The ASTRA Center for Activities and Regional Resources in Sibiu, a medieval guildhall turned into a training and cultural hub, is among this year’s winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards in the Education, Training and Skills category.

The Sibiu center has set “a national precedent for recognizing traditional crafts, professionalizing artisans, and linking heritage, education, and community resilience,” a description of the winning project reads.

The ASTRA Center is housed in the restored 14th-century House of Arts, a medieval guildhall in the historic center of Sibiu that has been repurposed to establish the infrastructure for safeguarding and transmitting traditional craft skills. Over 80% of the historic building is now accessible to the public, with spaces for exhibitions, maker activities, education, and commerce.

Through its curriculum, more than 90 craftspeople received professional certification in traditional construction, woodwork, and manual carpentry. The certification not only assessed technical skills but also entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and marketing skills. Three certified artisans have since launched businesses employing their peers, and the certification process is now being considered by other open-air museums, which are interested in replicating the model.

“The official certification scheme, developed as part of this project, marks a significant advance in formalizing standards of traditional craftsmanship, and the educational activities are empowering local building owners to repair their own heritage,” the Awards’ jury stated.

“By responding to national heritage policy recommendations and expanding the ASTRA museum’s role into practical training and community engagement, the ASTRA Center demonstrates its wider economic and sector impact,” the jury commented.

The center is managed by ASTRA Museum, the open-air ethnographic museum in Sibiu. It was developed in partnership with Museene i Sør Trøndelag (Norway) and Future Capital (Romania) and financed by the EEA and Norway Grants with additional support from the Romanian Government and the Sibiu County Council.

The winners of this year’s edition of the Europa Nostra Awards were selected by a jury made up of 11 heritage experts from across Europe upon evaluation of the applications by the Selection Committees. A total of 251 eligible applications were submitted.

The public can now vote online to decide who will win the Public Choice Award 2025. Votes can be cast until September 12.

The winners will be celebrated at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony 2025 on October 13 at Flagey, an iconic Art Deco building in Brussels, Belgium. During the ceremony, the Grand Prix laureates and the Public Choice Award winner will be announced, chosen from among this year’s winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards and entitled to receive EUR 10,000 each.

(Photo: Centrul de activitati si resurse regionale on Facebook)

simona@romania-insider.com