Antwerp City Hall Wins European Heritage Award
Antwerp City Hall has been awarded the Grand Prix of the European Heritage Awards 2025, a recognition presented by the European Commission and Europa Nostra at a ceremony in Brussels., reports 24brussels.
The historic building, dating back to the 16th century, earned the award in the Conservation and Adaptive Reuse category. Regarded as “an icon of Antwerp’s Renaissance architecture,” the UNESCO World Heritage-listed site was acknowledged for successfully integrating historical authenticity with contemporary principles of sustainability and accessibility. The restoration has transformed the City Hall into a dynamic administrative hub and a gathering place for both residents and visitors.
Thirty contenders were initially shortlisted in June, which included renowned projects such as Brussels’ Solvay House and the Flemish Heritage Trees Project. The jury ultimately selected five Grand Prix winners and one Public Choice Award recipient from a total of 24 European nations. Each Grand Prix winner is granted €10,000.
Other notable winners this year included the Glacier Archaeology Programme – Secrets of the Ice (Norway), Pro Monumenta – Preventive Maintenance of Monuments (Slovakia), Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World (Serbia), and Inge Bisgaard (Greenland). The Public Choice Award was given to the restoration of Madrid’s Puerta de Alcalá, which garnered votes from more than 10,000 online voters.
The awards ceremony concluded the 2025 European Cultural Heritage Summit, which took place in Brussels from October 12 to 15, organized by Europa Nostra with backing from the EU’s Creative Europe program and Belgium’s National Lottery.
