Building in a World Heritage site is a topical issue. Historic settlement areas often present difficult challenges for municipalities and owners. With the help of the Wachau Zones, development plans are elaborated which simplify dealing with historic buildings in line with World Heritage requirements.

The Management Plan for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Wachau was presented at Göttweig Abbey on 29 March 2017.

Through the provision of a development plan, Wachau Zones enable the municipalities to determine possible development in historically valuable settlement areas more precisely than with conventional methods. The concept of the Wachau Zones is therefore one of the central elements for preserving the building culture typically found in the Wachau as a World Heritage Site.

As a historic cultural landscape, the Wachau is overflowing with heritage-listed buildings. In addition to the refurbishment of venerable buildings, Wachau 2010plus also enabled the implementation of projects in the area of gardening and cultural heritage.

The aim of Wachau 2010plus was to further develop the cultural and landscape gem of the Wachau by restaging its cultural and tourism activities in harmony with the people who live and work in the region. Doing so should reveal the special quality of this cultural landscape to visitors.

Under the motto "Less energy, more quality", 15 "light points" in the Wachau have been staged with an aesthetic and at the same time resource-conserving use of light. Unconventional places, such as Emmersdorf cemetery, are also being made "visible" as part of this project.