The Trajano's Bridge and the Roman Medicinal Baths of Chaves are part of the national candidacy to the European Heritage Label, in an initiative promoted by the European Union, which aims to strengthen feelings of belonging and identity among European citizens.
The pre-selection process at national level was in charge of GEPAC and counted with the participation of the Regional Directorates for Culture (North, Centre, Alentejo, Algarve, Azores and Madeira), the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage and ICOMOS - Portugal, which also selected the Bussaco Set Heritage. The various nominations from the Member States now pass on to the evaluation phase by the European Jury.
A total of 60 sites have been selected, including natural, archaeological, underwater, industrial or urban sites, monuments, landscapes of cultural interest, memorials, cultural products and goods, as well as sites associated with intangible heritage. The sites are chosen on the basis of values that represent and celebrate the principles of freedom, democracy, respect for human rights, cultural and linguistic diversity, tolerance and solidarity by evoking acts, moments, creations, monuments and landscapes that have stood out over the centuries in the making of Europe's history and culture.
To date, the following have already received national awards: the General Library of Coimbra University, the Letter of Law on the Abolition of the Death Penalty (1867) in the Torre do Tombo National Archive, the Sagres Promontory and the Azores Underwater Cultural Heritage.
