Two Croatian projects win New European Bauhaus Award

(Photo: Općina Murter-Kornati)

1 Oct 2025 (Hina) –Two Croatian initiatives have been named among the 20 winners of this year’s New European Bauhaus Awards, a European Commission prize recognising sustainable, inclusive and beautiful projects in small municipalities.

At a ceremony held in the European Parliament in Brussels, the Amphorarium Cultural Centre on Murter and the co-operative housing project in Križevci were each awarded €30,000.

Amphorarium – preserving heritage in a modern way

Murter-Kornati municipality was honoured for its Amphorarium project, a cultural and heritage interpretation centre featuring a Mediterranean garden.

Valued at €4.5 million, of which €3.8 million has been secured through EU funds, the centre is due to open at the end of 2026.

“We are a small municipality with big plans,” said Mayor Šime Ježina, accepting the award in Brussels. “Projects like this preserve our heritage and present it to the world in a modern, inclusive and beautiful way.”

(Photo: Općina Murter-Kornati)

Križevci’s co-operative housing model

Križevci, a town of around 19,000 inhabitants, was recognised for its innovative co-operative housing model.

Co-operative housing project Križevci

The initiative offers affordable housing solutions by encouraging citizens to join forces and collectively address their housing needs. Representatives of the project did not attend the Brussels ceremony.

Recognition for small communities

Both projects competed in the small municipalities category, open to towns and communities with fewer than 20,000 residents. This year’s competition attracted 315 applications from across Europe.

The New European Bauhaus Awards were established in 2021 to honour ecological, economic and cultural projects that embody sustainability, aesthetics and community.

The initiative takes its name from the Bauhaus school of architecture and applied arts in Germany, active between 1919 and 1933.

“I am pleased that this year the prize was also awarded in a housing category, which helps us think about solutions to the housing crisis in new ways,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who launched the award during her first mandate.

Since its inception, the Commission has received over 5,700 applications and awarded 94 projects, distributing a total of €2 million in prizes.