Restored Plaka Bridge receives Europa Nostra Heritage Award

The project to restore and reconstruct the historic Plaka Bridge in Epirus, has won one of 24 European Heritage Awards/ Europa Nostra Awards in 2021.

The Plaka Bridge, which was washed away by a flash flood in 2015, was awarded for “exemplary achievements” in the heritage field.

The Plaka bridge was one of the conservation achievements awarded in 2021, while Europa Nostra awards were also given to two research projects in which Greece collaborated: Fibranet (Fibres in Ancient European Textiles – on preserving ancient fabrics), a joint project with Denmark, and “Control Shift – European Industrial Heritage Reuse in Review” with the Netherlands.

“Today, Greece won a particularly important distinction, the 2021 Europa Nostra Award, for the exemplary restoration of the Plaka Bridge in Epirus,” Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni stated.

The awards were announced by the European Commission in a live online event on Tuesday, with the winners selected among entries from 30 countries by independent committees made up of cultural heritage experts from all over Europe.

“The specific award – which is added to a series of other similar distinctions that the culture ministry has received from Europa Nostra – once again confirms the high level of scientific expertise of the ministries of culture, transport and development, the Epirus Region, the National and Technical University of Athens and the Technical Chamber. The collapse of the Plaka Bridge in 2015, due to heavy rainfall and floods, is linked to the effects of climate change on the country’s cultural heritage,” Mendoni added.

*More on GCT: Historic Plaka Bridge is fully restored after extensive repair