The winners, announced earlier this year, were celebrated at the European Cultural Heritage Summit, which ended on Tuesday in the Romanian capital Bucharest.
Rybnik Mayor Piotr Kuczera was among those present.
His city's historic mine sits on the site of a former coal mine that was founded at the end of the 18th century and remained in operation for over 200 years.
A citation for the award describes the mine in Poland’s southern Silesia region as a "unique renovation project," saying that “thanks to the efforts of the former miners, the City of Rybnik, the Polish state and EU funds, the mine has been transformed into a vibrant cultural and recreational centre while maintaining its historical significance.”
Once a symbol of "economic hardship,” the area was revitalised into "a space for community engagement and recreation," the citation says.
It adds that the project has opened the historic mine to tourism: "Visitors can now explore the interactive exhibition housed within the Kościuszko shaft buildings, delving into the roots of the Industrial Revolution and the significance of inventions like the steam engine in shaping Europe’s global influence."
Europe’s prestigious heritage awards 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.
The awards are co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
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Click on the audio player above to listen to a report by Radio Poland's Agnieszka Bielawska.