Europa Nostra Board and Awards Jury have meetings and engage with the vibrant heritage scene in Potsdam
Europa Nostra convened meetings for the first time in the World Heritage City of Potsdam from 21-23 March 2024. The highlights of the programme were the meeting of the Jury of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, the meeting of the Board of Europa Nostra, a reception hosted by the President of the Brandenburg State Parliament and the Mayor of Potsdam, and visits to iconic cultural heritage sites such as The Winzerberg – Royal Vineyard at Potsdam-Sanssouci and the New Palace at Sanssouci.
The meeting of the Jury of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2024 took place from 21 to 23 March. Composed of leading experts from the heritage field from across Europe, the Jury assembled to select the 2024 winners of Europe’s top award in the heritage field. Once again, we were impressed by the outstanding quality of the applications, a true testament to the hard work and commitment of heritage practitioners across the continent. The 2024 winners will be announced to the public on 30 May via a joint press release by the European Commission and Europa Nostra.
The Board of Europa Nostra, chaired by the Executive President, Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, met on 22 March. During the meeting, the members addressed pressing matters concerning the state of heritage preservation in Europe. The Board of Europa Nostra also reviewed the progress of the EU-funded projects European Heritage Hub and European Cultural Heritage Agora, and handled relevant statutory and financial matters.
Several special visits were organised on the occasion of the meetings. On 21 March, the delegation visited the Winzerberg – Royal Vineyard at Postdam-Sanssouci, a winner of the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award 2018 in the category Conservation. Ulrich Boecker and Tom Zimmerman, Board Members of the Winzerberg Association gave a tour of the Winzerberg, detailing its history, the work undertaken and the future of the gardens.
Yesterday we arrived in the World Heritage City of #Potsdam! 🌿 We started off with visits to the Winzerberg Royal Vineyard & the meeting of the Jury for the #EuropeanHeritageAwards, where the 2024 winners for Europe’s top heritage award are selected 🏆 https://t.co/GLvu7FwY6v pic.twitter.com/24vXHTdGnX
— Europa Nostra (@europanostra) March 22, 2024
On 22 March, the delegation of Board Members and Jury Members was guided through the spectacular historic rooms of the New Palace at Sanssouci by Christoph Vogtherr, Director of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG). Members of Europa Nostra Germany, and Thomas Michelon, Counsellor for Culture at the Embassy of France, also joined the private tour. On 23 March, the Board visited the Cecilienhof Palace and the Glienicker Brücke.
On the evening of 22 March, the President of the Brandenburg State Parliament, Prof. Dr. Ulrike Liedtke, and the Mayor of Potsdam, Mike Schubert, welcomed the European delegation as well as local stakeholders and key heritage actors, to the State Parliament. Dr. Uwe Koch, President of Europa Nostra Germany, Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra and President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, also addressed the audience.
It was great to engage w/Potsdam’s vibrant #heritage scene last week, w/stakeholders from all over Europe🤝 We were honoured to be welcomed by President of the Brandenburg State Parliament, Prof. Dr. Ulrike Liedtke, & the Mayor of Potsdam, Mike Schubert 🏛️ https://t.co/trmquYtkT1 pic.twitter.com/X8NlEnBC8U
— Europa Nostra (@europanostra) March 25, 2024
“Congratulations on the new office of Europa Nostra Germany! I am sure that this new and close connection between a civil society organisation like Europa Nostra Germany and the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation lends a new spirit of Sanssouci to the preservation of cultural heritage”, said Prof. Dr. Ulrike Liedtke, President of the Brandenburg State Parliament.
“In the Venice Manifesto for a European Cultural Citizenship, you rightly complain that, at the beginning of European integration, the potential of our common culture and cultural heritage was not sufficiently recognised and taken into account. For me, our shared cultural heritage is at the heart of the European project”, added the President of the Brandenburg State Parliament.
“It is a great honour for us that Europa Nostra Germany moved its office to our city. Your decision to come to Potsdam underlines the outstanding importance that Potsdam also has for Europe as a cultural centre. Potsdam is not only rich in history, but also a place of immense importance for European heritage and the European idea”, said Mike Schubert, Mayor of Potsdam.
Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger thanked the President of the Brandenburg State Parliament and the Mayor of Potsdam for welcoming the Europa Nostra Board Members and the Awards Jury Members. The Executive President of Europa Nostra emphasised the joint commitment of Europa Nostra Germany and the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG) to the preservation of cultural heritage.
Dr. Uwe Koch, President of Europa Nostra Germany, affirmed: “If Europa Nostra had not already existed for over 60 years, it would have to be invented urgently today. Cultural heritage is like a teaching book and handbook of European history. It brings together people and civil society organisations from different countries and connects them in the preservation and communication of tangible and intangible heritage.”
The meetings in Potsdam were organised in close collaboration with Europa Nostra Germany, the new office of which was opened on 19 January 2024 in Potsdam in the former Civil Cabinet House, Allee nach Sanssouci 6, thanks to an agreement with the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG).
