On 9 December 2024, Europa Nostra and the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation co-hosted a high-level end-of-year cultural evening at the Royal Belge in Brussels, attended by the newly appointed European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sport, Glenn Micallef. The programme included a local ceremony for the restoration of the Royale Belge Building, winner of a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award 2024, followed by the concert Strings for Joy and a networking reception.
The event took place under the framework of the EU-funded European Heritage Hub. The mission of the Hub is to connect heritage stakeholders and initiatives across Europe, raising awareness of the multiple values of heritage for our society, with music being one of its key horizontal dimensions. As such, the celebration gathered around 300 culture and heritage professionals, policymakers and enthusiasts from across Europe, providing a valuable opportunity to build bridges – with music to relax minds and strengthen ties.
It was an honour to host a very symbolic first public event of Commissioner Glenn Micallef, during which he addressed the audience: “Thanks to your efforts, today the Royale Belge stands as a monument to Europe’s 1960s architectural heritage; and to the potential to reimagine neglected spaces, to offer an innovative, accessible and multifunctional public space capable of bringing together people and communities (…) Your efforts show how by carefully balancing the need to preserve and enhance cultural heritage to ensure its sustainability and social functionality, we can breathe new life into urban areas.”
“Economy and politics are of utmost importance, but we cannot prevail without culture. Cultural heritage is one of the most meaningful means of bringing Europeans together. It is our materialised history, diversity and unity”, stated Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra.
Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra and Project Leader of the European Heritage Hub, who acted as Master of Ceremonies, expressed a heartfelt thank you to all partners and guests, and called for even greater unified and decisive action for culture and cultural heritage in the upcoming EU legislative term.
“This cultural evening marks the end of yet another year marked by war, violence, rising threats to our democracy and to life on our planet. But it also marks the beginning of the 5-year term of the new European Commission following this year’s election of the new European Parliament. Let us focus our minds and hearts on this major opportunity for Europe to demonstrate a truly cultural leadership on so many different fronts, both inside and outside the European Union,” said Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović.
Celebrating heritage excellence across Europe
In a true celebration of Europe’s cultural heritage, the event started with a local ceremony to present the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award 2024 to the Royale Belge Building in the Category of Conservation and Adaptive Reuse.
The Royal Belge Building is a fine example of 1960s corporate architecture in Brussels. After being abandoned in 2017, an extensive renovation preserved this modernist landmark, safeguarding an important piece of architectural heritage. Today, the Royal Belge functions as a multifunctional space, housing conference facilities, offices, co-working spaces, a hotel, a health club, and restaurants.
The winning design and adaptation project was a collaborative effort by the London-based Caruso St John Architects, the Antwerp-based Bovenbouw Architectuur, and the Brussels based DDS+ Architects and Metzger et Associés Architecture.
“Heritage is not only about old stones and age-old traditions. It is about transmitting from the past to the future. As architects in the 21st century, we should consider and assess every building, take care of them and make them future proof”, stated Didier Peremans, Architect and Managing Partner at DDS+.
“The present challenge is to find the right balance between memory and creation, between thought and action, between the intelligible and the sensible, between truth and falsehood,” added Francis Metzger, Heritage Architect, Metzger et Associés Architecture.
Intangible heritage was also celebrated in its finest form. It was a pleasure to partner with the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation to host its annual 2024 concert in this joint setting. Appropriately titled Strings for Joy, the concert featured 11 musicians from the Brussels Chamber Orchestra, accompanied by two soloists: the renowned violinist Sylvia Huang and cimbalom master Jeno Lisztes. The moving musical pieces provided a fitting backdrop for reflecting on some of our shared challenges.
“Today, we celebrate the importance and beauty of our shared cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. Music, as a fundamental part of our essence, connects and inspires us (…) We must continue to advocate for the power of the arts to foster social inclusion, education and wellbeing”, stated Marianne Poncelet, Executive Vice-President of the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation.
The event concluded with a networking reception, offering an opportunity to build bridges between civil society and policymakers across Europe as we head into a new year, marked by many challenges yet, above all, opportunities to place cultural heritage at the heart of addressing these.
