The Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Athens presented its new website and networking tools during a hybrid event on 19 December 2024. The event, held at the offices of the Elliniki Etairia – Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET) in Plaka, Athens, featured opening remarks by Haris Doukas, Mayor of Athens; Lydia Carras, Founder and President of ELLET; and Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra and Project Leader of the European Heritage Hub. Representatives from Georgia, Armenia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Türkiye, and Bulgaria joined the discussion online.
In his address, Haris Doukas, Mayor of Athens, emphasised the crucial role of cities in advancing strategies for cultural heritage protection. Lydia Carras, Founder and President of Elliniki Etairia, thanked Europa Nostra for its long-standing collaboration and for entrusting ELLET with coordinating the regional Heritage Hub for Southeast Europe, Türkiye, and the Caucasus.
“The Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Athens has successfully brought together stakeholders from across the region. We’re committed to empowering you and securing greater EU support to sustain and amplify these activities“, stated Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović on behalf of Europa Nostra and the European Heritage Hub. She also announced the third European Heritage Hub Forum on Social Transformation, which will take place on 3-4 April 2025 in Budva, Montenegro.
The Scientific Director of the Athens Hub and President of ELLET’s Council for Architectural Heritage, Eleni Maistrou, presented joint initiatives between ELLET and the Municipality of Athens within their Athens Heritage Hub collaboration. These initiatives include efforts to document the conservation state of historic buildings in Athens’ historic center. ELLET will also provide advisory support for a pilot project aimed at restoring and improving the energy efficiency of a historic building owned by the Municipality of Athens.
The new website of the Athens Heritage Hub will serve as a vital tool for connecting heritage organisations South Eastern Europe, Türkiye, and the Caucasus. The Coordinator of the Athens Heritage Hub, Stavroula Thravalou, showcased the networking tools, capacity-building opportunities, and methods for public engagement available on the website. Her presentation also shared preliminary findings on the needs, challenges, and opportunities faced by civil society organisations working in cultural heritage across the Hub’s regions.
About the Europa Nostra Hub in Athens
The Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Athens was established in May 2022 as a result of collaboration between Europa Nostra, Elliniki Etairia – Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET), and the Municipality of Athens. Its mission is to connect cultural heritage organisations across South Eastern Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro), Türkiye, Georgia, and Armenia, fostering cross-border cooperation and youth engagement. Since 2023, it has participated in the EU-funded European Heritage Hub pilot project aiming to strengthen the role of culture in the transition to a more sustainable, digital, and inclusive society across Europe and its neighbouring regions.
* All references to Kosovo, whether the territory, institutions or population, in this document shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations’ Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
