Bruges wins international award for world heritage policy

Since 2022, the Terra Prize awards initiatives that protect heritage in a future-oriented way. Bruges is praised by the jury as a model city: a place where medieval heritage is cherished without standing still. The city manages to combine care for historical patrimony with modern challenges such as sustainable mobility, infrastructural renewal and climate measures - all without sacrificing authenticity.

The official award ceremony took place on 24 April 2025 at the Royal Theatre of San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife), a UNESCO World Heritage Site itself. First alderman Mathijs Goderis, responsible for urban development, urban planning and heritage conservation, accepted the award on behalf of the Bruges city council: "the award is a generous recognition and but above all an encouragement to continue the dedication to our dear city. After all, every generation has to reinvent how we care for our shared history. Heritage care is not just about preserving buildings. It is equally about keeping them meaningful, by giving them a place in the city of today and tomorrow.’'

Bruges received the award in the category ‘Initiative for New Challenges’, which earlier included Stonehenge, Yosemite National Park and Edinburgh. Other 2025 laureates include the Great Wall of China, pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, flamenco and environmentalist Céline Cousteau. Alderman Mathijs Goderis: "today, too, we face new challenges. How do we reconcile historic preservation with climate adaptation, energy efficiency and sustainability? How do we balance mass tourism with the right to a liveable, inclusive city? We continue to resolutely search for solutions, with care for heritage, an eye for sustainability and in constant dialogue with the City."