6 research projects developing new approaches to the preservation of cultural and historical heritage in Europe, passed the final selection of the special prize ILUCIDARE Europa Nostra Awards 2020.
3 nominees will compete for the title of best innovative project. Smart Heritage City is a monitoring system that, using sensors and a special program, assesses the condition of historical buildings and monuments (whether there are microcracks or moss on them) and the flow of tourists. Based on these data, the system gives recommendations on how to better preserve historical buildings and how to manage tourist flows. This project was developed by research teams from Spain, France and Portugal, and the system itself is already being tested in the Spanish city of Avila.
“St. John’s Bolvark in Hertogenbosch” (Netherlands) - an innovative restoration of the 16th-century fortifications found in the city of Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands. Dutch archaeologists came across a bombed bed (this is a kind of fortification like a rampart), and then, together with local authorities, transformed it, supplementing it with a gateway to prevent flooding, which often happens in this city.
Third applicant - TYPA Estonian Paper and Printing Museum. Its creators not only restored the printing presses of the 19th and early 20th centuries, but also gave visitors the opportunity to try them in action.. And for professional designers, there are workshops on layout and book design. The entire museum collection essentially works as a full-fledged printing studio.
3 more projects claim a prize in the category “International Relations for the Preservation of Heritage”. The Italian initiative " With the help of archeology, children study their native places and the history of their country, and in addition, learn about the similarities and differences between different cultures.
The British organization and the Friends of the Czech Heritage initiative of the same name organize volunteer assistance to professionals. A minimum of 5 volunteer groups annually from the UK and the Czech Republic during the week help various local organizations and research groups preserving the Czech heritage.
The third applicant is the Polish project The Oppenheim House, which studies German-Jewish and Polish-Jewish heritage. Historical research took place in parallel with the restoration of a historic building in the center of Warsaw, where the OPPENHEIM fund is located, which manages this project.
The jury will announce the winners in the fall, notes Europulse.
ILUCIDARE Special Prize awarded for the first time at Europa Nostra Awards this year.
Its goal is to highlight the best practices among scientific developments in the field of preservation of cultural heritage - in the field of innovation and in the field of international cooperation. Projects already supported by the European Union within the framework of the Horizon 2020 program for research teams can claim the prize.
The Europa Nostra Awards has been awarded annually since 2002, it was established by the European Commission and the organization for the protection of European cultural heritage Europa Nostra for significant and ambitious projects in the field of preservation of European cultural heritage.