European Capital of Culture facts for kids
A European Capital of Culture is a special title given to a city by the European Union (EU). For one whole year, this city gets to host many exciting cultural events. These events are meant to connect people from all over Europe.
Being a European Capital of Culture helps a city in many ways. It can bring great cultural, social, and money-making benefits. It also helps make the city look new and better. The title can change how people see the city. It also makes the city more famous around the world. Sometimes, more than one city can be a European Capital of Culture at the same time.
The idea for this program started in 1985. Melina Mercouri, who was Greece's Minister of Culture, and Jack Lang, her French partner, thought of it. They wanted to bring Europeans closer. They aimed to show off Europe's rich and varied cultures. They also wanted to remind everyone of their shared history and values.
The European Commission manages this special title. Each year, the Council of the European Union officially chooses the cities. So far, over 40 cities have been given this honor. For 2024, the European Capitals of Culture are Tartu in Estonia, Bad Ischl in Austria, and Bodø in Norway.
How Cities Are Chosen
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An international group of culture experts decides which cities get the title. They look at each city's plans very carefully. They follow special rules set by the European Union.
Usually, two cities each year must be from countries that are full EU members. But since 2021, every three years, a third city can be chosen. This third city can be from countries that want to join the EU. It can also be from countries that are part of the European Economic Area (EEA). For example, Stavanger in Norway was a European Capital of Culture in 2008. Norway is part of the EEA.
A study done in 2004, called the "Palmer report," showed something important. It found that being a European Capital of Culture really helps a city grow culturally. It also helps the city change for the better. Because of this, the experts now also consider how much the title will help the city's people and economy.
In November 2017, five cities from the United Kingdom wanted to be the 2023 Capital of Culture. But their bids were stopped. This was because the UK was planning to leave the EU before 2023. This meant UK cities would no longer be able to hold the title.
History of the Program
The European Capital of Culture program started in 1983. It was first called the European City of Culture. Melina Mercouri, Greece's culture minister, created the idea. She felt that culture was not getting enough attention. She believed that a project was needed to promote European cultures. The program officially began in the summer of 1985. Athens was the very first city to hold the title. In 1999, the program's name was changed to European Capital of Culture.
List of European Capitals of Culture
| Year | # | City | Country | Notes/Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Athens |  Greece |
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| 1986 | Florence |  Italy |
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| 1987 | Amsterdam |  Netherlands |
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| 1988 | West Berlin |  West Berlin |
This city was under Western control until 1990. The name "European City of Culture" was used to avoid problems with the East German government. | |
| 1989 | Paris |  France |
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| 1990 | Glasgow |  United Kingdom |
Glasgow Garden Festival | |
| 1991 | Dublin |  Ireland |
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| 1992 | Madrid |  Spain |
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| 1993 | Antwerp |  Belgium |
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| 1994 | Lisbon |  Portugal |
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| 1995 | Luxembourg City |  Luxembourg |
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| 1996 | Copenhagen |  Denmark |
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| 1997 | Thessaloniki | Greece |
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| 1998 | Stockholm |  Sweden |
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| 1999 | Weimar |  Germany |
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| 2000 | Avignon | France |
The year 2000 was special because it was the new millennium. Nine cities were chosen to show Europe's lasting cultural impact. Two cities were from countries that would join the EU in 2004. | |
| Bergen |  Norway |
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| Bologna | Italy |
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| Brussels | Belgium |
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| Helsinki |  Finland |
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| Kraków |  Poland |
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| Prague |  Czech Republic |
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| Reykjavík |  Iceland |
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| Santiago de Compostela | Spain |
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| 2001 | Rotterdam | Netherlands |
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| Porto | Portugal |
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| 2002 | Bruges | Belgium |
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| Salamanca | Spain |
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| 2003 | Graz |  Austria |
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| 2004 | Genoa | Italy |
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| Lille | France |
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| 2005 | Cork | Ireland |
Cork Caucus | |
| 2006 | Patras | Greece |
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| 2007 | Sibiu |  Romania |
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| Luxembourg City | Luxembourg |
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| 2008 | Liverpool | United Kingdom |
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| Stavanger | Norway |
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| 2009 | Vilnius |  Lithuania |
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| Linz | Austria |
Linz 2009 | ||
| 2010 | Essen | Germany |
Representing the whole Ruhr area as Ruhr.2010. | |
| Istanbul |  Turkey |
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| Pécs |  Hungary |
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| 2011 | Turku | Finland |
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| Tallinn |  Estonia |
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| 2012 | Guimarães | Portugal |
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| Maribor |  Slovenia |
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| 2013 | Marseille | France |
Marseille-Provence 2013 | |
| Košice |  Slovakia |
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| 2014 | Riga |  Latvia |
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| Umeå | Sweden |
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| 2015 | Mons | Belgium |
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| Plzeň | Czech Republic |
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| 2016 | San Sebastián | Spain |
Donostia 2016 | |
| Wrocław | Poland |
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| 2017 | Aarhus | Denmark |
Aarhus 2017 | |
| Paphos |  Cyprus |
Pafos 2017 | ||
| 2018 | Leeuwarden | Netherlands |
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| Valletta |  Malta |
Valletta 2018 | ||
| 2019 | Matera | Italy |
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| Plovdiv |  Bulgaria |
Plovdiv 2019 | ||
| 2020 – April 2021 | Rijeka |  Croatia |
Rijeka 2020 | |
| Galway | Ireland |
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| 2022 | Kaunas | Lithuania |
Kaunas 2022 | |
| Esch-sur-Alzette | Luxembourg |
Esch-sur-Alzette 2022 | ||
| Novi Sad |  Serbia |
Novi Sad 2022 (Postponed due to coronavirus) | ||
| 20231 | Veszprém | Hungary |
Veszprém 2023 | |
| Timișoara | Romania |
Timișoara 2023 (Postponed due to coronavirus) | ||
| Eleusis | Greece |
Eleusis 2023 (Postponed due to coronavirus) | ||
| 2024 | 1 | Tartu | Estonia |
Tartu 2024 |
| 2 | Bad Ischl | Austria |
Salzkammergut 2024 | |
| 32 | Bodø | Norway |
Bodø 2024 | |
| 2025 | Nova Gorica/Gorizia joint bid | Slovenia Italy |
GO! 2025 | |
| Chemnitz | Germany |
Chemnitz 2025 | ||
| 2026 | Trenčín | Slovakia |
Trenčín 2026 | |
| Oulu | Finland |
Oulu 2026 | ||
| 2027 | Liepāja | Latvia |
Liepāja 2027 | |
| Évora | Portugal |
Évora 2027 | ||
| 2028 | 1 | České Budějovice | Czech Republic |
České Budějovice 2028 |
| 2 | Bourges | France |
Bourges 2028 | |
| 32 | Skopje |  Macedonia |
Skopje 2028 | |
| 2029 | Lublin | Poland |
Lublin 2029 | |
| TBA December 2024 | Sweden |
shortlisted: Kiruna, Uppsala | ||
| 2030 | 1 | TBA | Cyprus |
deadline 13 December 2024 |
| 2 | pre-selection 21 October 2024 |
Belgium |
candidate cities: Bruges, Ghent, Kortrijk, Leuven, Molenbeek, Namur | |
| 32 | TBA | TBA | deadline 16 September 2024 | |
| 2031 | TBA | Malta |
candidate cities: Birgu, Gozo | |
| TBA | Spain |
potential candidate cities: Burgos, Cáceres, Granada, Jerez de la Frontera | ||
| 2032 | TBA | Bulgaria |
potential candidate cities: Veliko Tarnovo | |
| TBA | Denmark |
potential candidate cities: Næstved | ||
| 2033 | 1 | TBA | Netherlands |
potential candidate city: Heerlen |
| 2 | TBA | Italy |
potential candidate city: Turin | |
| 32 | TBA | TBA |
1 The European Capital of Culture was supposed to be in the UK in 2023. However, because the UK decided to leave the European Union, its cities could no longer hold the title after 2019. The European Commission confirmed this on November 23, 2017. This was just one week before the UK was going to announce its chosen city. The cities that wanted the title were Dundee, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, and a joint bid from Northern Irish cities Belfast and Derry with the town of Strabane.
2 A new rule allows cities from countries that want to join the EU to hold the title every third year since 2021. These countries include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Also, cities from potential EU candidates like Kosovo or EFTA countries like Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland can apply. These cities compete in an open contest.
See also
In Spanish: Capital Europea de la Cultura para niños
