The Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, a landmark of the capital's cultural landscape, is one of the seven sites recently awarded the European Heritage Label by the European Commission (EC). They received the label for their significant role in Europe's history, culture, and the development of the Union.

The seven sites that received the European Heritage Label on April 11 are Cisterscapes – Cistercian Landscapes Connecting Europe (Austria, Czechia, Germany, Poland, Slovenia), the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste (Spain), Our Lord in the Attic Museum (the Netherlands), Royal Theatre Toone (Belgium), The Kalevala-Living Epic Heritage (Finland), the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest (Romania), and the Sant'Anna di Stazzema (Italy).

A jury of independent experts from across Europe recommended the seven sites from a pool of sixteen that participating EU countries pre-selected. The winning sites from the 2023 selection year will officially receive the label during the award ceremony, which will take place in Antwerp, Belgium, on April 17.

The Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest was built by the Romanian Athenaeum Society at the end of the 19th century. Its initial purpose was to host a public library, conferences, classical music concerts, exhibitions, and other cultural-artistic activities as part of its mission to spread culture by any means, according to its official presentation on the EC website. 

Since 1889, the Athenaeum has been home to the Romanian Philharmonic Society - now the "George Enescu" Philharmonic. 

"These cultural societies and their emblematic building are part of the modernisation process in the United Principalities of Romania, declared a Kingdom in 1881 after gaining state independence from the Ottoman Empire at the end of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878)," the same source said.

"Hosting concerts by great European composers and orchestras, the Romanian Athenaeum has been instrumental in disseminating European classical music since its creation. Since 1958, the Romanian Athenaeum has been hosting one of the world's most important classical music events, the "George Enescu" International Festival and Competition, named in honor of the great Romanian composer."

According to the European Commission, the Romanian Athenaeum also hosts public lectures by Nobel Prize laureates, renowned writers, and professionals from all over Europe, thus highlighting democracy and European values, and promoting culture and science.

To earn the European Heritage Label, sites must meet three fundamental criteria: demonstrating European significance, effectively communicating their European historic ties and dimension to their audiences, and demonstrating the ability to carry out these activities. 

The selection process takes place every other year and is open to all EU countries, provided they have expressed their interest. Based on the recommendations of the European Panel of independent experts, the European Commission awards the European Heritage Label to a maximum of one site per participating country per year. 

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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