Since 2013, the label has been awarded to sites throughout the European Union for their symbolic value, the role they have played in European history and the activities they offer. "These sites bring the European Union and its citizens closer together," according to the explanation provided by the EU about this label. So far the label has been awarded to 48 sites.
In 2015, Croatia's Krapina Neanderthal Museum was awarded this label as the first Croatian site that was nominated for that title. Since 2015, the label has been awarded every other year.
Varaždin City Council chairman Damir Habijan, an HDZ parliamentarian, told Hina on Tuesday that the local authorities believed that Varaždin's feudal fortress, from ancient times called Old Town, met all the criteria to be designated as a European Heritage Site.