Europe celebrates 2024 heritage award winners in Bucharest
Grand Prix and Public Choice Award winners of the European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards announced as highlight of this year’s European Heritage Summit in Bucharest.
On 7 October, over 800 guests and many more viewers online from the heritage community attended the 2024 European Heritage Awards Ceremony in Bucharest to celebrate the 26 winners of the European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards.
During the ceremony, that Commissioner Iliana Ivanova co-hosted, the laureates of the 5 Grand Prix and the Public Choice Award selected from this year’s winners were revealed.
These are the 5 Grand Prix winners
Ignacy Historic Mine, Rybnik, Poland
Conservation & Adaptive Reuse category
This is a unique renovation project on the site of a former coal mine, one of the oldest in Poland, which was founded in 1792 and was in operation for over 200 years.
Saxon Church in Alma Vii, Romania
Conservation & Adaptive Reuse category
This project restored a cultural landmark that symbolises centuries of history and craftsmanship in the picturesque village of Alma Vii in Transylvania. The comprehensive restoration not only preserved the church’s architectural and historical integrity but also empowered the local community and fostered sustainable tourism development.
Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme, Ireland
Education, Training & Skills category
The main objective of this nationwide scheme is to help farmers recognise the cultural value of traditional farm buildings. Participants are supported in acquiring skills to enable them to carry out repairs to return the buildings to functional use. Over 1,000 buildings have been repaired since the creation of the scheme in 2008.
Citizens’ Rehabilitation of the Tsiskarauli Tower, Akhieli, Georgia
Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising category
Over three years, 46 Georgian and international citizens worked alongside technical experts and traditional craftspeople to restore the Tsiskarauli Tower. The project raised awareness of the value of Georgian heritage within Europe’s heritage.
Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities, Croatia
Heritage Champions category
This civil society association has financed and completed research and conservation projects of Dubrovnik's landmarks, including the City’s Walls, since 1952. The Society was closely involved with the inclusion of the Old City of Dubrovnik on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. Ever since, it has played a vital role in ensuring the safeguarding and enhancement of this exceptional site.
Public Choice Winner
The 2024 Public Choice Award went to rehabilitation of the Saxon Church in Alma Vii in ROMANIA, which received the largest number of votes cast during an online poll with the participation of some 10 000 heritage enthusiasts from all over Europe, thus receiving a monetary award of €10 000.