The European Heritage Label

Following a suggestion from France, in April 2006, 17 European countries launched the initiative for a “European Heritage Label.” The idea was to distinguish important cultural monuments, cultural landscapes and memorials in Europe with an official award. Since then, as part of this cross-national initiative, the participating countries have awarded the label to 64 sites bearing a pan-European symbolic relevance beyond their own national borders. Each country was responsible for choosing its own sites.

Since January 2011 Germany has participated in the cross-national initiative with the “Sites of the Reformation” and “Sites of the Iron Curtain.”  The twelve different “Sites of the Iron Curtain” were distinguished together as a network. The first official “Sites of the Iron Curtain” seal was presented to Villa Schöningen in Potsdam on August 4, 2011.