Hundreds of heritage professionals gathered last week in Turku for one of the most inspiring events dedicated to European cultural heritage. European Heritage Congress, a pan-European platform for networking and debating on cultural developments, took place between May 11th and May 15th, welcoming professionalls all over the continent to a rich programme of talks, workshops and cultural activities.

With the goals of discussing the European Year of Cultural Heritage, engaging people in cultural heritage and enabling good practice sharing, the event brought Europe’s cultural heritage into spotlight for five days. Among the most exciting activities, the announcement of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards Grand Prix and Public Choice Award winners was the highlight of the congress.

EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards

After revealing 29 winners from 18 countries in April, the selected jury chose the most remarkable initiatives entitled for a €10,000 award. The winners were announced by Maestro Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra, and Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport at a ceremony that took place in the historic St Michael's Church in Turku. On this occasion, they congratulated the winners and welcomed the positive advancements in the heritage field, particularly in reference with European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018.

“We must not miss this historic opportunity to put our shared cultural heritage where it belongs – at the very heart of the European project which we need to revive!” noted Plácido Domingo.

“I am delighted that 2018 will be the European Year of Cultural Heritage. This is a great opportunity to make EU citizens from all backgrounds aware of the value of our shared cultural heritage, the risks it faces and the opportunities it offers for fostering social inclusion and building the communities of the future,” added Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.

The list of Grand Prix laureates for this year includes projects from 7 different countries and can be found on the Europa Nostra Website. The sixth edition of the Public Choice Award attracted 11,500 votes this year and it went to Mr. Zoltán Kallós, whose 70-years long dedication to compiling intangible heritage of Hungarian, Romanian, Saxon and Roma communities of Transylvania in Romania helped create an impressive collection of heritage materials.

Heritage Debates

In addition to the Grand Prix and Public Choice awards winners, the congress programme also included a series of talks dedicated to preserving and enhancing European heritage. The forum titled Sharing Heritage – Citizens Participating in Decision Making, offered a number of sessions and workshops dedicated to citizens’ opportunities for participate in heritage preservation and governance.

Similarly, a debate themed European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018: A Challenge for All opened new topics in relation to the upcoming celebration of European Year of Cultural Heritage.

Excellence Fair

Traditionally organised within European Heritage Congress, Excellence Fair provides space for EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Award winners to present their projects and discuss the most creative initiatives in the field.

With all the diverse activities, the congress encouraged knowledge sharing for the purpose of creating a better climate for cultural heritage in Europe. The guests had an opportunity to explore the new developments in the field of cultural heritage, hear success stories from different regions and find inspiration in the initiatives that have marked the year 2017.