The 7 Most Endangered sites have been chosen for the 2023 edition of the 7 Most Endangered programme run by the EIB Institute and Europa Nostra, the voice of civil society committed to cultural and natural heritage, and supported by Creative Europe.
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of this innovative programme launched in 2013 by the Institute and Europa Nostra which mobilises public and private partners on a local, national and European level to find a viable future for endangered monuments and sites in Europe.
Ranging from an “Expo 58 style” train station in Belgium to a Partisan memorial cemetery in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or cultural landscapes in Serbia and Montenegro, the sites are:
– Kortrijk railway train station (Belgium)
– Partisan memorial cemetery, Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
– Tchakvinji fortress, Zugdidi (Georgia)
– Sisters’ House Ensemble, former Moravian settlement in Kleinwelka (Germany)
– Memento Park, Budapest (Hungary)
– Cultural landscape of Sveti Stefan, Paštrovići (Montenegro)
– Watermills of Bistrica, Petrovac na Mlavi (Serbia)
The announcement was made at an online event featuring nominators and representatives of the selected sites, which attracted participants from across Europe and beyond.
Experts from Europa Nostra and the EIB Institute, together with the organisations that nominated the sites and other partners, will now gather information and meet with key stakeholders to assess the sites and issue a technical and financial report with recommendations for action.
Each site is eligible for an EIB Heritage Grant of €10,000 to assist in implementing an agreed activity that will contribute to saving them.
The Board of Europa Nostra selected the finalists from among the 11 monuments and heritage sites from eight countries previously shortlisted by the Advisory Panel of the 7 ME programme. The nominations were put forward by member organisations, associate organisations or individual members of Europa Nostra, as well as by members of the European Heritage Alliance.
The list was based on the outstanding heritage significance and cultural value of each site as well as on the basis of the serious danger that they are facing today. The level of engagement of local communities and the commitment of public and private stakeholders to saving them were considered as crucial added values. Another selection criterion was the potential of these sites to act as a catalyst for sustainable development and as a tool for promoting peace and dialogue within their localities and wider regions.
The Institute supports the EIB Group’s activities in the field of cultural heritage, facilitates the transfer of know-how and experience between different partners and countries to safeguard European cultural heritage and serves as a gateway between the world of cultural heritage and the EIB Group.
