On Saturday, May 24th, 2025, the 30th Romanesque Award Ceremony took place in the Collegiate Church of St. Servatii in Quedlinburg. The Ministry of Economy, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of Saxony-Anhalt as well as the Tourism Association of Saxony-Anhalt honour once a year within this ceremony outstanding voluntary commitment dedicated to raising the awareness for the Route of the Romanesque and the people who work to preserve its cultural heritage and contribute to its dissemination and increasing the awareness of the buildings. For the first time, the prize will be awarded in two categories that emphasize the diverse commitment, the transfer of knowledge and regional identity even more specifically: “People” and “Projects”.
As a part of this event, TRANSROMANICA also awarded for the fourth time its international TRANSROMANICA Award.
We congratulate the awardees of the following prices:
The TRANSROMANICA Award for international commitment within the TRANSROMANICA regions, which is being awarded for the fourth time this year, goes to: The evangelical-reformed Parish Church of Our Lady (Evenagelisch-Reformierte Kirchengemeine zu Liebfrauen) and its Church Building Association of the Church of Our Lady in Halberstadt (Kirchbauverein der Liebfrauenkirche in Halberstadt) receives this honor for its exemplary work in the European Romanesque network and the lively preservation of the local Romanesque heritage.
The Church of Our Lady in Halberstadt is one of the three (exclusively Protestant) main churches in Halberstadt alongside Halberstadt Cathedral and the Church of St. Martin. It is one of the few remaining four-towered basilicas from the Romanesque period in central and northern Germany. Its 1.000th anniversary was celebrated in 2005. The church is open all year round and attracts around 16,000 visitors every year. Its unique choir screens are admired by around 3,000 visitors every year.
On October 1, 2023, the association celebrated its 30th anniversary. From 1993 to 2025, it was able to collect almost €800,000 in donations for the renovation of the church. This enabled the small congregation to cover its own contribution to the renovation work.
In July 2022, the association received an inquiry as to whether they could enable a Ukrainian Orthodox congregation that was being founded to celebrate their services in the Church. Of course, they immediately agreed. Now, up to 200 people from all over the Harz region, as far away as Goslar and Hanover, come together in the Church every 14 days. In the meantime, a mutually beneficial collaboration has been established and is affectionately known as the “Kirchen-WG”.
This year, the Löderbusch family, who have made a great personal contribution to the preservation and revitalization of the Monastery Church in Groß Ammensleben, were honoured in the category “People“. Their continuous work on site is an outstanding example of voluntary preservation with heart. Michael Löderbusch is organist and choirmaster at the church in Groß Ammensleben, is very active in the Catholic parish of Saint Christoph of Haldensleben and the local parish of Saint Peter und Paul of Groß Ammensleben. He is also responsible for church music in the parish. Together with his wife Elisabeth, he ensures that the church is open and gives guided tours, supports restoration projects and raises public awareness of the importance of this historical heritage. Around 2.000 guests visit the church every year. The Tourism Association of Saxony-Anhalt, which is responsible for coordinating the Route of Romanesque, has come to know the Löderbusch family as being particularly committed over the years. They live and breathe the Route of Romanesque and also regularly visit other buildings to find new inspiration. It is fair to say that the Löderbusch family are fully absorbed in their role. Unfortunately, the family Löderbusch couldn´t be there due to heath issues.
The prize in the category “Projects” goes to the “Romanesque – the secret of the crypt” project in Merseburg Cathedral, which uses innovative formats and exemplary public relations work to break new ground in communicating Romanesque architecture.
Since 2012, the “Vereinigte Domstifter” have been carrying out important educational work with the “KinderDomusMerseburch”, but even before that, educational museum projects dealt with the history and architecture of Merseburg Cathedral. Since the establishment of the “KinderDomusMerseburch”, this work has been given an even more professional basis. The school project deals intensively with the Romanesque period, the historical context and the construction method. Pupils interactively explore the means by which Romanesque buildings were created.
For the 18th time, the Special Prize of the Ministry of Economics, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of Saxony-Anhalt, which is endowed with €10,000 as an earmarked grant, was awarded and goes to the Art Museum of the Monastery of Our Lady in Magdbeurg (Kunstmuseum Magdeburg Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen). It receives the award for its many years of dedicated work to preserve and culturally utilize this unique Romanesque building in the heart of the state capital, especially for the renovation of the Monastery Church and the expansion of the north gallery.
The Art Museum embodies the dialog between Romanesque architecture and international contemporary art in a unique way. The former Premonstratensian Monastery is the oldest surviving building in the city of Magdeburg and houses the state capital’s art collection. Alongside the cathedral, the sacred building is the most important tourist attraction and one of the most valuable and beautiful historical monuments in Saxony-Anhalt. The building has been the starting point of the Route of the Romanesque since 1995. In 2025, the art museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
