Prince Charles-backed 'Ambulance for Monuments' project, among winners of European Heritage Awards

The "Ambulance for Monuments" project, supported by Charles, Prince of Wales, is among the winners of the European Heritage Awards, in the Education, Training and Awareness-Raising category, according to a press statement released on Thursday.

"Ahead of the celebration of this year's Europe Day (9 May), the European Commission and Europa Nostra are proud to announce the 2020 winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards. Europe's top honour in the heritage field goes to 21 exemplary achievements from 15 European countries," Europa Nostra reports in a press statement, mentioning "Ambulance for Monuments" as a winner in the Education, Training and Awareness-Raising category.

"Ambulance for Monuments", a project carried out in the counties of Alba, Brasov, Cluj, Hunedoara, Maramures, Mures and Sibiu, thus wins the most important European distinction in the field of heritage and in now competing for the Public Choice Award in an online vote starting today on https://vote.europanostra.org/.

An awards gala will take place in Brussels in 2021 with the high participation of representatives of the European Commission and Europa Nostra.

"In its four years of existence, the 'Ambulance for Monuments' has meant interventions on (...) historical monuments, 10,500 members of local communities becoming aware of the value of their heritage, 22 exhibitions, 5 vans equipped with tools and equipment, 233 volunteers and 73 partners and sponsors. The project will be extended this year to include the counties of Arges, Botosani, Dambovita, Dolj, Gorj, Iasi, Mehedinti, Prahova and Suceava The main supporter of the project is Charles, Prince of Wales, through The Prince's Foundation, and the Anglo-Romanian Trust for Traditional Architecture," says project coordinator Eugen Vaida.

The "Ambulance for Monuments" project was launched in 2016 to rescue hundreds of heritage-listed buildings in Romania through a large network of active heritage organisations.