Museum of Yugoslavia in Belgrade celebrates winning Europe’s top heritage Award for its Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World project
On 8 December, the Museum of Yugoslavia in Belgrade, Serbia, hosted the local award ceremony for its project Hedgehog’s Home – Imagining a Better World, which won a 2025 European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award and the 2025 Grand Prix in the category Citizens’ Engagement and Awareness-raising, jointly presented by the European Commission and Europa Nostra on 13 October in Brussels.
The Awards bronze plaque was presented to the exhibition’s authors in Belgrade by Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra, also on behalf of the European Commission. The event featured a video message from Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, who co-hosted the European Heritage Awards Ceremony in Brussels, where all of the laureates were celebrated.
In the video message congratulating the Hedgehog’s Home project’s creators and underlining the importance of making cultural heritage accessible to young people, Commissioner Micallef stated: “By working with children and by bringing together artists, educators, and psychologists, you created a space where memory becomes imagination — a space where heritage becomes a shared act of creation. Projects like this remind us why cultural heritage matters. It strengthens our sense of belonging, and it gives young people the means to imagine a future grounded in respect, in empathy, and in curiosity.”
Speaking on behalf of the European Union, H.E. Plamena Halačeva, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, stated: “Just as Hedgehog Ježurka calmly and resolutely protects his home, so must we nurture and safeguard the home we share. Our shared home is Europe — a home of dialogue, solidarity, cultural richness, and diversity. The European Union counts on Serbia and its talented, dedicated people to help protect this common European home.”
Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra, added: “In a time of insecurity, fear, and uncertainty, the exhibition Hedgehog’s Home – Imagining a Better World placed the poetry of Branko Ćopić at the heart of our reflection about home and shared values. With modest resources but great soul, imagination, and creativity, its team succeeded in moving generations and reminding us that this is, in fact, a subversive project of hope for this region and for all of Europe.”
The ceremony was led by the Museum’s Director, Neda Knežević, who stated: “Tonight we celebrate not only the success of our museum, but also of the wider community that participated in the creation of this exhibition. Receiving a Grand Prix from Europa Nostra and the European Commission confirms that European values — cooperation, diversity, inclusion, and dialogue — are deeply embedded in our work. The project Hedgehog’s Home – Imagining a Better World has shown that cultural heritage can be a powerful instrument of social change, especially when created in partnership with artists, the local community, young people, and EU institutions. We see this recognition as a commitment to continue building open, creative, and democratic cultural spaces in line with European standards and best practices.”
Writer Jasenka Petrović, one of the project’s collaborators, reflected on her experience: “My role in this project seemed small, but day by day it grew into a profound joy. I was especially moved when I heard that children imagined a zipline in the exhibition — a moment of imagination that showed how deeply the story carried them. When I entered the space and saw the audience’s reactions, I understood that Hedgehog’s Home had succeeded in bringing together play, wisdom, and joy for all generations.”
At the end of the ceremony, the Museum of Yugoslavia awarded certificates of appreciation to collaborators who contributed to the project’s success.
