We are happy to inform you that National Institute for Protection of Monuments of Culture and Museum – Ohrid (FORTE CULTURA member) is the winner of the prestigious Živa Award 2025 for the “Best Slavic Heritage Site”. The award was received by director, MA Goran Patchev. The recognition honors the commitment to preserving and interpreting both the cultural and natural heritage of the Ohrid region — a place where human history and the natural environment have been intertwined for centuries.

What is Živa Awards?

The Živa Award for the Best Slavic Museum, named after the Slavic goddess Živa who symbolises life, vitality and fertility, was established in 2014 by the FSK (Forum of Slavic Cultures) International Foundation. It was the initiative of FSK’s director, Dr Andreja Rihter, who is also the leader of the Živa Award project. Since then, the Živa Awards for the Best Slavic Museum and the Best Slavic Heritage Site (introduced in 2018) have become a unique transnational cultural platform dedicated to promoting the protection, preservation, education, communication and social role of Slavic museums and heritage sites. Today, the network has grown into a significant Slavic community comprising almost 250 museums and heritage sites across 13 Slavic countries.

2025 Results

The Forum of Slavic Cultures announced the winners of the 2025 Živa Awards for 2025 in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Živa Award 2025 for the Best Slavic Museum was granted to the Croatian Natural History Museum, Zagreb, Croatia
• Živa Award 2025 for the Best Slavic Heritage Site was conferred on NI Institute for Protection of Monuments of Culture and Museum – Ohrid, Ohrid, North Macedonia.
• Honourable Mention was granted to Lety u Písku. Memorial to the Holocaust of the Roma and Sinti in Bohemia, Písek, Czech Republic
• Special Recognitions were awarded to:
  • Sybir Memorial Museum, Białystok, Poland: for Creativity
  • House of the Halubje Bell Ringers, Viškovo, Croatia: for Sustainability
  • Regional Museum of Pljevlja, Pljevlja, Montenegro: for Leadership and Team Efficiency
  • Armory Museum in Liw Castle, Liw, Poland: for Attention to Visitors and Openness
  • Little Carpathian Museum in Pezinok, Pezinok, Slovakia: for Storytelling

See more

The Forum of Slavic Cultures announces the winners of the 2025 Živa Awards – this year inTrebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Winners of the Živa 2025 Award

FORTE CULTURA Blog Team