Europa Nostra Awards for Puerta de Alcalá and Casa Batlló

The restoration of Madrid's Puerta de Alcalá and the integrative function of the museum at Barcelona's Casa Batlló earned two of the thirty awards granted by the European Commission and Europa Nostra, the leading European heritage network, this Thursday.

The "conservation and adaptive reuse" award was given to the restoration of the iconic Puerta de Alcalá, which began in 2022 with a hundred specialists including conservators, engineers, blacksmiths, stonemasons, and sculptors.

Erected between 1769 and 1779 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021, the monument's restoration is "a key urban milestone in Madrid that exemplified the integration of modern scientific methods with traditional craftsmanship," according to the awarding jury. Their decision highlighted "the extensive public engagement, which included guided tours of the scaffolding, multimedia activities, and on-site interpretation."

It shared the award with seven other restorations, such as the Renaissance Antwerp City Hall (Belgium) or an old power plant converted into a cultural and educational complex in Lodz (Poland).

The Casa Batlló museum, designed by the brilliant modernist architect Antoni Gaudí, was awarded in the "citizen participation and awareness" category for employing neurodivergent individuals in public-facing museum roles.

The initiative, carried out alongside Specialisterne, an organization supporting the employment of neurodivergent individuals, has integrated 100 workers with atypical neurological processes, from the autism spectrum and others with cognitive differences.

"The project delivers a powerful message about social responsibility in the heritage sector. Moreover, it sets a new standard for inclusive management of cultural heritage that could inspire other institutions to adopt similar practices," declared the jury.

The "IS-LE: Islamic Legacy" initiative was also awarded in the research category. It is a pan-European project coordinated in Spain, with over 80 institutional partners from 40 countries, which has redefined the study of Islamic heritage in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Through collaborative research, training, and open resources, it has connected fragmented research traditions and fostered new narratives for academics, policymakers, and society at large.

With thirty awards across five categories, the Europa Nostra Awards recognize outstanding initiatives and personalities in the field of cultural heritage conservation to promote best practices and exchange experiences.

The winners will be honored during the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2025 on October 13 in Brussels, where the five Grand Prize winners and the Public Choice Award winner will also be announced, selected from the 30 winning projects, each receiving 10,000 euros.