EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - 50,000 euros in prize money awarded to five projects

50,000 euros in prize money awarded to five projects

14-03-2006

Today, the European Commission and Europa Nostra, a platform of NGOs, announced the names of the winners of five top prizes for the annual European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage and the Europa Nostra Awards. The prizes will be presented to the laureates late June in Madrid, during a ceremony which will be presided by the Queen of Spain.

The aims of the awards presented are three-fold:

to promote high standards in conservation practice;
to stimulate trans-boundary exchanges of knowledge and skills;
to encourage further exemplary initiatives in the field of cultural heritage.

The five top prizes, each carrying an award of 10,000 euros, will be presented in the following categories:

Conservation of Architectural Heritage: to the 16th century Omeriye Ottoman Baths, Nicosia (Cyprus), restoration and modernisation of which has made it possible to retain the traditional use, and has greatly contributed to upgrading the urban environment;
Conservation of Cultural Landscapes: to the Vía de la Plata, Extremadura (Spain), an initiative carried out by the Ministry of Culture of the Regional Government on a portion of an ancient Roman road;
Conservation of Works of Art: to the Edward Chambré Hardman Photographic Collection, Liverpool (UK) which holds the entire lifetime output - in excess of 142,000 images - of an internationally renowned portrait photographer;
Outstanding Studies: to Dr Anna Sulimowska-Ociepka and the Technical University of Silesia for her PhD thesis on the Old Workers' Estates in Upper Silesia (Poland);
Dedicated Service to Heritage Conservation: to the Maisons Paysannes de France, a non-profit, NGO founded in 1965 which strives to disseminate and preserve skills and know-how in the restoration of rural heritage.

The selection has been made out of a total of 214 applications.

The European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage and the Europa Nostra Awards were jointly launched in 2002 by Europa Nostra and the European Commission, in the framework of the Commission’s Culture 2000 programme, to recognize best practices in heritage conservation on a European level.

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Source: European Information Service

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