19/08/2026
🏆 Last night, we celebrated the Croatian Coral Center Zlarin's ceremony in situ for being a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award winner 2026 on the beautiful island of Zlarin, Croatia.
The local ceremony brought together the local community, heritage professionals and partners for a special evening celebrating Zlarin’s unique coral heritage.
The Croatian Coral Center Zlarin received an award in the Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising category for its inspiring work to preserve, interpret and share the island’s centuries-old coral harvesting tradition.
Since opening in 2023, the Center has welcomed over 35,000 visitors and hosted more than 200 cultural events, creating a year-round cultural hub for residents, visitors, researchers, artists and local associations.
💬 “May this beautiful island continue to inspire other islands and coastal communities across Europe – showing that heritage is not just something we inherit, but also something we can actively use to build a more sustainable, resilient and connected future, both in Europe and across the world,” said Europa Nostra’s Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović said during the ceremony.
💬 “This European Heritage Award is recognition of everything we have built together over the past three years, but also of everything that came before it – decades of work, of preserving Zlarin’s traditions and of love for the island,” said Katarina Gregov, Head of the Croatian Coral Center.
💬 “This award belongs to the people of Zlarin … It belongs to the City of Šibenik, to the partners who helped build the project, and to the teams at the Croatian Coral Center and Tvrđava kulture,” said Gorana Barišić Bačelić, Director of The Fortress of Culture Šibenik.
✨ Inspired by the Croatian Coral Center Zlarin? The deadline to submit applications for the upcoming edition of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards is 7 September! Apply now 👉 https://www.europeanheritageawards.eu/
