A citation for the award describes the mine in Poland’s southern Silesia region as a "unique renovation project on the site of a former coal mine, one of the oldest in Poland, which was founded in 1792."
It adds that "thanks to the joint efforts of the former miners, the City of Rybnik, the Polish state and EU funds, the complex has been saved and adapted to new functions as a cultural and recreational centre."
The Polish project "serves as an inspiring example for other coal mines in Europe that will face closure," according to the award citation.
Europe’s prestigious heritage accolade also went to the Serfenta Crafts Revitalisation Model in Cieszyn, a Polish town bordering on the Czech Republic. It received the award in the Education, Training and Skills category.
The Serfenta Association is a project that combines local patriotism, respect and creative attitude towards crafts. Its Crafts Revitalisation Model, which has basketry at its core, has been praised for involving "people of every age and all backgrounds from Poland and other European countries" in testing "new ways to successfully transmit this heritage."
Meanwhile, Piotr Gerber from the Department of the History of Architecture, Art and Technology at the University of Technology in Wrocław, southwestern Poland, has been named as one of the 2024 Heritage Champions.
He has been commended for his outstanding achievements in "the protection of post-industrial heritage, and playing, both in Poland and abroad, an influential role in raising public awareness and understanding of the importance of technical and technological development."
The awards are co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. This year there were 26 winners from 18 countries, selected from more than 200 applications submitted by organisations and individuals from 38 European countries.
The winners will be celebrated at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony in Bucharest, Romania, on October 7.
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Source: 2024 European Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards
Click on the audio player above to listen to a report by Radio Poland's Agnieszka Bielawska.