Winners of 2011 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards honoured

Winners of 2011 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards honoured

The 27 winners of the 2011 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awardswill be honoured this evening during a ceremony at Amsterdam’s historic concert hall, the ‘Concertgebouw’. The awards will be presented by Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, and Plácido Domingo, the world-renowned tenor and president of Europa Nostra. Six of the 27 winners will be named tonight as ‘Grand Prix’ laureates in recognition of their outstanding heritage achievements. The ceremony will be attended by an audience of some 1500 people including H.R.H. Princess Margriet of The Netherlands.

“All the winners represent extraordinary accomplishments in cultural heritage and will serve as inspiration to professionals and volunteers, without whom in many cases our heritage would be at risk. Cultural heritage is an essential part of Europe’s cultural diversity and shared history; it brings together our past, present and future. It helps to regenerate neighbourhoods and brings people from different backgrounds together. It has also helped to make Europe the world’s top tourist destination and contributes significantly to the Union’s economy,” said Commissioner Vassiliou.

“These exemplary achievements are sending a strong message to everyone in Europe. The value of cultural heritage is essential for Europe – for the economy and for our social cohesion – but above all for our sense of belonging and our sense of pride and happiness,” added Europa Nostra’s President, Plácido Domingo.

The six Grand Prix winners are:

• Station Antwerpen Centraal (Antwerp Central Station), Antwerp, Belgium
• Preindustrial buildings in Ademuz / Sesga, Ademuz, Valencia, Spain
• The Hackfall woodland garden, Grewelthorpe, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
• Architectural heritage of the buffer zone in the walled city of Nicosia, Cyprus
• Szymon Modrzejewski, Uście Gorlickie, Poland
• Weald & Downland open air museum, Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom

Source: European Commission

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