European Capital of Culture

Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, is one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2010
Pécs, Hungary, is one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2010

The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. A number of European cities have used the City of Culture year to transform their cultural base and, in doing so, the way in which they are viewed internationally. During the first two decades, cities were chosen primarily based on cultural history, scheduled events and the ability to provide infrastructural and financial support. A 2004 study conducted by Robert Palmer (known as the "Palmer Study") for the European Commission demonstrated that the choice of European Capital of Culture served as a catalyst for the cultural development and the transformation of the city.[1] Consequently, the beneficial socio-economic development and impact for the chosen city are now also considered in determining the chosen cities.

Contents

History

The European Capital of Culture programme was initially called the European City of Culture and was conceived in 1983 by Melina Mercouri, then serving as Greek Minister of Culture. Mercouri believed that at the time, culture was not given the same attention as politics and economics and a project for promoting European cultures within the member states should be pursued. The European City of Culture programme was launched in the summer of 1985 with Athens being the first title-holder. During the German Presidency of 1999, the European City of Culture programme was renamed the European Capital of Culture.

List of European Cities/Capitals of Culture

GreeceAthens (1985)
ItalyFlorence (1986)
GermanyBerlin (1988)
United KingdomGlasgow (1990)
SpainMadrid (1992)
GreeceThesaloniki (1997)
ItalyGenoa (2004)
United KingdomLiverpool (2008)

Past years

Present year

Future years

According to the official EU website[2]. The cities and countries from 2015-2025 are not yet finalised.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Palmer, Robert. "Study on the European Cities and Capitals of Culture and the European Cultural Months (1995-2004)". European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/culture/key-documents/doc926_en.htm. Retrieved 24 January 2010. 
  2. ↑ Official EU website

External links

Current

Past

Future

Past candidate cities

Future Candidates

Czech Republic

Poland

The majority of cities begin preparations before their year as Capital of Culture begins.

Spain

Cyprus

Denmark

Netherlands

Bulgaria

Italy

Romania

Cluj-Napoca 2020 - candidate city

Iaşi 2020 - candidate city

Timişoara 2020 - candidate city

Serbia

External links

European Capitals of Culture

1985 Athens · 1986 Florence · 1987 Amsterdam · 1988 West Berlin · 1989 Paris · 1990 Glasgow · 1991 Dublin · 1992 Madrid · 1993 Antwerp · 1994 Lisbon · 1995 Luxembourg City · 1996 Copenhagen · 1997 Thessaloniki · 1998 Stockholm · 1999 Weimar · 2000 Reykjavík · Bergen · Helsinki · Brussels · Prague · Kraków · Santiago de Compostela · Avignon · Bologna · 2001 Rotterdam · Porto · 2002 Bruges · Salamanca · 2003 Graz · 2004 Genoa · Lille · 2005 Cork · 2006 Patras · 2007 Luxembourg City and Greater Region · Sibiu · 2008 Liverpool · Stavanger · 2009 Linz · Vilnius · 2010 Essen · Istanbul · Pécs · 2011 Turku · Tallinn · 2012 Maribor · Guimarães · 2013 Košice  · Marseille