21 sites pre-selected for the 2025 European Heritage Label

Landeszeughaus, Styrian Armoury

Graz, Austria

In a mostly unchanged setting this is the largest preserved historical armoury in the world, where around 32 000 objects from the 15. to 18. centuries can be seen.

Scladina Cave

Andenne, Belgium

The Andenne museum space showcases Europe’s rich prehistoric heritage, particularly through discoveries from the Scladina Cave, which it manages. This museum houses a collection unique in Belgium, including the jawbone of the Scladina Child, the country’s oldest Neanderthal fossil.

Domain and Royal Museum of Mariemont

Mariemont, Belgium

The Domain & Royal Museum of Mariemont was founded in the mid-16. century by Mary of Hungary, sister of Emperor Charles V. The 19. century industrialist and philanthropist Raoul Warocqué assembled one of the richest collections of European and world cultures there which he bequeathed to the Belgian state in 1917.

Prehistoric salt mining and urban centre Provadia-Solnitsa

Provadia-Solnitsa, Bulgaria

Solnitsata was a prehistoric town near the city of Provadia. It is the oldest salt production centre in continental Europe (5500‑4200 BC) and the first prehistoric urban centre in Europe (4700‑4200 BC) consisting of a salt production centre.

Free Speech Space

Czech Republic

This collection of memorial objects represents the struggle for free speech and free access to information in modern European history. It includes historical and current sites of Radio Free Europe, former broadcasting jammers, places that fought for uncensored broadcasting of the Czech media in 1968. The 14 sites from the 14 regions of the Czech Republic mirror significant moments in the historical formation of the European Union.

City-People-River, The Pader for Europe

Pader, Germany

With around 200 karst springs, the Pader has a spectacular spring area. The river has shaped the cultural, historical and ecological life within the medieval city walls where there is ample evidence of a 1200-year-old history of life with and around water. It is an important model of sustainable practice for water for Europe today.

Ninth Fort Museum

Kaunas, Lithuania

The Ninth Fort is a stronghold in the northern part of Šilainiai elderate, Kaunas, Lithuania. It was built in the late 19. century. During the occupation of Lithuania by Nazi Germany, the fort was used as a place of execution for Jews, captured Soviets, and others. During the Soviet occupation, the fort was used as a prison and way-station for prisoners being transported to labour camps. 

Cultural Centre la Nau

Valencia, Spain

Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1981, the building is the oldest and most emblematic of the University of Valencia. It has been the main headquarters since its foundation at the end of the 15. century until the mid-20. century.

Monastery of Santa Maria la Real

Aguilar de Campoo, Spain

The monastery is a late-Romanesque complex that played a significant economic and cultural role in the surrounding territory before it was abandoned in the 19. century. Restored and rehabilitated in the last century, it now houses a range of educational, cultural, and tourism-related activities that coexist harmoniously with the original medieval structures.

Industrial Heritage of Varkaus

Varkaus, Finland

Varkaus is an industrial city that has grown up along the waterways of eastern Finland. The site reflects the development of industry from the late 17. century onwards and is a living example of the impact of industrialisation and its urban fabric that still exists today. The Old Varkaus area forms the core of the built heritage and contains the bulk of the city's industrial heritage from different periods, including factories, schools and canteens.

Rachi of Troyes European Remembrance

Troyes, France

Rachi, a revolutionary thinker and interpreter was born and died in Troyes (1040–1105). His commentaries on the Bible and the Talmud became practical reference guides as early as the 11. Century. Rachi’s legacy in Troyes bears witness to the contribution of Jews and Judaism in shaping a diverse and open Europe from the Middle Ages onwards.

Places Of Peace 

Transnational site

The transnational site consists of 7 partner sites in 6 EU countries that share a common story: they are all sites where peace treaties were signed. They represent a broad geographical, cultural and architectural diversity including palaces, castles, parks and civil and religious buildings of different styles and periods: 

• Monastery of Saint Francis of Zadar (Croatia)
• Park of the Historic Fountain of Kaynardzha (Bulgaria)
• Paço dos Henriques of Alcáçovas (Portugal)
• Convento de San Francisco/Historic Complex of Alcañices (Spain)
• Convention House of Évora Monte (Portugal)
• House of Peace of Vasvár (Hungary)
• Trencin Castle (Slovakia)

Baroque Town-Fortresses

Transnational site

Built in the late 17. and early 18. centuries the fortified towns of 

• Osijek (Croatia)
• Timișoara (Romania)
• Alba Iulia (Romania) 

are important examples of Central-European Baroque heritage. Situated on the southeastern border of the former Habsburg Monarchy, they formed part of a strategic defence network. The fortifications are characterised by star-shaped bastion walls and Baroque urban planning that integrated military and civilian uses, creating vibrant regional hubs.

Saint George Church of Ják

Ják, Hungary

Saint George Church of Ják is one of the most well-known Romanesque and early Gothic monuments in Hungary. It has been inhabited by Benedictine monks between the 11. and 16. century and became a secular abbey afterwards. Periods of destruction and reconstruction alternated in buildings’ later history. 

Zsolnay Cultural Quarter

Pécs, Hungary

The Zsolnay Cultural Quarter is centred around the transformation of the former Zsolnay ceramics factory into today’s cultural hub spanning 5.5 hectares. This became Central and Eastern Europe’s largest industrial heritage conservation project. 

Oak Forest National Regional Park

Seveso, Italy

The Oak Forest National Regional Park (Bosco delle Querce regional natural Park of Seveso and Meda or BdQ) is a symbol of ecological rebirth. An industrial accident on 10 July 1976 caused the release of a toxic chemical cloud containing dioxins (TCDD) that forced the evacuation of over 200 people. The reconstruction transformed approximately 43 hectares of contaminated land into a natural park that is rich in biodiversity and today is a protected natural and historic site.

Teatro Olimpico Vicenza

Vicenza, Italy

The Teatro Olimpico is the first permanent indoor theatre in the world, miraculously preserved in its original appearance and integrity. It represents the creative pinnacle of one of Italy’s greatest architects, Andrea Palladio. It was inaugurated in March 1585 with the play Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles.

Saint Paul's Catacombs

Rabat, Malta

Serving as a burial ground from Punic, Roman and Byzantine times, the St Paul’s Catacombs complex that cover an area over 2000 square meters, is the largest classical period burial site on the Maltese islands. Situated in the centre of the town of Rabat and surrounded by modern houses, the catacombs form a complex of Roman cemeteries that were in use until the 7. century AD.

A draft “Constitution for Europe” by Wojciech Bogumił Jastrzębowski

Central Archives of Historical Records, Warsaw, Poland

A paper document in bound form, written in the aftermath of the extremely bloody battle of Olszynka Grochowska (1831), the text is titled “The leisure time of a Polish soldier or thoughts on eternal alliance among civilized nations,” but the author himself also called it a Draft Constitution for Europe.

The manor and park complex at the Krzysztof Penderecki - European Centre for Music

Luslawice, Poland

The manor and park complex was once a centre of Arian and Reformation thought. Lusławice became a hub for education and the exchange of ideas, contributing to the development of democratic values in Europe. Today, the centre continues this tradition by hosting international masterclasses, academic conferences, and artistic events, actively cooperating with partners from all around the European Union.The manor and park complex was once a centre of Arian and Reformation thought. Lusławice became a hub for education and the exchange of ideas, contributing to the development of democratic values in Europe. Today, the centre continues this tradition by hosting international masterclasses, academic conferences, and artistic events, actively cooperating with partners from all around the European Union.

The Lapedo Child remains, Lagar Velho rock shelter

Lagar Velho, Portugal

In 1998, the discovery of Lagar Velho Rockshelter and the Lagar Velho I (LVI) skeleton, also known as the Lapedo child, was a milestone for international palaeoanthropology and the study of human phylogenesis. This is the first Palaeolithic burial excavated in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the extremely rare child graves ever found in Europe.

Next steps in the selection process

A European panel of independent experts will evaluate the applications of the pre-selected sites and will select a maximum of one site per country. The European Commission will formally nominate the sites to receive the European Heritage Label in 2026.

About the European Heritage Label

European Heritage sites are milestones in the creation of today’s Europe. These sites celebrate and symbolise European ideals, values, history and integration. Since 2013, they bring the European Union and its citizens closer together.