The Cultural Heritage Awards Gala will take place at the Palace of the Republic in Chisinau on April 18, starting at 6:00 p.m. The event is organized on the International Day for Monuments and Sites, which has been marked annually since 1983. The organizers are the Heritage 21 Foundation, the National Association of Young Historians of Moldova and the Institute of Cultural Heritage.

In a press conference hosted by IPN, Alexandru Corduneanu, administrator at the Heritage 21 Foundation, said that the Cultural Heritage Awards Gala comes to celebrate those who excelled in the field of conservation, research, promotion of cultural heritage and its transmission in good quality to the descendants.

Sergiu Musteață, president of the National Association of Young Historians of Moldova, noted that the Gala is a first initiative coming from the research and NGO sectors to award and highlight successful projects. In this way, they aim to encourage the people to take responsibility for developing projects in the field. Preservation means keeping the authenticity and integrity of cultural heritage. On the other hand, they aim to demonstrate that cultural heritage belongs to everyone. It must be assumed, protected and passed on to the future generations.

Ion Ursu, director of the Institute of Cultural Heritage, said that this year, for the first time, an award will also be offered for heritage research. In his opinion, without research heritage cannot be promoted, saved and preserved because research is at the core.

On the occasion of the International Day for Monuments and Sites, the work of archaeological researchers will also be emphasized. There will be promoted initiatives of citizens who undertook projects and managed to restore heritage objects, which, according to Ion Ursu, must be an example.

During the Gala, seven awards will be handed over, including the Grand Prize. The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Romanian Cultural Institute, the Chisinau City Hall, TVR Chisinau and Radio Romania Chisinau.

Note: IPN Agency offers the right of reply to persons who consider themselves targeted in the news made from the statements of the organizers of this press conference, including by facilitating the organization of another press conference under similar conditions.