Europa Nostra 2024: Greek Travelling Workshop ‘Boulouki’ Wins European Heritage Award

Boulouki group during their project on Santorini.

A Greek non-profit organization dedicated to preserving traditional Greek buildings is one of the 2024 winners of “Europa Nostra”, Europe’s top heritage awards, according to an announcement by the European Commission and Europa Nostra on Thursday.

Named “Boulouki”, which means “a group of people” in Greek, the organization was honored in the “Education, Training & Skills” category for its project to restore a cobblestone pathway and two underground rainwater cisterns in the Santorini Archipelago.

This year’s event saw the participation of 206 applicants from organizations and individuals across 38 European countries. The winners were selected by the Awards’ Jury, composed of 12 heritage experts from across Europe, based on evaluations by the selection committees.

“By honoring these fantastic creative projects, we also demonstrate our great commitment to protecting our shared cultural heritage, which is vital for building a more united, sustainable, and beautiful Europe,” said world-renowned mezzo-soprano and President of Europa Nostra, Cecilia Bartoli.

How Boulouki preserves Greek architecture and building techniques

Architects of the team with showing an local resident their work.

Boulouki is a versatile collective of architects, engineers, and heritage professionals dedicated to revitalizing traditional craftsmanship for contemporary construction needs. Their vision is to promote a renewed building culture in Greece and worldwide, drawing from traditional knowledge and techniques.

Established in 2018, the group operates under four key pillars: education, research, practice, and public dialogue. These pillars guide their efforts to preserve and maintain Greek architecture and building techniques.

An exemplary project, “Under the Landscape,” began in 2021 and incorporates all the educational formats Boulouki has developed. This project focuses on the restoration of a pathway and cisterns, which are integral parts of the vernacular architecture and cultural landscape of Santorini. Through these efforts, Boulouki aims to preserve the uniqueness of the Cycladic landscape.

Restoration of a traditional pathway.

“Boulouki’s activities show a remarkable commitment to preserving the Cyclades’ unique landscape, which is under increasing pressure from tourism development and was recently listed as one of the 7 Most Endangered Sites of 2024,” the Awards’ Jury commented.

Therefore, their activities have “strong social, environmental, and economic values”, the jury said, as they promote social integration by bringing people of different ages and origins together, champion the use of local materials, and support the preservation of the built and natural landscape.

Aiming to spread their knowledge, Boulouki is currently developing the first center for research and training on heritage building skills in the mountainous area of Epirus, housed in a former school building granted by the local public authorities.

The European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards were launched by the European Commission in 2002 and have been run by Europa Nostra ever since.

The ceremony for the 2024 awards will be held during this year’s European Cultural Heritage Summit, which will take place on October 6–8 in Bucharest. The summit, co-funded by the European Union, is organized by Europa Nostra in close cooperation with heritage organizations and partners, both public and private, in Romania.