We are European cultural heritage!

25 February 2026

Paderborn has been awarded the European Heritage Label 2025 for its unique urban river landscape along the Pader. The European Commission decided on the selection of sites this Wednesday. In addition to the Pader, 12 other sites will receive this award. It is based on an initiative by the European Union, which aims to use these certified sites to promote knowledge of Europe's diverse history as well as the significance and values of Europe.

A panel of independent experts from across the EU selected the label holders from 21 candidate sites that had been shortlisted by the participating member states. Today's decision brings the total number of European cultural heritage sites to 80.

Paderborn officially applied to the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2023 under the title ‘City.People.River. – The Pader for Europe’. In October 2024, the Conference of Ministers of Education nominated the project as the German site, putting it on the shortlist for Brussels. After a long wait, official recognition has now come from Brussels. ‘I am proud and grateful that our great commitment, together with the University of Paderborn, has received such recognition,’ emphasises Mayor Stefan-Oliver Strate. The Cultural Heritage Seal underlines the Pader as a special feature of our city and its 1200-year-old water culture in the European context: awareness of this special heritage of an inner-city spring area with its water landscape will be significantly increased and will have an impact beyond the borders of Germany. He describes the planned projects with a focus on the young European generation as particularly exemplary.

"The path to the European Heritage Label required a great deal of joint effort, with many people working towards this goal over the past five years. It is a great honour for our urban cultural and natural landscape of Pader and recognition of the historical European exchange of knowledge and experience on water culture," says Claudia Warnecke, Technical Councillor, who is responsible for the application process on behalf of the city. The city of Paderborn will continue to develop the river landscape into a sustainable, European place of experience in dealing with water resources in urban areas in the form of learning locations and contemporary digital projects.

The application for the European Heritage Label was developed in scientific and partnership cooperation with the History Department of the University of Paderborn (Prof. Dr. Michael Ströhmer & Prof. Dr. Peter Fäßler).

"With this award and the resulting opportunities to network further with European partner sites, we are all the more delighted to continue working on the design and construction of learning and experience centres along the river. We want to bring the impressive history and ecology of the Pader to life for all visitors and residents of Paderborn," emphasise municipal programme managers Brigitte Zacharias and Prof. Dr. Michael Ströhmer.

On our Instagram account ‘stadt.mensch.fluss’ we offer exciting insights into the project and the beauty of the Pader, and our project office at Königsplatz 12 provides information.

Image information:

Delighted about the award of the European Heritage Label: (from left) EKS programme director Brigitte Zacharias (Office for Environmental Protection and Green Spaces), Mayor Stefan-Oliver State, Technical Councillor Claudia Warnecke, Prof. Dr. Peter Fäßler (University of Paderborn, History Department) and EKS programme director Dr. Michael Ströhmer (Cultural Office).