The European Commission and Europa Nostra announced the winners of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards for 2015. Three of which were awarded to Greece.
The awards were given to Antouaniko Mansion in Chios, the restoration of Lasithi plateau’s windmills with perforated sails in Crete and the HERMES project, the digital management of Syros’ cultural heritage.
Antouaniko Mansion
Antouaniko is one of the garden estates in Chios. The main house was built in 1893, but older structures, such as the irrigation system of the citrus plantation, survived within the estate. The rehabilitation project of the Antouaniko mansion situated in one of the most distinctive and character-filled cultural landscapes of Europe, succeeded in reinstating a complete example of the unique mixed character of this historic complex, combining residential and agricultural uses.
Restoration of Lasithi Plateau’s Windmills with Perforated Sails
Lasithi Plateau is a large endorheic (inwardly-draining, not by river to the sea) plateau in eastern Crete. Its fame in the past century has been attributable to the huge forest of windmills, some 10,000 of them, erected (1910-1950) to assist with the irrigation of the shallow soil. Most of these mills have ceased to operate in recent decades, through inefficiency and lack of maintenance. However, recent research by Mr. Georgios Hatzakis, a mechanical engineer, may reverse this decline. He has experimented successfully on some 20 mills by perforating the sails with minute holes, which means they can function successfully in low level winds.
HERMES: Hermoupolis Digital Heritage Management
This digitization project is about creating a free, open-source web publishing platform for displaying the research content of a specific conservation plan. The plan relates to the town of Hermoupolis in Syros (Aegean Sea), which is some 200 years old, and unique to the extent that its building stock of more than 1000 buildings has remained intact, almost as a whole, from its foundation to the present day. The relatively short history of Hermoupolis does not make its architectural value less significant, and has enabled an amazingly detailed and accurate set of data to be compiled.
The European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards was launched in 2002 by the European Commission and has been organized by Europa Nostra since then. The Prize promotes excellence, inspires through the “power of example” and stimulates the exchange of best practices in the heritage field across Europe. It also aims to communicate to the general public the beauty and the economic and social value of our cultural heritage.
The Prize honors up to 30 outstanding heritage achievements every year from all parts of Europe. All the winners receive a certificate as well as a plaque or trophy. The Grand Prix laureates also receive €10,000 each.
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