Croatian Coral Center Zlarin celebrates winning Europe’s top heritage Award
On 18 August, the Croatian Coral Center Zlarin, located in the beautiful island of Zlarin, hosted a ceremony to mark its success in the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2026. The ceremony brought together the local community, heritage professionals and partners for a special evening celebrating Zlarin’s unique coral heritage.
The Croatian Coral Center Zlarin received an award in the Citizens’ Engagement and Awareness-raising category for its inspiring work to preserve, interpret and share the island’s centuries-old coral harvesting tradition. Open year-round, it welcomes visitors, schools and the local community — supporting sustainable development and new opportunities on this small Adriatic island.
Since opening in 2023, the Center has welcomed over 35,000 visitors and hosted more than 200 cultural events, creating a year-round cultural hub for residents, visitors, researchers, artists and local associations.
“May this beautiful island continue to inspire other islands and coastal communities across Europe – showing that heritage is not just something we inherit, but also something we can actively use to build a more sustainable, resilient and connected future, both in Europe and across the world,” said Europa Nostra’s Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović said during the ceremony.
“The European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award is recognition of everything we have built together over the past three years, but also of everything that came before it – decades of work, of preserving Zlarin’s traditions and of love for the island,” emphasised Katarina Gregov, Head of the Croatian Coral Center.
The EU project, with a total value of EUR 3.2 million, was applied for and implemented by the City of Šibenik, representing one of the largest investments in cultural heritage on Croatia’s islands. The Croatian Coral Center Zlarin is managed by the public institution Fortress of Culture.
“This Award belongs to the people of Zlarin… It belongs to the City of Šibenik, to the partners who helped build the project, and to the teams at the Croatian Coral Center and Tvrđava kulture,” stated Gorana Barišić Bačelić, Director of The Fortress of Culture Šibenik.
