European Cultural Heritage Summit 2024
Bucharest plays host to the most important event of the community block dedicated to the preservation of the cultural heritage.
Leyla Cheamil, 08.10.2024, 13:50
Romania is at the center of the European and universal heritage due to its impressive cultural diversity and the passion and professionalism of numerous specialists, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said in his message at the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2024, held in Bucharest between October 6-8. Organized by Europa Nostra, the largest federation of European professional NGOs, the Summit is the most important event dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage in the community bloc.
Specialists in the field discussed public policy priorities at European level, as well as in the relation with the Romanian authorities. According to Iohannis, the event in Bucharest unfolded in a context marked by a series of crises with a serious global impact on peace, security, community development and mankind as a whole. He pointed out that, in such a complicated period, monuments, museums, memorial houses, traditions and their keepers become even more important, as cultural landmarks of fundamental values.
“The Europe we inherited is a construct and a memory space. The Union in which we find ourselves today, with the prosperity and security we expect from it, relies more and more on education, interculturality and the fruition of diversity”, the head of state pointed out. He also said that the cultural heritage has become an irreplaceable resource of prosperity and sustainable development, and that, for the future of Europe, culture is vital, because it fuels freedom and democracy. On Monday evening, the winners of the European Heritage Awards, the Europa Nostra Awards 2024, the most important awards for heritage in Europe, were celebrated in a high-profile event held in the iconic building of the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest.
Five laureates were selected from this year’s 26 winners, from 18 European countries, based on the recommendation of an independent panel of experts. These include the Ignacy Historic Mine in Rybnik, Poland, the Saxon Church in Alma Vii, Romania, the Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme in Ireland, Citizen’s Rehabilitation of the Tsiskarauli Tower, in Georgia and the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities in Croatia.
The Romanian project was the Grand Prix winner in the category Conservation & Adaptive Reuse. This project restored a cultural landmark that symbolises centuries of history and craftsmanship in the picturesque village of Alma Vii in Transylvania. The comprehensive restoration not only preserved the church’s architectural and historical integrity but also empowered the local community and fostered sustainable tourism.
