Jessica Reid | 20 June 2023
Europe's top heritage awards announces 2023 winners
The European Commission and Europa Nostra have selected 30 impressive projects across the continent to take home the honours at the European Heritage Awards...
The European Commission and Europa Nostra have selected 30 impressive projects across the continent to take home the honours at the European Heritage Awards...
Last week, the European Commission and Europa Nostra announced the winners of the 2023 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards.
From the safeguarding of a Portuguese artisanal fishing technique, to a cultural festival in Budapest and a museum dedicated to urban wooden architecture in Vilnius, 30 different heritage achievements from 21 different countries have received top honours this year.
The awards were launched in 2002, and for 21 years, they have been recognising and promoting destinations who show heritage excellence and best practice.
Each winner has been placed among five different categories. These are: Conservation & Adaptive Reuse; Research; Education, Training & Skills; Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising; and Heritage Champions.
This year, Italy, Portugal, and France took home the most awards with four each. The latter received one for the exquisite restoration of the Parisian 18th-century Hôtel de la Marine and its reuse as a cultural centre. Among Italy’s winners is a project named Open to All, which sees the hard work of volunteers reopen more than 80 heritage sites in 35 cities to the public. Portugal was honoured for the past four decades of research conducted by archaeologist Cláudio Torres, who played a pivotal role in the appreciation and conservation of Islamic architecture in the country.
Italy's Open for All project has reclaimed heritage sites for tourists and visitors, such as the Renaissance frescoes of the Church of San Maurizio in Milan (Alamy Stock Photo)
Arte-Xávega is a traditional artisanal fishing technique in Portugal (Shutterstock)
Although no longer a part of the European Union, the UK also received a special mention for two of its projects. The community-led restoration of Bath’s open-air Cleveland Pool has been recognised for its environmental and holistic approach to reinstating its original functions, mainly its 19th-century swimming pool. Whereas in Cambridge, The MINAIRE Project, led by the Fitzwilliam Museum, has revolutionised the understanding of manuscript illumination across Europe’s Middle Ages.
Ukraine has also been recognised, receiving an award for its SUCHO: Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online, a project ran by volunteers who have web archived more than 50TB of data from Ukrainian cultural institutions in the first several months of the war.
Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life said: “Each winning achievement of this year’s European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards is the result of extraordinary skills and commitment, collective and individual, spanning heritage places and traditions across Europe.
“By honouring these achievements, we also reiterate our firm commitment to protecting our shared cultural heritage, because it is vital for our sense of togetherness as citizens and communities of Europe.”
President of Europa Nostra and world-renowned mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli also commented: “They [the winners] are inspiring examples which truly contribute to building a more beautiful, sustainable and inclusive Europe.
“Their success stories demonstrate how adversity can be overcome through pooling expertise, dedication, creativity and innovation.”
Scroll down to see the full list of awarded projects in the European Heritage Awards.
Steam Engine Brewery, Lobeč, Czechia
Friluftsskolen Open-Air School, Copenhagen, Denmark
Hôtel de la Marine, Paris, France
Royal Gardens of Venice, Italy
Museum of Urban Wooden Architecture, Vilnius, Lithuania
Wit Stwosz Altarpiece in St. Mary’s Basilica, Kraków, Poland
Mudéjar Ceilings of the Cathedral of Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Deba Bridge, Gipuzkoa, Spain
Ruins of the Monastery of San Pedro de Eslonza, Gradefes, Spain
Scientific-Archaeological Studies for the Preservation of Ererouyk, Armenia/France
Proto-Industrial Architecture of the Veneto in the Age of Palladio, Italy
Safeguarding of the Artisanal Fishing Technique “Arte-Xávega”, Portugal
MADE IN: Crafts and Design Narratives, Austria/Croatia/Slovenia/Serbia
ACTA VISTA, Marseille, France
Carpenters without Borders, Paris, France
National Centres for Restoration of Historic Vessels, Norway
Pathfinders of the Waters, Danube Delta, Romania
Village Square Meer, Antwerp, Belgium
Budapest100, Hungary
Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), Dublin, Ireland
Open for You, Italy
ALMADA Project, Lisbon, Portugal
Via Transilvanica, Romania
Un-archiving Post-industry, Ukraine
Hambis Tsangaris, Cyprus
Sergio Ragni, Italy
Cláudio Torres, Portugal
Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO), Ukraine/International Project
Cleveland Pools, Bath, United Kingdom (Conservation & Adaptive Reuse)
MINIARE: The Art & Science of Manuscript Heritage, Cambridge, United Kingdom (Research)
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