Kategorie: Europa Nostra

🏆 EUROPE’S TOP HERITAGE AWARDS HONOUR 30 EXEMPLARY ACHIEVEMENTS FROM 18 COUNTRIES

Read here the full press release in the languages related to the winners

The Hague / Brussels, 30 June 2022

The European Commission and Europa Nostra have just announced the 2022 winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, funded by the EU Creative Europe programme. This year, which marks the 20th anniversary of Europe’s most prestigious Awards in the heritage field, 30 outstanding heritage achievements from 18 European countries have been awarded in five categories. These categories are in line with the latest developments and priorities related to heritage policy and practice in Europe.

The winners will be celebrated on 26 September in Prague at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony, to be held at the recently restored State Opera and co-hosted by the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, and Europa Nostra’s Executive President, Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger.

Reacting to the announcement of the 2022 winners, the European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, stated: “I warmly congratulate all the winners of this year’s European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards for the exceptional quality of their work and their openness to innovation. 2022 is a special year as we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage, which has become the most prominent award for the European heritage community. Many of the awarded initiatives demonstrate the enormous interest and engagement of young people for our heritage, our history, and our cultural identity, which is particularly relevant in this European Year of Youth. A special thought goes to the two Ukrainian laureates. Creative Europe, which is co-funding the Awards, stands for promoting culture and creativity in building inclusive and cohesive societies founded on our core European values.”

Europa Nostra’s Executive President, Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, said: “This year’s Award winners are powerful examples of how our heritage reconnects us with nature, helps create a sense of belonging and place, and is an integral building block in developing a circular economy that supports a sustainable and inclusive way of life. I congratulate these exceptional winners – professionals and enthusiasts alike – for their essential and commendable work”.

Watch the videos

JOINT PRESS RELEASE  European Cultural Heritage Summit 2022

The Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic Martin Baxa met the Secretary General of Europa Nostra Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović at the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament in Prague on Thursday 2 June 2022. The friendly meeting was an opportunity for both parties to get to know each other, discuss the possibilities of deepening cooperation in the field of cultural heritage as well as the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2022 that will be held in Prague on 25-27 September.

Read the press release here… 

Athens will host Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for South Eastern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean

A strategic partnership between the Municipality of Athens, Europa Nostra – the pan-European federation of cultural heritage organisations – and ELLINIKI ETAIRIA – Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET) was established yesterday. Following the decision of Europa Nostra – which is based in The Hague and in Brussels – Athens becomes, after Krakow, the second city in Europe where a Europa Nostra Heritage Hub is being established; a decision that upgrades and consolidates the key role of Greece in the field of cultural heritage as well as its protection and promotion. Mehr………

New President of Europa Nostra

Cecilia Bartoli, world-famous opera star, appointed as new President of Europa Nostra

On 20 May 2022, the General Assembly of Europa Nostra – the European Voice of Civil Society Committed to Cultural and Natural Heritage – has unanimously appointed Cecilia Bartoli, the world-renowned opera star, as the new President of the organisation, for an initial mandate of five years. Europa Nostra is the largest and most representative heritage network in Europe, collaborating closely with the European Union, the Council of Europe, UNESCO and other international bodies.
 

Cecilia Bartoli in the historic centre of Rimini, Italy
Cecilia Bartoli in the historic centre of Rimini, Italy. © Emanuele Scorcelletti

Hermann Parzinger, Executive-President of Europa Nostra, who chaired today’s session of the General Assembly, conveyed the pride and joy of Europa Nostra’s membership towards the organisation’s new President. “We are so grateful for Cecilia Bartoli’s readiness to become our new President. We could not have found a better successor to our outgoing President, Plácido Domingo, to help us steer Europa Nostra to new heights. We admire her sublime voice, her artistic originality and audacity, her dedication to combining art with imaginative thinking, creativity with scientific research, tradition with innovation, her tireless work and professionalism as singer and artistic director, her passion for Europe’s priceless cultural heritage, tangible and intangible, and, of course, her warm and charismatic personality. ​​With all these qualities, Cecilia Bartoli will be a shining light providing guidance and inspiration to our action which is focused on the pursuit of a more sustainable, inclusive, beautiful and peaceful future of our Europe”.

Accepting her appointment, Cecilia Bartoli stated: “As a European citizen and someone who has dedicated most of my life to cultural heritage, I feel extremely privileged to have been appointed President of Europa Nostra, and accept this honour with greatest pride! I am also delighted to pursue the work of the previous President, Plácido Domingo. Let me stress that I fully subscribe to Europa Nostra’s claim that ‘cultural heritage is vital for our economy, our society, our culture, our environment, our well-being and for the future of Europe,’ and that we, as European citizens, ‘must take full responsibility for transmitting this heritage to future generations.’ I am looking forward to the coming years with Europa Nostra, its network and projects. It is an organisation which inspires me and enriches my work, and I am looking forward to contributing to the implementation of its objectives at the service of Europe’s invaluable heritage.

If, like myself, you were born in a magnificent historic city like Rome, you are probably more aware of the incredible significance of cultural heritage for the emergence of great architecture, literature, music or art, since you are exposed to its beauties every day, as soon as you go out into the street. Italy’s magnificent landscapes – its islands, mountains and plains, its villages and towns, its fearsome volcanoes, its rugged coastlines and shiny white beaches, its ancient vineyards, olive groves and canals, the endless shades of blue in its lakes and surrounding seas, all of this composes my invaluable heritage, to which I am dearly committed, just as much as our handicraft and folklore, or our modern achievements, such as our exquisite cooking, speedy railways, elegant fashion and legendary films. My heritage profoundly marked my thinking, my feelings and my personality, before even becoming conscious of it. Over the years, I was fortunate to add additional, mostly European, cultural layers to my original one: Spanish, French, Swiss, Austrian, and many more. They made me see the immense value of our heritage, which in Europe is so utterly diverse but at the same time so profoundly connected. Heritage is culture and recollection. Without an awareness of our heritage, culture would disappear, and with it our identity”, added Cecilia Bartoli.

Plácido Domingo, who was the previous President of Europa Nostra for a period of 10 years and who continues to support Europa Nostra as Honorary President, reacted enthusiastically to Bartoli’s appointment. “She is a great artist who personifies Europa Nostra’s mission and values. Europa Nostra will continue to flourish under her inspiring, creative and energetic leadership. I wish her every success at the helm of this wonderful organisation of which I had the privilege and joy of being the President and which will always remain close to my heart. I look forward to congratulating her in person on 6 June in Salzburg, when we shall be performing together at the Gala concert closing the Salzburg Whitsun Festival of which Cecilia Bartoli is the acclaimed Artistic Director”.

Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra, also paid tribute to the incoming President of Europa Nostra: “The entire Europa Nostra team and I are delighted to welcome Cecilia Bartoli as our new President. She is an iconic artistic ambassador of Europe’s cultural heritage who radiates a contagious positive energy and generously shares her art and passion with younger generations. Under her enthusiastic leadership, we shall further amplify the resonance and impact of Europa Nostra’s voice for the benefit of safeguarding and promoting Europe’s shared heritage and shared values.”

Biography of Cecilia Bartoli

www.ceciliabartoli.com/vita

Born in Rome, Cecilia is the daughter of singing teacher Silvana Bazzoni. In 1987, she gave her debut as Rossini’s Rosina in “The Barber of Seville” in her hometown. What followed was the spectacular beginning of an international career. Within a very short time, Daniel Barenboim, Herbert von Karajan and Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s interest was drawn towards the young artist. Since those days, she received many further invitations, from the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, the Metropolitan Opera of New York, London’s Royal Opera House, from concert halls and festivals all over Europe, the USA, Asia and Australia. For 30 years she has been performing regularly at Zurich’s Opera House. Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna’s Musikverein, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Berlin Philharmonic Hall are some of the regular stops on her annual concert tours.

In 1988, Cecilia signed an exclusive recording contract with Decca Records. The “Vivaldi-Album”, published in 1999, as the result of a fascinating expedition through the virtually unknown scores of Vivaldi’s operas, established her reputation as the Indiana Jones of current music history. The “Vivaldi-Album” is the first in a series of elaborate concept albums, in which Cecilia sheds a new light on various topics from the baroque and belcanto periods. Other successful titles are “Opera proibita”, “Maria”, “Sacrificium”, “Mission”, “St Petersburg” and “Farinelli”. 2021 saw the release of her latest album in this series, entitled “Unreleased”. More than 12 million video and audio products sold make Cecilia Bartoli the most successful classical artist of our time.

Since 2012, Cecilia has been serving as the artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, where her contract was recently extended until 2026. Salzburg has become the perfect creative outlet for her talent for combining artistic excellence with conceptual thinking. Moreover, it has turned into a key location for her stage work: Cecilia’s debut as Norma in 2013 was a milestone in her career. In 2019, she played the lead role in Handel’s opera Alcina in a production described by reviewers as “a godsend for musical theatre”. The programme of 2022 is dedicated to “Sevilla” with a scenic new production of Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia”.

For many years, Cecilia has been actively involved in historically informed performances. Since 2016, she has regularly worked with Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco. This orchestra was formed on her initiative and was granted the generous patronage of the princely family of Monaco. Since their foundation, the Musiciens du Prince and Artistic Director Cecilia Bartoli are acclaimed and joyfully welcomed by the public and the international press.

In 2018, the Cecilia Bartoli – Music Foundation created a new record label, “mentored by Bartoli” with its first release “Contrabandista”, the first solo album of Mexican tenor Javier Camarena. Amongst others, this project aims at bringing classical music to a wider audience and at collaborating with talented young musicians.

Cecilia Bartoli is director designate of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and takes up this position in January 2023, as the first woman in the history of the opera house.

Five Grammys, more than a dozen Echos and Brit Awards, the Polar Music Prize, the Léonie-Sonning-Music Prize, the Herbert von Karajan Prize and many other honours provide evidence of Cecilia Bartoli’s important role in the history of music.

About Europa Nostra

Europa Nostra is the European voice of civil society committed to safeguarding and promoting cultural and natural heritage. It is a pan-European federation of heritage NGOs, supported by a wide network of public bodies, private companies and individuals, covering more than 40 countries. Founded in 1963, it is today recognised as the largest and the most representative heritage network in Europe.

Europa Nostra campaigns to save Europe’s endangered monuments, sites and landscapes, in particular through the 7 Most Endangered Programme. It celebrates excellence through the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary. Europa Nostra actively contributes to the definition and implementation of European strategies and policies related to heritage, through a participatory dialogue with European Institutions and the coordination of the European Heritage Alliance. Europa Nostra is among the official partners of the New European Bauhaus initiative developed by the European Commission, and has recently been elected as the Regional Co-Chair of the Climate Heritage Network for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Discover our Milestones

Conservation Shipments to Ukraine

Blue Shield International: Contribute Information about Conservation Shipments to Ukraine

Dear Members of Europa Nostra,

Many of your organisations may already be involved in sending materials to help heritage professionals working in museums, heritage sites and other cultural institutions in Ukraine.  

Many of our Ukrainian colleagues have expressed that they are finding it difficult to keep track of shipments and that some items are duplicated, whilst other requests are not being answered. We also know that when people want to send shipments, it is extremely difficult to know who is working on sending what and that coordinating these activities is a challenge.

Blue Shield International has launched a simple spreadsheet to track shipments via a form you complete. It takes approximately 10 minutes and you can add as much or as little information as you want. If you prefer, you can also send the information to Blue Shield via email.

The data is intended to

1) Get an overview of which requests have been/are being answered and by who

2) What conservation materials are being sent

3) Where they are going

4) By which routes (to provide assistance to those intending to send materials)

You can access the form here: https://theblueshield.org/what-we-do/tracking-conservation-shipments-in-ukraine/

You can use this form to register:

  • What you are intending to ship or what you are arranging shipping for
  • What you are shipping
  • What you have already shipped
  • You can also use it to update information on your shipments as they progress. You give each shipment a number and whenever you enter an update, you can just enter the number.

(If you have already sent shipments, please do consider completing it retrospectively).

A team of amazing volunteers will keep the data up to date for you.

If you can record which request for assistance you are completing, they will also let you know if someone else is working on it, and ask for permission to put you in touch.

If you want to know whether a request is being answered, then you can contact the team at

Blueshield.tracking@theblueshield.org

Once the system is working effectively, Blue Shield will also make the information available to our colleagues in Ukraine and Poland.

Please feel free to share this information with any cultural actors who are shipping materials to Ukraine.

Best regards,

Audrey Hogan

Programme Officer

EUROPA NOSTRA | +31 (0) 70 302 40 52 | europanostra.org | twitter.com/europanostra | facebook.com/europanostra

Donate to our crowdfunding initiative to support the defenders of Ukraine’s endangered heritage here.

 

Europa Nostra Kraków

Joint Press Release

The Europa Nostra Heritage Hub for Central and Eastern Europe will be based in Kraków

A branch of the Europa Nostra network – the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub – will be established in Kraków, as the first outpost of this pan-European federation, the headquarters of which are based in The Hague while its European Liaison Office is based in Brussels. On 9 May – Europe Day, the letter of intent establishing the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków was signed by the Mayor of Kraków, Jacek Majchrowski, and prof. Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra. The role of the future Heritage Hub is to develop and strengthen the activities of the federation in this part of the continent, to involve civil society organisations in the protection of Europe’s heritage, as well as to strengthen the role of Kraków as a leading European centre creating and implementing best practices in the area of heritage preservation and in the implementation of the UNESCO Convention. Full details

Cultural Deal for Europe

Cultural Deal for Europe

Make culture central in the EU’s Green and Sustainable Future

The Hague / Brussels, 16 November 2021

On 18 November 2021 from 15:00 to 18:00 CET, the third edition of the annual policy conversation “A Cultural Deal for Europe” invites representatives of the European cultural ecosystem and policy-makers to engage in a collective effort to build a more equal, sustainable and fair Europe with culture at the heart of its policies. By embedding culture into policymaking at all levels we can make sure the EU recovers economically, socially and emotionally from the pandemic into a more inclusive and cohesive union.

Jointly organised by Culture Action Europe (CAE), the European Cultural Foundation (ECF), Europa Nostra, also in its capacity as coordinator of the European Heritage Alliance, and Bozar – the Centre for Fine Arts, the event focuses on the contribution of culture and cultural heritage to Europe’s recovery and its green, more sustainable and inclusive future. The 2021 edition puts special focus on the power of culture to achieve the ambitions of the European Green Deal to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050. It will discuss the central role of culture in the post-pandemic recovery and in key policy priorities such as the Conference on the Future of Europe. The debate aims to inspire and engage the wider European community of artists, cultural workers, creative industries, heritage stakeholders and policy-makers working towards a more resilient and sustainable future for Europe and its citizens.

During the last year’s edition, the organisers jointly launched a Cultural Deal for Europe, a transversal, overarching framework that should demonstrate the EU’s political commitment to place culture at the heart of the European project.

This year’s event will be opened by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (video message). Two main themes on “Culture for Recovery and Sustainability of Europe” and “Culture for the Future of Europe” will lead the discussion and engage a series of prominent speakers, such as European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira (video message), MEP Salima Yenbou (Greens/EFA, France), Elena Polivtseva, Head of Policy and Research, IETM, Jordi Pascual, Coordinator of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Committee on Culture (online), Gijs de Vries, Senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Tamas Szucs, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport, DG Education and Culture, European Commission. In a series of dialogues the moderator, the speakers and the audience will work towards a new set of recommendations. The closing remarks will be delivered by the event moderator Tamsin Rose, Senior Fellow at Friends of Europe, who will present the visual time-lapse created live during the event by the artist Menah.

The event takes place in a hybrid format at Bozar, Brussels and online. Online participation of the press is welcome, upon separate registration.

Register

The event will be livestreamed on the Youtube and Facebook channels of the organisers.

Contacts

Culture Action Europe
Natalie Giorgadze, Communications and Community Director
natalie@cultureactioneurope.org, +32486831433

European Cultural Foundation
Friso Wiersum, Project Manager Communications
fwiersum@culturalfoundation.eu, +31647158535

Europa Nostra
Vicky Makridou, Digital Communication and Social Media
vm@europanostra.org, +31618497463

Background

The first ever joint event of Culture Action Europe, the European Cultural Foundation and Europa Nostra in 2019 served as a platform to advocate – successfully – for the explicit mention of Culture in the title of the portfolio of a dedicated European Commissioner, and to advocate together for larger financial support for the cultural, creative and cultural heritage sectors in the next MFF 2021-2027.

When Covid-19 hit the world in 2021 and affected most severely the cultural ecosystem with losses up to 90% of income, Culture Action Europe, the European Cultural Foundation and Europa Nostra launched the Cultural Deal for Europe, a transversal, overarching framework calling for the EU’s political commitment to place culture at the heart of the European project.

Today, we promote the Cultural Deal for Europe as a call from a wider European cultural community to acknowledge the pivotal role of culture in shaping the future of our lives. Europe needs a New Cultural Deal because there is no recovery without culture.

The Cultural Deal for Europe campaign has been publicly endorsed by more than 700 Europeans: link.

Photo and interview opportunity

Following the event on 18 November, 3pm-6pm, representatives of the European cultural ecosystem and policy-makers are available for interviews at Rotonde Bertouille, Bozar, entrance 11 rue Baron Horta. Covid Safe Ticket and ID required to access the venue.

About the organisers

Culture Action Europe (CAE) is the major European network of cultural networks, organisations, artists, activists, academics and policymakers. CAE is the first port of call for informed opinion and debate about arts and cultural policy in the EU. As the only intersectoral network, it brings together all practices in culture, from the performing arts to literature, the visual arts, design and cross-arts initiatives, to community centres and activist groups.

www.cultureactioneurope.org

European Cultural Foundation (ECF) promotes a European sentiment through developing and supporting cultural initiatives that let us share, experience and imagine Europe. The first foundation with a European mission and vision (founded 1954), ECF believes in the power of culture to achieve a united Europe of diversity, democracy and freedoms, where solidarity, mutual respect and collaboration contribute to a shared sense of belonging.

www.culturalfoundation.eu

Europa Nostra is the European voice of civil society committed to safeguarding and promoting cultural and natural heritage. It is a pan-European federation of heritage NGOs, supported by a wide network of public bodies, private companies and individuals. It is recognised as the largest and the most representative heritage network in Europe. Europa Nostra actively contributes to the definition and implementation of European strategies and policies related to heritage, through a participatory dialogue with European Institutions and the coordination of the European Heritage Alliance.

www.europanostra.org

Bozar – the Centre for Fine Arts Brussels is a multi-purpose cultural venue in Brussels, Belgium. Bozar is hosting the 2021 edition of the Cultural Deal for Europe policy conversation.

www.bozar.be

The 2021 edition of the annual policy conversation is brought to you in partnership with the Rebuilding Europe with Culture Campaign.

#CulturalDealEU

EUROPA NOSTRA
The European Voice of Civil Society committed to Cultural Heritage

Headquarters
Lange Voorhout 35, 2514 EC The Hague, The Netherlands | 31 (0)70 302 40 50 |
info@ europanostra.org

Brussels Office
Rue de Treves/Trierstraat 45, 1040 Brussels, Belgium | 32 (0)2 486 25 26 |
bxl@europanostra.org

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