Save the date: 2-6 May 2014 European Heritage Congress in Vienna

The Austrian capital will stage the 2014 European Heritage Congress from 2-6 May. After its emblematic congress in Athens last year, which marked the 50th Anniversary of Europa Nostra, the leading European heritage organisation is preparing its next year’s congress in Vienna. The Awards Ceremony at the Burgtheater, the opera performance by the world-renowned opera singer and President of Europa Nostra Plácido Domingo at the Wiener Staatsoper, and the full-day excursion to the World Heritage valley of Wachau are the highlights of the programme. H.E. the President of Austria, Dr. Heinz Fischer, has granted his patronage to the congress.

Photo: Burgtheater. © Georg Soulek-Burgtheater

Photo: Burgtheater. © Georg Soulek-Burgtheater

Cultural visits to the historic heart of Vienna and a reception at the Rathaus will open the congress, on 3 May. The landmark event of the cultural programme is the opera performance of Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi, with Plácido Domingo in the title role, at the Wiener Staatsoper on 4 May.

The European Heritage Awards Ceremony, which has become an undisputed highlight of Europe’s yearly cultural calendar, will be held at the impressive Burgtheater on 5 May. Plácido Domingo and Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, will jointly present the 2014 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards to up to 30 winners. The ceremony, which will include a special cultural/musical performance, will be attended by hundreds of heritage professionals and volunteers and many dignitaries from the worlds of business, culture and politics, including high representatives from European Institutions.

The Award ceremony will be preceded the day before by the Excellence Fair, at the Vienna University of Technology, during which presentations will be given by the laureates about their winning projects.

Following the meetings of the Board and the Council of Europa Nostra, at the Hotel Bristol on 2 May and at the Kunsthistorisches Museum on 3 May respectively, the annual session of the General Assembly will take place on 5 May.

A full-day excursion to the World Heritage valley of Wachau, including the historic city of Krems a/Donau, will close the 2014 European Heritage Congress, on 6 May.

“During the congress in Vienna, Europa Nostra will celebrate the highest heritage achievements of 2014, together with the European Commission; publish a new list of the ‘The 7 Most Endangered’ monuments and sites in Europe, together with the European Investment Bank Institute; and contribute to the on-going debate among various European Institutions about the role of cultural heritage within future EU policies and funding mechanisms. Europa Nostra will also seek to expand its network of members, partners and contacts in Austria and showcase a number of exemplary heritage initiatives in this country by publishing a special edition of its magazine Heritage in Motion”, said Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra.

This event is being organised by Europa Nostra, in close cooperation with its Country Representation, Europa Nostra Austria, and its member organisation Austrian Castles Association. H.E. the President of Austria, Dr. Heinz Fischer, has granted his patronage to the congress. The European Commission (DG Education and Culture + EC Representation in Austria), the City of Vienna and the Burgtheater are among the partners of the congress.

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