All over Europe, our shared cultural heritage is faced with increasing threats: natural and human-made disasters, climate-change impacts, conflicts, neglect, unsuitable development or lack of funds. If you know of important heritage in Europe that is endangered, nominate it for the 7 Most Endangered programme 2025 and join us in our efforts to save our heritage! Both tangible and intangible heritage are eligible for the programme, regardless of whether it is publicly or privately owned.
Climate change poses one of the greatest threats to Europe’s and the world’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The 2025 edition of the 7 Most Endangered Programme invites nominations of heritage endangered by current or projected climate change hazards. Nominations of heritage endangered by both slow onset events (sea level rise, changing seasonality) and rapid onset events (wildfires, extreme flooding) are welcomed.
Furthermore, in acknowledgment of the significant crises prevailing on our continent, including conflicts, post-conflict environments, and natural disasters, we strongly encourage applications from individuals and organisations who live in these affected areas.
Considering the imperative for Europe to uphold its core values – human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, citizens’ participation and other human rights – particularly in the current political climate in the EU and its neighbouring countries, we also welcome nominations of heritage sites that have been adversely affected by any form of violation of these values. This may include instances of insufficient consultation with communities or citizens concerned prior to deciding to implement a project which has a negative impact on a heritage site and/or its wider environment; neglect, damage or destruction of heritage related to minorities, or cases of loss or erosion of tangible and/other intangible heritage due to forced migration, poverty and/or marginalisation.
Launched in 2013, the 7 Most Endangered Programme forms part of a civil society campaign to save Europe’s endangered heritage. In most cases, the listing of an endangered site serves as a catalyst and incentive for the mobilisation of necessary public or private support, including funding. The listed sites are also eligible for an EIB Heritage Grant of €10,000 per site to assist in implementing an agreed activity that will contribute to saving the threatened sites. Discover here the 63 threatened monuments and heritage sites from 31 countries across Europe that have been selected since 2013.
The 7 Most Endangered Programme is run by Europa Nostra in partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB) Institute. It also has the support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union as part of Europa Nostra’s network project European Cultural Heritage Agora.
Who can nominate?
▪ Europa Nostra’s Country Representations, Member and Associate Organisations (see full list)
▪ Public and private bodies active in the heritage field located in countries where Europa Nostra is not yet represented
▪ Member organisations of the European Heritage Alliance
▪ Partners of the European Heritage Hub
▪ Individual members of Europa Nostra
For online submissions: 7mostendangered.eu/nominate
Deadline Extended: Nominate by 30 September 2024