The architectural heritage is a unique, material expression of history and culture. Bearing in mind, that the future of the historical buildings mostly depends on their integration into the economic life of the country and the sustainable development requires an adequate approach, the European Union’s experience in capitalizing architectural heritage is highly valuable. Real European examples proved that historical buildings preservation and their development and contribution to the economy are not mutually exclusive. The architectural cultural heritage is not only a budgetary expenditure, but also a contributor to budget revenue. The analysis of the economic capitalization of the architectural heritage is spoiled by the lack of relevant statistical data, thus, European case studies, indirect or related statistical data were used for the study.