European Heritage Label

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European Heritage Label (current, English version)

The European Heritage Label ( English European Heritage Label , French Label Patrimoine Européen ) is a state award for cultural monuments , cultural landscapes or memorials that are considered important at European level. It emerged in 2006 from an intergovernmental initiative by European countries and was converted into an EU initiative with updated criteria in 2011.

Intergovernmental Initiative (2006-2011)

The initiative for a “European Heritage Label” came from individual states of the European Union on April 28, 2006 at a meeting in Granada (Spain); especially France, as well as Spain, Hungary, Portugal and Greece. The immediate cause was the failed referendums in the EU co-founding states France and the Netherlands on a common EU constitution in 2005, according to which the public's awareness of Europe should be increased. The Council of the European Union supported this initiative on November 20, 2008 and asked the EU Commission to submit a proposal for the creation of a European Heritage Label by the EU and to define the practical modalities for the implementation of this project. Other EU countries and Switzerland as non-members joined the initiative , a total of 18 countries. Since then, these countries have awarded the seal to sites “with a cross-border or pan-European character”. The countries selected the material or immaterial cultural assets on their own responsibility, the standards differing from country to country. The initiative's secretariat had been part of the Spanish Ministry of Culture since 2010.

Excellent sites according to the old system

Belgium

The Palace of Coudenberg, Belgium.

Bulgaria

Germany

France

Main courtyard of the Papal Palace in Avignon, France.

Greece

Italy

Capitol Square in Rome, Italy.

Latvia

Panorama of Riga, Latvia.

Lithuania

Hill of Crosses, Lithuania.

Malta

Poland

Portugal

Coimbra University Library, Portugal.

Romania

Switzerland

La Sarraz Castle, Switzerland.

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Czech Republic

Zlín, Czech Republic.

Hungary

Great Reformed Church in Debrecen, Hungary.

Cyprus

  • Fortifications of Nicosia
  • Kolossi Castle
  • Archaeological site of Kourion
  • Ring of six churches with Byzantine and post-Byzantine frescoes in the Troodos region

Conversion into an EU initiative from 2010

In March 2010, the European Commission proposed converting the previously national initiative into a formal EU initiative.

According to the proposal, the previous standards should be replaced by uniform criteria across Europe. In addition, the criteria should be changed so as not to compete with existing similar initiatives such as the “ UNESCO World Heritage ” or the “ European Cultural Routes ” of the Council of Europe , which the label is only intended to supplement. Double awards should largely be avoided.

The award will now be given to those sites that are “symbols and examples of European unification, the ideals and the history of the EU”. The selection is based only on the symbolic value of the sites for Europe, not on the basis of their beauty or architectural quality. In addition, the educational dimension, particularly with regard to young people, should play a decisive role.

Sites that have already been awarded according to the previous system can keep the old seal and also apply for the award under the new regulations. In this case, they have to be reassessed again according to the changed criteria. It cannot be ruled out that the opportunity to participate will later also be extended to countries that are not members of the EU but participate in the EU “Culture” program. Since Switzerland is not a member of the EU and does not take part in the Culture program, it can no longer take part in the EU initiative on the cultural heritage label - at least until the first evaluation of the measure.

According to the EU Commission, the new European Heritage Label should in particular:

  • "Contribute to a better knowledge and a greater bond among European citizens - and especially young people - with their diverse common cultural heritage and their history,
  • promote the values ​​of democracy and human rights on which European integration is based,
  • In addition to national loyalty, strengthen the feeling of belonging to the European Union and encourage citizens to actively participate in the European democratic process,
  • make a contribution to the economic attractiveness and sustainable development of the areas, in particular through cultural tourism. "

The financial outlay covered by the EU Culture Program should be limited to the maintenance and marketing of the seal and the support of the network; financial participation in the restoration of European cultural heritage sites is not foreseen.

The discussions on the content and financial implementation of the EU initiative Kulturerbe-Siegel were concluded with the 2nd reading in the European Parliament on November 16, 2011. With publication in the EU Official Journal , the seal officially came into effect on November 23, 2011 and has been awarded since 2013. The previous intergovernmental initiative will be completed with the entry into force of the EU initiative.

The European Commission was looking for the new logo of the European Heritage Label in a citizens' survey at the end of 2012.

Common European Heritage Label since 2013

In future, each of the 27 EU member states will be allowed to propose up to two sites for the cultural heritage label every two years. A European jury of 13 independent experts will examine the proposals and select a maximum of one site per member state. The final award is made by the EU Commission. The sites that have been awarded the seal under the old cultural seal program since 2006 can reapply for the new seal. The cultural heritage label is intended to complement existing cultural heritage initiatives, e.g. B. the UNESCO World Heritage List , the Representative UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and the Council of Europe initiative (Council of Europe Cultural Path ). Double funding of certain objects should be avoided as far as possible, so that objects and initiatives that are already taken into account in the Council of Europe's Cultural Paths will most likely not receive the European Heritage Label.

Previously awarded sites under the current system

As of April 17, 2018. Source:

Hambach Castle, Germany
European quarter in Strasbourg, France
Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands
Hofburg in Vienna, Austria
War Cemetery No. 123 in Luzna, Poland
Přemyslidenburg and Archdiocesan Museum in Olomouc, Czech Republic
Great Hall of the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, Hungary

Belgium

Germany

Estonia

France

Greece

  • Central area of ​​the ancient old town of Athens

Italy

Croatia

Lithuania

  • Architecture and culture in Kaunas from 1919–1940

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Austria

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Slovenia

Spain

Czech Republic

Hungary

Germany's role

Originally, Germany only took part in the intergovernmental initiative as an observer, but that changed in 2009: The state curators presented a selection of seven topics or monument complexes for further discussion to the state culture ministers' conference responsible for the European cultural heritage label in February 2009 propose to shortlist four of them as German nominations (shown in italics below):

In June 2009 the Culture Committee of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs decided to propose the subjects of the “ Iron Curtain ” and “Sites of the Reformation ” to the federal states . On May 7, 2010, the Federal Council also issued an opinion on the proposal for an EU-wide initiative, which includes general approval with some demands. Since the beginning of December 2010, Germany joined the intergovernmental initiative with the two proposals from the federal states. The state of Berlin is in charge of the network of sites on the subject of the “Iron Curtain”, while the state of Saxony-Anhalt is responsible for the “sites of the Reformation” .

Other sites have been suggested, including the Paulskirche in Frankfurt . In 2012 the Luther cities of Eisleben , Wittenberg and Mansfeld were awarded the European Heritage Seal according to the old system.

In May 2009, the German Society for Prehistory and Early History campaigned for transparent rules for the award of the cultural heritage seal. In addition, the award should be linked to clear conditions and include the potential for the seal to be withdrawn.

Role of Austria

Austria did not take part in the intergovernmental initiative. On June 2, 2010, the EU subcommittee of the National Council in the presence of Federal Minister Claudia Schmied with the votes of the MPs from the SPÖ and ÖVP approved in principle the proposal of the EU Commission to convert the seal into an EU initiative. However, it is necessary to further specify the definitions and criteria for the planned seal and the relationship to existing initiatives. The focus should also be more on communicating European history and values ​​to young people. According to Schmied, the seal should not only refer to the EU, but to the history of Europe as a whole. For reasons of uniformity, Austria was against leaving the previously named sites with the title without re-examination. The federal states are included in the selection.

The MPs of the opposition parties FPÖ , BZÖ and Greens in the EU subcommittee unanimously rejected the proposal of the EU Commission at the time, among other things because it caused unnecessary bureaucracy and costs, because the European identity could not be artificially created with a seal, but first must grow and because the seal will tend to lead to competition between states and damage to the sites through tourism.

With Austria, the states of Estonia , Denmark , Luxembourg and the Netherlands had the opportunity to nominate a maximum of four cultural sites. All of these countries took part for the first time in 2013. As a result, the Carnuntum Archeology Park was designated as a cultural heritage by the European Commission in 2014.

Web links

Commons : European Heritage Label  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sandra Ketterer: EU Seal for Monuments , Das Parlament , No. 48, November 24, 2008.
  2. ↑ EU wants its own seal for cultural heritage, courier (daily newspaper) ( Memento from March 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Detailed information on the previous European Heritage Label , website of the Spanish Ministry of Culture (English).
  4. ^ Registrations from the federal states , website of the Standing Conference (KMK) on the European Heritage Label. 2010
  5. ^ The Federal Government: European Cultural Heritage Seal . 2017
  6. ↑ Mint in Kremnica is part of the European cultural heritage! ( Memento of the original from June 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 16, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.slovakia.travel
  7. ↑ Cultural routes: discover our continent! ( Memento of April 2, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), Council of Europe website.
  8. ↑ EU cultural heritage label: Switzerland misses out , Tages-Anzeiger , March 11, 2010
  9. ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: Information note on the European Heritage Label (PDF; 111 kB), March 4, 2009.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / ec.europa.eu
  10. ↑ Decision No. 1194/2011 / EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2011 on the creation of a measure by the European Union for the European Heritage Label .
  11. ↑ Citizens' survey on a logo for the European Heritage Label
  12. ↑ Sites of the European cultural heritage label , ec.europa.eu
  13. ↑ Recommendations of the State Conservators for Federal German World Heritage and European Heritage Nominations - an interim report (PDF; 20 kB).
  14. ↑ Federal printed matter 141/10.
  15. ↑ “Sites of the Reformation” are to be proposed for the European Heritage Label  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , State Chancellery of Saxony-Anhalt, April 28, 2010@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.jenapolis.de  
  16. ↑ SPD: First European Cultural Heritage Seal for Paulskirche ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , SPD Frankfurt am Main, March 16, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.spd-frankfurt.de
  17. ↑ Homepage WDR 3 Kulturnachrichten , accessed on October 15, 2012
  18. ↑ DGUF advocates the creation of a cultural heritage label by the EU , May 15, 2009
  19. ↑ EU wants to create its own cultural heritage label Coalition for, opposition against , sending out parliamentary correspondence , APA Originaltext-Service , June 2, 2010
  20. ↑ Latest news on the European Heritage Label ( Memento of July 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). Accessed on March 24, 2013
  21. ↑ The European Heritage Label of December 30, 2013, accessed on December 30, 2013