Baia Mare, a city located in Northern Romania, got the third prize at the City.People.Light Awards organized on September 25 in Helsinki, Finland. It is the first time when a Romanian city wins a prize at this competition.

Baia Mare received the third prize for the rehabilitation of its Fortress Square. The lighting design belongs to Mitru Ildiko, chief project architect.

The project is part of the master plan that began in 2005 and is a cultural component of the Baia Mare city center reconstruction. The project’s main purpose was the restoration of the city's most important monument – the St. Stephen Church. The lighting provides an ambient atmosphere that marks the city's buildings, trees, major routes and emphasizes the main objectives: Saint Stephen's Tower, the ruins of St. Stephen's Church and the two other churches discovered with this occasion, namely Saint Catherine's Church and Saint Martin's Church.

Two projects from Spain and France won the first and the second prizes. Find out more about them here.

The City.People.Light program was launched by Dutch technology company Philips in 1996. The City.People.Light award contest was created in 2003 by Philips and LUCI to reward urban lighting projects that best demonstrate to rehumanize the urban environment through light and exploring ways to maximize sustainability and improve the livability in the city.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com