The restoration project of Bánffy Castle in Răscruci, in Cluj county, won the Public Choice Award at this year’s European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards.
Last month, the restoration project was announced among the winners of the same awards in the Conservation & Adaptive Reuse category.
This project raised the largest number of votes, cast via an online poll with the participation of some 10,000 citizens from across Europe.
After the restoration, which was completed in 2023, the castle and park in Răscruci reopened to residents, visitors, and specialists, with public events and educational activities taking place on site.
The Public Choice Award was one of several announced at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony, held on May 28 in Nicosia, Cyprus.
The five laureate projects of the Grand Prix 2026 were the Polirone Monastic Complex in San Benedetto Po, Italy; the Cypriot Fiddler, Cyprus; Improving the Energy Performance of Heritage Properties in State Care Initiative, Ireland; Din l-Art Ħelwa – The National Trust for Malta, Valletta, Malta; and Maryna Hrytsenko, Chernihiv, Ukraine. The latter is a posthumous award granted to the chief custodian of the Galagan Art Museum in Chernihiv. At the start of the war in 2022, she singlehandedly dismantled the museum’s exhibitions and safeguarded over 17,000 objects. In 2023, she joined the army as a paramedic and was killed in 2025.
The five laureates with the Grand Prix and the winner with the Public Choice Award for 2026 receive a monetary award of EUR 10,000.
The Grand Prix winners were selected from among this year’s winners by the board of Europa Nostra, based on the recommendation of an independent jury of experts.
The European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards were launched by the European Commission in 2002 and have been run by Europa Nostra ever since. For 24 years, the awards have recognized and promoted the values of heritage for Europe’s culture, society, economy and environment.
(Photo: Europa Nostra on Flickr)
simona@romania-insider.com
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