EUROPE’S TOP HERITAGE AWARDS HONOR 24 EXEMPLARY ACHIEVEMENTS FROM 18 COUNTRIES
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The European Commission and Europa Nostra have announced the 2021 winners of the European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards, the EU prize for cultural heritage funded by the Creative Europe programme. The announcement has been made at a live online event co-hosted by Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra.
Speaking at the event, Ms Mariya Gabriel said: “The winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2021 are ambassadors of the beauty of heritage in Europe, whether it be traditions and know-how, breath-taking architecture or the way that heritage can unite communities and generations. I truly believe that the successful preservation of our tangible and intangible heritage depends on the commitment of the people behind it. With these awards, we therefore honour all those exceptional men and women, heritage professionals, architects, scientists and volunteers who bring our common heritage closer to our hearts. Their vision should be applauded.”
As for Europa Nostra’s Hermann Parzinger, he stated: “Each year, the winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards exemplify the incomparable creativity and commitment of those who work to protect, valorise and pass on Europe’s precious inheritance to the next generation. This year’s laureates powerfully demonstrate how heritage offers solutions and paths to recovery in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, as we take action for the climate, mobilise for sustainable urban and rural development and tackle the many threats to our core European values. We applaud their outstanding achievements: may they serve as inspiration and encouragement for future action for so many heritage professionals and enthusiasts across Europe and beyond.”
This year, Europe’s top honour in the heritage field goes to 24 exemplary achievements from 18 European countries. (See list below.*)
The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, paid tribute to the Awardees saying: “Through your professionalism, your dedication, your artistic sensitivity, you have helped revitalise the Europe of today and to project it into the future”. Referring to the Conference on the Future of Europe and the New European Bauhaus, two major initiatives recently launched by the European Institutions, Mr Sassoli underscored the fact that “Culture and artistic heritage are not secondary elements, but they represent fundamental tools to foster cohesion, to strengthen our humanity, to give meaning to our belonging. (…) Culture and heritage are essential elements from which to start again and from which to relaunch our European policies.”
The Portuguese Minister of Culture and Acting Chair of the EU Council of Ministers responsible for Culture, Graça Fonseca, also shared her video message of congratulations: “My congratulations to all who participated and to the winners, because it is your work, dedication and talent that best represent [European] ideals. My thanks to the European Commission and Europa Nostra for this annual initiative, one that is so important for our shared European project.”
*LIST OF CATEGORIES AND CORRESPONDING WINNERS
Conservation Projects
Gare Maritime, Brussels, BELGIUM
Fredensborg Palace Garden, DENMARK
Vardzia Rock-Cut Complex, GEORGIA
Haus Am Horn, Weimar, GERMANY
Plaka Bridge, Epirus, GREECE
18 Ormond Quay Upper, Dublin, IRELAND
Wooden Church of Urși Village, Vâlcea County, ROMANIA
Besòs Water Tower, Barcelona, SPAIN
Mas de Burot, Els Ports Natural Park, SPAIN
Research Projects
FIBRANET – FIBRes in ANcient European Textiles, DENMARK / GREECE
Control Shift – European Industrial Heritage Reuse in Review, GREECE / THE NETHERLANDS
ART-RISK – Artificial Intelligence Applied to Preventive Conservation, SPAIN
Dedicated Service to Heritage by Organisations & Individuals
Gjirokastra Foundation, ALBANIA
Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, CYPRUS
Rita Bargna, ITALY
GEFAC – Group of Ethnography and Folklore of the Academy of Coimbra, PORTUGAL
Education, Training and Awareness-raising Projects
Following in the Steps of Bulgarian Folklore, BULGARIA
Heritage Hubs, FINLAND / ITALY / SERBIA / SPAIN
The Invention of a Guilty Party, Trento, ITALY
Holidays! In the East and West – The School Church, Groningen, THE NETHERLANDS
European Solidarity Centre – Permanent Exhibition, Gdańsk, POLAND
Morón Artisan Lime, Morón de la Frontera, SPAIN
Archaeology at Home, UNITED KINGDOM
Morus Londinium: London’s Heritage through Trees, UNITED KINGDOM
The Award winners were selected by independent juries composed of heritage experts from across Europe.
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IMPORTANT: Heritage supporters and enthusiasts from across the world are now encouraged to discover the winners and vote online to decide who will win this year’s Public Choice Award. The Public Choice Award winner will be announced during the European Heritage Awards Ceremony, which will take place on 23 September in Venice, the epidemiological situation permitting. The Grand Prix laureates, each of whom will receive a monetary award of €10,000, will also be made public on this occasion.
Source: Europa Nostra
Brussels / The Hague, 25 May 2021
