Europe celebrates 2023 heritage award winners in Venice

Grand Prix laureate in the Conservation & Adaptive Reuse category.

The sensitive restoration of these Napoleonic-era gardens stands out as a shining example of how to care for the city’s heritage. Special considerations of the current climate crisis have been woven into the design of the interventions, making this initiative exemplary for a city that suffers from the effects of climate change.

Grand Prix laureate in the Conservation & Adaptive Reuse category.

The complex rehabilitation of this 19. century stone bridge presented a very difficult technical challenge and demanded careful research to preserve the integrity and authenticity of the bridge. The intervention uncovered new knowledge to complete the project and sets a standard for future, similar projects.

Grand Prix laureate in the Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising category.

The Museum of Literature Ireland is remarkable in its success in reaching out to lovers of literature and non-traditional audiences alike and raising awareness of Ireland’s rich literary heritage, also thanks to the potentials offered by digital transformation.

Grand Prix laureate in the Heritage Champions category.

This large network of international volunteers, mobilised by a group of leading heritage professionals, rapidly reacted to the threats generated by war on heritage and began their work in the first days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Using existing digital tools, the volunteers have ensured that a huge amount of Ukrainian heritage assets could be safeguarded.

The Board of Europa Nostra chose the Grand Prix laureates based on the recommendations of an independent jury of experts. Each laureate receives a monetary award of €10 000.

The Public Choice Award 2023 went to Via Transilvanica, ROMANIA, a remarkable project that established Romania’s longest hiking trail, spanning over 1 400 kilometres and connecting 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

With 27 000 online votes, this impressive project raised the largest number of votes from heritage enthusiasts from all over Europe, thus receiving a monetary award of €10 000.

The European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards are co-funded by the Creative Europe programme and since 2002 managed by Europa Nostra on behalf of the European Union.

The event was the highlight of European Cultural Heritage Summit 2023 organised by Europa Nostra in partnership with the European Commission and with the support of the European Union.

During the Ceremony, extracts of restored European films will be presented to celebrate our shared cinematic heritage and highlight the importance of film restoration and promotion carried out in the framework of the EU-funded programme A Season of Classic Films.