2024 Costa Carras Silver Award to Haydarpaşa Solidarity

Winners of the 2024 Costa Carras European Citizens Awards for the Safeguard of Endangered Heritage Announced

Renowned French journalist and heritage champion Stéphane Bern has been awarded the Gold Award, while the Silver Award has been jointly granted to the Greek NGO Archilochos – Paros Cultural Association and the Haydarpaşa Solidarity Platform for Society, City, and Environment (Turkey).

The awards ceremony will take place on 10 April within the framework of the Delphi Economic Forum, in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou and the President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar.

Below is the press release issued prior to the ceremony:

The winners of the 2024 Costa Carras European Citizens Awards for the Safeguard of Endangered Heritage have been announced today. Stéphane Bern, a well-known French-Luxembourgish journalist, radio and TV host, and leading heritage advocate, received the Gold Award for his exemplary work in raising awareness of the need to preserve endangered heritage in France and across Europe.

The jury awarded the Silver Award jointly to two newly established NGOs: Archilochos – Paros Cultural Association (Greece) and Haydarpaşa Solidarity Association for Society, City and Environment (Turkey), for their successful organization of grassroots movements to promote and protect their cultural and natural heritage.

The awards ceremony will be held on 10 April at the Delphi Economic Forum, with the participation of President Sakellaropoulou of Greece and President Pirc Musar of Slovenia.

The Costa Carras European Citizens Awards for the Safeguard of Endangered Heritage were launched in 2023 by EUROPA NOSTRA and ELLINIKI ETAIRIA – Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage, in memory of Costa Carras, an iconic defender of environmental and cultural heritage in Greece. The founding partners of the awards are the A.G. Leventis Foundation, the Delphi Economic Forum, and the European Investment Bank Institute. The Gold and Silver Awards are generously funded by the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

The 2024 call for applications received an impressive response: 22 applications from Belgium, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Norway, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine. Based on these applications, the Silver Award winners were selected.
Gold Award to Stéphane Bern (France/Luxembourg)

Reacting to the announcement, Stéphane Bern stated:

“To all heritage defenders, the name Costa Carras evokes a tireless fifty-year-long struggle for historic heritage and its environment in Europe. As Vice-President of Europa Nostra and founder of Elliniki Etairia, Costa Carras taught us how to protect and preserve heritage that cannot survive without the support of people. As a passionate European, a committed advocate of French heritage, and a lover of Greece, where I have resided intermittently for 24 years, I am deeply honored to receive the Costa Carras European Citizens Award. It is a true encouragement to continue the work I have been doing for seven years—at the request of the President of France and with the help of the Fondation du Patrimoine—to preserve around 120 endangered monuments each year. Thanks to the Heritage Lottery initiated with Française des Jeux, restoration projects have gained the support of the public. So far, we have selected 875 monuments, many of which are now saved or in the process of restoration. I dedicate this award to all my fellow citizens who recognize their role as guardians of our shared heritage.”

The jury noted:

“Stéphane Bern is a most deserving laureate of the Costa Carras European Citizens Award due to his unwavering dedication to the protection and promotion of Europe’s cultural heritage. Known in France as ‘Mr. Heritage,’ his influential television programs have significantly boosted heritage preservation efforts in his country. The ‘Bern Mission’—an official but voluntary task assigned to him by the French President—has led to the creation of the innovative Heritage Lottery (Loto du Patrimoine), in partnership with Française des Jeux, and supported by the Ministry of Culture. His impact extends well beyond France, raising awareness of European and global heritage through various programs and initiatives. His relentless restoration efforts, including the Royal and Military College of Thiron-Gardais, stand as testaments to his mission.”

Bern’s heritage mission is marked by a multidisciplinary effort to raise awareness about endangered heritage across Europe. He began with French heritage-focused TV shows and expanded his vision through books, podcasts, and ultimately the founding of the Stéphane Bern Foundation for History and Heritage, under the Institut de France. In 2022, he also established the Association of Former Royal and Military Academies to foster academic exchanges and promote historical identity across campuses.

The Heritage Lottery, initiated in 2017 after President Macron tasked Bern with identifying endangered heritage and funding its preservation, has so far allocated around €230 million, helping restore over 850 sites. More than 500 additional sites have been registered or are under registration.

His cross-border advocacy—through shows like Bons baisers d’Europe and Vienna Getaway—has garnered international recognition and inspired similar initiatives in other European countries.

In 2018, Bern also received the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award, among many other accolades, for his work in preserving endangered historical sites and monuments.
Silver Award to Two Outstanding NGOs from Greece and Turkey
Archilochos – Paros Cultural Association (Greece)

Founded in 1976, Archilochos has played a key role in promoting local culture and protecting the unique environment of Paros Island. Through initiatives such as the Citizens’ Movement, it has engaged the local community in addressing urgent issues, from improving healthcare to environmental conservation.

After the summer of 2023, the association gained European visibility through the “Citizens’ Towel Movement”, launched to defend free public beaches and protect the Cycladic coastal environment. It has since attracted national and international attention and inspired similar movements in other regions.

Archilochos has been proactive in petitions, protests, and awareness campaigns, eventually prompting the Minister of Environment, the Supreme Court, and the Prosecutor of the Syros Appeals Court to take action. Archilochos continues to advocate for democratic decision-making and community engagement while preserving the island’s character.

The jury noted: “Archilochos is a remarkable citizens’ movement. Its activities on Paros and on a national scale are an impressive demonstration of how citizens can raise their voices to protect the environmental heritage of the Cycladic coastline.”

The association commented:

“Receiving the Costa Carras Silver Award is a great honor. It validates the efforts of all citizens who fought last summer to preserve our shores, public spaces, and environment. This award gives us the strength and courage to continue protecting the threatened natural and cultural heritage of our land.”

Haydarpaşa Solidarity for Society, City, and Environment (Turkey)

Founded in 2005, this platform has been a dedicated defender of the historic Haydarpaşa Railway Station in Istanbul. Over the years, it has led a broad, multifaceted campaign that includes legal action, grassroots activism, and cooperation with partners like the United Transport Workers’ Union and the Chamber of Architects of TMMOB.

Located in Kadıköy, on Istanbul’s Anatolian side, the Haydarpaşa Station is not just a transport hub but also an integral part of the city’s cultural and social fabric. Built in 1908 by German architects Otto Ritter and Helmut Cuno, its Neo-Renaissance façade and Baroque-Gothic interiors reflect its architectural richness.

Despite urban transformation threats, including proposals to convert it into a hotel or museum, the platform’s persistent activism ensured that the station remains a public space and transport hub. Throughout its 19-year struggle, marked by protests, sit-ins, and cultural events, Haydarpaşa has become a symbol of grassroots urban activism and a model for “right to the city” movements worldwide.

The jury stated:

“The Haydarpaşa Solidarity Association has been defending the iconic architectural heritage of this railway station for nearly 20 years. With the involvement of many key partners, this initiative remains a model for proactive urban social movements in Turkey and beyond.”

Haydarpaşa Solidarity commented:

“Since 2005, Haydarpaşa Station has faced the risk of losing its historical and industrial role under the guise of urban transformation. In response, the Haydarpaşa Solidarity movement has fought—both in courts and on the streets—to ensure its architectural integrity and link to railways are passed down to future generations. Receiving the Costa Carras Silver Award 2024 is a great honor that will strengthen our ongoing struggle.”

Award Jury

The jury, chaired by Guy Clausse, Executive Vice President of Europa Nostra (Luxembourg), includes independent experts from across Europe:

Ștefan Bâlici, Director, National Heritage Institute (Romania)

Lydia Carras, Founder and Vice-President of Elliniki Etairia (Greece)

Fani Mallouchou-Tufano, Professor at Technical University of Crete and Vice-President of ESMA (Greece)

Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra (Netherlands/Serbia)

Bruno Rossignol, Head of Climate and Heritage Programme, EIB Institute (France)

Paolo Vitti, Associate Professor, School of Architecture, University of Notre Dame (Italy)

Who Was Costa Carras

A tribute column by Selçuk Erez, former President of the Istanbul Medical Chamber, was published after Costa Carras’ passing on 22 February 2022:
👉 https://t24.com.tr/yazarlar/selcuk-erez/costa-carras-in-ardindan,35383