Prestigious Europa Nostra Award Celebrates the Rehabilitation of the Tsiskarauli Tower, damaged by a Russian missile
The project ‘Citizens’ Rehabilitation of the Tsiskarauli Tower, Akhieli, Georgia’ has been awarded the prestigious European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award 2024, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. This remarkable achievement highlights the power of community-driven heritage conservation, made possible through the collaboration of Georgian and European partners.
The Georgian project won the prestigious prize of European cultural heritage in the category of “Citizens’ Involvement and Awareness Raising” for the works in Khevsureti to save the Tsiskarauli Tower damaged by a Russian missile.
To celebrate this accomplishment, a special event hosted by the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili at the President’s Palace in Tbilisi. The celebration was attended by Nicholas Cendrowicz, Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, representatives of the diplomatic corps, and a broad audience of heritage enthusiasts, underscoring the importance of cultural heritage preservation in Georgia and beyond.
“The European Union respects and promotes Georgia’s unique culture. This includes funding for preserving and developing Georgia’s creative sectors. We sincerely hope Georgia continues along its path towards the EU, so that one day Georgia’s extraordinary cultural heritage will become an integral part of the European Union’s, and we can continue to preserve and celebrate it through projects like this.” – Nicholas Cendrowicz, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Georgia.
The rehabilitation of the Tsiskarauli Tower is the result of the joint work of Georgian and European professionals and young volunteers. It was implemented by The National Trust of Georgia, with The International National Trusts Organisation (INTO, UK), the lead partner, REMPART (France) and Association ‘Ducal Tower in Siedlecin’ (Poland), with the financial support of ALIPH. The project was commended by the European Commission and Europa Nostra on 30 May as one of 26 outstanding winners from 18 countries. The project was supported by a grant from ALIPH – the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas. Georgia benefitted with an amount of $157,290, of which about $34,000 went directly to the local community, actively involved in the project activities.
As part of the Europa Nostra Award, heritage supporters and enthusiasts are now encouraged to vote online to decide who will win the Public Choice Award 2024, entitled to receive a monetary award of €10,000. You can cast your vote until 22 September.
For more information, please visit https://eu4georgia.eu/restoration-of-a-medieval-tower-in-mountainous-georgia-damaged-by-a-russian-missile-gets-the-european-heritage-award-europa-nostra-award/