices and makes them accessible to the public.
How does one become part of the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage?
Applications for inscription in the National Inventory may be submitted at any time by bearers of the respective cultural practice. An advisory committee of 15 members – including representatives of federal ministries, the provinces, and experts from various fields – decides on new entries. A practice is inscribed if it meets the criteria for intangible cultural heritage as defined by UNESCO. As of 2025, the inventory contains more than 170 entries, with new ones added each year. Each inscription highlights another facet of Austria's cultural diversity. The inventory demonstrates that cultural heritage is not only history; it is part of our present, strengthens communities, and actively shapes our future.