European Heritage Label Awarded to 4 Monuments and Sites
The first award ceremony for the European Heritage Label took place on the evening of 8 April at the Solvay Library in Brussels. Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, hosted the event.
Androulla Vassiliou, Member of the EC in charge of Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth delivers the opening speech and hands out the awards at the First European Heritage Label Awards Ceremony.Photo: Courtesy of EC.
The European Heritage Label aims to highlight heritage sites that celebrate and symbolise European history, ideals, and integration. The first four labelled sites are: the Carnuntum Archaeological Park, a Roman reconstructed city quarter in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Austria; the medieval Great Guild Hall in Tallinn, Estonia; the 100-year-old Peace Palace in The Hague, and the World War II Nazi transit camp of Westerbork in Hooghalen, the Netherlands. The representatives of the four sites, which were selected in 2013, received a plaque with the European Heritage Label logo during the ceremony.
“We wish the European Heritage Label to be a brand of success and a celebration of our cultural and linguistic diversity, just like the European Capitals of Culture have been for almost 30 years,” stated Commissioner Vassiliou.
The welcome addresses were made by Doris Pack, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament; and Chrysoula Paliadeli, Member of the European Parliament, who was the rapporteur for the decision on the establishment of the Label in November 2011. The closing address was given by Charles Esche, curator, writer and expert in art institutions.
The ceremony was attended by many public figures, stakeholders and experts in the heritage field. Europa Nostra was represented by Piet Jaspaert, Board member, Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General, and Louise van Rijckevorsel, European Affairs Officer.
During the cocktail party, the participants could admire the photo exhibition ‘Europe: our Past, our Future’ about the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards which is displayed at the Solvay Library, winner of an award in 2012 in the Conservation Category, since February 2014.
