Top 8 new cultural tourism attractions in Europe that won the 2025 EU Heritage Awards
- Valerie Charoux
- Jun 14
- 4 min read
Cultural Tourism News Europe - Here are the 2025 winners of Europe's new cultural tourism attractions, under the EU 2025 European Heritage Awards for Conservation projects:
Top 8 new cultural tourism attractions in Europe that won the 2025 EU Heritage Awards:
1 - Tower Roof of the Church of St. Mauritius – Austria
The restoration of the vibrant, polychrome-tiled medieval roof of St. Mauritius’ Church in Spitz an der Donau secured Austria’s only surviving late medieval roof of its kind.
The medieval parish Church of St. Mauritius in Spitz an der Donau, perched high above the Danube River, is an iconic landmark within the Wachau UNESCO World Heritage landscape. Its vibrant, polychrome-tiled tower roof is not only visually striking but also historically significant since it originates from around 1505. This makes it Austria’s only fully preserved late medieval example of this distinctive roofing style.
2 - Antwerp City Hall – Belgium
Antwerp City Hall, completed in 1565, is one of Northern Europe’s earliest Renaissance civic buildings. The restoration of Antwerp City Hall reinforces its function as the political and administrative heart of the city, while safeguarding a UNESCO-listed Renaissance landmark for future generations.
3 - Hôtel Solvay – Belgium
Hôtel Solvay was designed by Belgian architect Victor Horta for the Solvay family and was completed in 1903. An Art Nouveau landmark in Brussels, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
4 - Nicosia Old Municipal Market – Cyprus
The Nicosia Old Municipal Market in Cyprus is a modernist 1960s landmark near the Buffer Zone and was transformed into a center for innovation and civic exchange. The earthquake-resistant AGORA hub now anchors the city’s emerging Creative Industries Quarter. It houses co-working spaces, labs, and cultural venues, and hosts events ranging from digital art festivals to inclusive skills training.
5 - Kambones 1615 Historic House – Greece
Kambones 1615, a privately restored Venetian tower house on the island of Naxos, preserves five centuries of architectural, agricultural and cultural heritage. Using traditional techniques, the restoration project blends sustainability, craft and community to create a model for heritage-led rural regeneration in Europe.
The Kambones 1615 complex includes a residence, an olive press, farm structures and a rare double-aisled chapel representing both Orthodox and Catholic traditions that was designated a protected monument in 1975. Set within a 200-hectare estate, the site is deeply embedded in its natural surroundings, where ancient olive trees coexist with nesting birds of prey.
6 - EC1 Łódź – City of Culture Complex – Poland
EC1, a member of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, features several listed buildings. The restoration project preserved key architectural and technical elements of the historic buildings while adapting them for contemporary use. Art Nouveau and industrial-style facades were restored, early 20th-century machinery was conserved, and interior features, such as woodwork, tiles and metalwork, were retained or replicated using traditional techniques.
Today, EC1 encompasses the Centre for Science and Technology, a Planetarium, the Centre for Comics and Interactive Narratives, the cinema of the National Centre for Film Culture, and a hands-on education zone for children. These attractions are complemented by public green space and a year-round cultural program.
7 - Peniche Fortress National Museum of Resistance and Freedom - Portugal
The Peniche Fortress, one of the main political prisons during the dictatorship in Portugal, now hosts the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom.
The Peniche Fortress, whose construction began in the 16th century to defend the Portuguese coast, later served as the country’s most notorious political prison during Europe’s longest-lasting dictatorship (1926-1974). It is now the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom, inaugurated on 27 April 2024 to mark the 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution and the release of political prisoners.
8 - Puerta de Alcalá – Spain
The restoration of the Puerta de Alcalá, that is a symbol of Madrid and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, combined traditional craftsmanship and scientific analysis in a large-scale public project.
Puerta de Alcalá is one of Madrid’s most iconic monuments. Erected between 1769 and 1779 by architect Francesco Sabatini for King Charles III, the triumphal arch is a defining landmark in the heart of the Spanish capital. Today, it forms part of the “Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, Landscape of Arts and Sciences”, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021.
