Rust is best known as the town of storks and as a wine-growing community. Rust has been part of the Austrian province of Burgenland since 1921 and has had its town charter since 1681, when it was elevated to the status of a royal Hungarian free town.
Old Town
The entire picturesque historic centre of Rust is now a listed building. The numerous town houses from the 16th to 19th centuries have well-kept Renaissance, Baroque or historicist façades with beautiful window and portal frames, oriel windows, coats of arms and stucco decorations. Characteristic arched portals and entrance vaults lead into the idyllic inner courtyards or to the even older courtyard wings with covered staircases and arcades, some with remnants of the town wall. The historic town centre is protected by the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The individual objects are labelled with blue and white signs. Alongside Salzburg and Krems, Rust is also one of the three model towns in Austria that were recognised in 1975, in the Year of European Architectural Heritage because it is not a revitalised but a vital old town. In 2001, the historic centre of Rust was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Lake Neusiedl region. Rust has already been recognised several times for its conservation and cultural efforts as a The most beautiful town in Burgenland are still excellent. The houses still fulfil their original function as homes and businesses for the citizens.