Currently, there are three sites in Slovenia inscribed on the list and five sites on the tentative list. The first site in Slovenia to be added to the list was the Škocjan Caves, inscribed at the 10th UNESCO session in 1986.[3] In the 2010s, two more sites were inscribed, both of them transnational entries: pile dwellings at Ig, part of the Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps transnational site, in 2011,[4] and Idrija, as part of the transnational site Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija, in 2012.[5] Of these three sites, Škocjan Caves is a natural site while the other two are cultural sites, as determined by the organization's selection criteria.[2]
In the following table, the UNESCO data includes the site's reference number, the year the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List, and the criteria it was listed under: criteria i through vi are cultural, whereas vii through x are natural.
Cave system and surroundings that represent some of the most significant Karst topography phenomena, including one of the world's largest known underground river canyons. The Karst area is of special importance in the history of earth sciences.
Prehistoric pile-dwellings settlements. Excavations in these sites have provided insight into life in prehistoric times during the Neolithic and the Bronze Age in Alpine Europe. Two sites in Slovenia are listed: the pile dwellings in Ig, northern group (kolišča na Igu, severna skupina), and the pile dwellings in Ig, southern group (kolišča na Igu, južna skupina).
Idrija has one of the two largest mercury mines in the world, with mercury being first discovered there in 1490. The site features the infrastructure and technology related to mining and mercury production and bears testimony to the intercontinental trade in mercury, which generated important exchanges between Europe and America over the centuries.
In addition to the 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.[8] As of 2015, Slovenia recorded 5 sites on its tentative list.[9] The sites, along with the year they were included on the tentative list, are listed below. Here, "UNESCO data" refers to the year of inscription on the tentative list and the criteria it was listed under.
Karst Plateau is the region where Karst phenomena were scientifically described for the first time. Continuous human settlement for over 2000 years has created a cultural landscape with a unique identity.
The area that was developed for the particular needs of alpine pasture cattle-raising, with herdsmen gradually moving the cattle up to the highlands in the summer months. Mountainous settlements developed specific farm structures, especially hayracks.
A clandestine partisan hospital complex, set up during World War II. It had a capacity of up to 120 patients and provided treatment to soldiers of various nationalities. It was never discovered by the enemy forces.
The two forest reserves, Krokar and Snežnik – Ždrocle Virgin Forests represent an outstanding example of undisturbed, complex temperate forests. They demonstrate the postglacial expansion process of such forests and exhibit the most complete and comprehensive ecological patterns and processes of pure and mixed stands of European Beech across a variety of environmental conditions.
The site encompasses the most prominent works of Jože Plečnik. Sites in Slovenia include St. Michael's Church in Črna Vas, and the following sites in Ljubljana: the promenade along the embankments of the Ljubljanica River and the bridges crossing it, Vega Street (Vegova ulica), the National and University Library building, the All Saints Garden in Žale Cemetery, St. Francis's Church in Zgornja Šiška.