Winners of 2014 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards announced

The winners of the 2014 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards are unveiled today by the European Commission and Europa Nostra. The 27 laureates, selected from 160 nominated projects across 30 countries, are honoured for achievements in four areas: conservation; research; dedicated service; education, training and awareness-raising. The award ceremony will take place on 5 May at the Burgtheater in Vienna, under the patronage of the President of Austria, Heinz Fischer. Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, and Plácido Domingo, the internationally-renowned opera singer and President of Europa Nostra, will jointly present the awards. Six of the winners will be named as Grand Prix laureates, receiving €10 000 each, and one will receive the Public Choice Award, chosen in an online poll conducted by Europa Nostra. As well as celebrating excellence in cultural heritage work, the Prize aims to promote high-quality skills and standards in conservation.

Plaque 2014 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards.

Plaque 2014 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards.

“I would like to warmly congratulate this year’s winners and their teams, whose passion and dedication is so inspiring. Europe’s heritage is one of our most precious assets. It builds bridges between the past and present, promotes growth, fosters social inclusion and attracts tourism. But many of these works of art and human ingenuity, which have conveyed beauty through the centuries, are increasingly fragile. Their survival depends on long-term investment in preservation and maintenance. I am delighted that our new Creative Europe programme will continue to support the Prize, as well as many other transnational initiatives, and that cultural heritage will continue to benefit from substantial EU funding from different sources including the regional funds and research,” stated Commissioner Vassiliou.

“This year’s achievements demonstrate that, even in challenging economic circumstances, heritage projects can mobilise talented and passionate people and rally support from public and private sources. Thanks to their skills, commitment and generosity, numerous historic sites have been revitalised and the lives of so many individuals have been embellished and enriched. I hope that our partnership with the European Commission will continue to grow in strength and impact, spreading even wider European excellence in the heritage field,” added Plácido Domingo.

2014 AWARD WINNERS
(listed alphabetically by country)

Category 1 – Conservation
Horta Museum, Brussels, BELGIUM
Home for Cooperation: Educational Centre in the Buffer Zone of Nicosia, CYPRUS
Biblioteca Bardensis, Barth, GERMANY
Basilica Palladiana, Vicenza, ITALY
Teatro Sociale, Bergamo, ITALY
Walser Houses: Preservation of Vernacular Architecture in Alagna Valsesia, ITALY
Hovelsrud Villa, Helgøya Island, Nes på Hedmarken, NORWAY
Historical Route of the Lines of Torres Vedras, Lisbon, PORTUGAL
Dragomirna Church’s 17th Century Frescoes, Suceava, ROMANIA
Cooperative Wineries Programme, Catalonia, SPAIN
Historical Landscape of El Sénia’s Ancient Olive Trees, SPAIN
Roman Bridge, Gate of the Bridge, Calahorra Tower and Surrounding Areas, Cordoba, SPAIN
Abbotsford: The Home of Sir Walter Scott, Melrose, UNITED KINGDOM

Category 2 – Research
Roman Vaulted Construction in the Peloponnese, GREECE
Transylvanian Castle Gardens, Budapest, HUNGARY
Van Dyck in Spain, Madrid, SPAIN

Category 3 – Dedicated Service
Gustav Klimt Memorial Society, Vienna, AUSTRIA
Kempens Landscape Association, Putte, BELGIUM
Iubilantes Association, Como, ITALY

Category 4 – Education, Training and Awareness-Raising

Cultural Heritage without Borders’ Regional Restoration Camps, Tirana, ALBANIA
Passage: From a Rusty City to a New Miskolc, HUNGARY
The Coen Case, Hoorn, THE NETHERLANDS
‘Encounters with Heritage’ Radio Programme, Lisbon, PORTUGAL
Shaping 24: Promoting Heritage in Norwich and Ghent, UNITED KINGDOM and BELGIUM

A Europa Nostra Award is also presented to projects from two European countries not taking part in the EU Culture Programme (2007-13):
Conservation – Agate Rooms in Pushkin, St. Petersburg, RUSSIA
Conservation – Belle Époque Steamers on Lake Geneva, Lausanne, SWITZERLAND
Research – Church Architecture of the 7th Century in South Caucasus, Moscow, RUSSIA

Press Release

22 languages

Elena Bianchi
Europa Nostra Heritage Awards Coordinator
eb@europanostra.org
+31 70 302 40 58

Dennis Abbott
European Commission
+32 2 295 96 67

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