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European Capital of Culture
The logo used by European Commission for European Capital of Culture
Altes Rathaus und Siegertsches Haus am Marktplatz in Chemnitz, 2015
Chemnitz (Germany), European Capital of Culture for 2025
Nova Gorica 0720069 71 retouched
Nova Gorica (Slovenia)-Gorizia (Italy), European Capital of Culture for 2025

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 cultural events. These events are designed to celebrate European culture and connect people from different countries.

Being a European Capital of Culture helps a city in many ways. It can bring new life to the city, make it more famous around the world, and create new opportunities. It also helps people learn about different cultures and their shared history. Sometimes, more than one city can hold this title at the same time.

The idea for this program started in 1985. Melina Mercouri, who was the Minister of Culture for Greece, and Jack Lang, her French counterpart, thought of it. They wanted to bring Europeans closer. They aimed to show how rich and diverse European cultures are. They also wanted to remind everyone of their common history and values.

The European Commission manages this special title. Each year, the Council of Ministers of the European Union officially chooses the cities. So far, over 60 cities have been given this honor. For 2025, the European Capitals of Culture are Nova Gorica in Slovenia (with Gorizia in Italy) and Chemnitz in Germany.

How Cities Are Chosen

An international group of culture experts decides which cities get the title. They look at proposals from cities. These proposals must meet certain rules set by the European Union.

Most years, two cities from EU member countries are chosen. But every three years, starting from 2021, 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, Norway, was a European Capital of Culture in 2008. Norway is in the EEA.

A study in 2004 showed that being a European Capital of Culture helps a city grow culturally. It also helps transform the city. Because of this, the positive effects on a city's economy and society are now also considered. This helps decide which cities are chosen.

In November 2017, five cities from the United Kingdom wanted to be the Capital of Culture for 2023. However, their bids were not accepted. This was because the UK was planning to leave the EU before 2023.

History of the Program

The European Capital of Culture program began in 1985. It was first called the European City of Culture. Melina Mercouri, the Greek Minister of Culture, created the idea in 1983. She felt that culture was not getting enough attention compared to politics and money. She wanted a project to promote European cultures.

Athens was the very first city to hold the title in 1985. In 1999, the program's name changed. It became the European Capital of Culture, which is what it is called today.

New Ways to Celebrate Culture

Over 35 years, the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) program has changed. It used to be more about big plans made by officials. Now, it's more about local people and communities. This means volunteers, activists, and bloggers are helping to shape the cultural events.

For example, in Galway, Ireland, a journalist named Malgosia Doczyk started "Blue Tram." This online platform helps artists and residents share ideas. She was inspired by similar projects in Sibiu (Romania) and Wrocław (Poland).

In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Tatyana Garkavaya created a platform. It connects creative people from different ECOC cities. She interviews local artists and designers. This helps them find new partners and share their projects.

Tatyana's work, called "Cultural Insights," helps show stories that might be missed. She focuses on local musicians, designers, and artists. Her platform gives a voice to those who might not be in the main spotlight. This was especially helpful in Plovdiv. The official program there had some problems. Tatyana's platform offered a real way for people to work together and be seen.

List of European Capitals of Culture

Year City Country Notes/Links Candidate cities
1985 Athens  Greece
1986 Florence  Italy
1987 Amsterdam  Netherlands
1988 West Berlin  West Berlin This city was under Western Allied control until 1990. The name "European City of Culture" was used.
1989 Paris  France
1990 Glasgow  United Kingdom Glasgow Garden Festival
1991 Dublin  Ireland
1992 Madrid  Spain
1993 Antwerp  Belgium
1994 Lisbon  Portugal
1995 Luxembourg City  Luxembourg
1996 Copenhagen  Denmark
1997 Thessaloniki  Greece
1998 Stockholm  Sweden
1999 Weimar  Germany
2000 Avignon  France The year 2000 was special. Nine cities were chosen to show Europe's cultural importance.
Bergen  Norway
Bologna  Italy
Brussels  Belgium
Helsinki  Finland
Kraków  Poland
Prague  Czech Republic
Reykjavík  Iceland
Santiago de Compostela  Spain
2001 Porto  Portugal
Rotterdam  Netherlands
2002 Bruges  Belgium
Salamanca  Spain
2003 Graz  Austria
2004 Genoa  Italy
Lille  France
2005 Cork  Ireland Cork Caucus Galway, Limerick, Waterford
2006 Patras  Greece
2007 Luxembourg City  Luxembourg
Sibiu  Romania
2008 Liverpool  United Kingdom Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle and Gateshead (joint bid), Oxford
Stavanger  Norway
2009 Linz  Austria Linz 2009
Vilnius  Lithuania
2010 Essen  Germany Representing the whole Ruhr area as Ruhr.2010. Braunschweig, Bremen, Essen, Görlitz, Halle an der Saale, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Lübeck, Potsdam, Regensburg
Istanbul  Turkey
Pécs  Hungary
2011 Tallinn  Estonia
Turku  Finland Turku 2011
2012 Guimarães  Portugal
Maribor  Slovenia
2013 Košice  Slovakia
Marseille  France Marseille-Provence 2013 Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse
2014 Riga  Latvia
Umeå  Sweden
2015 Mons  Belgium
Plzeň  Czech Republic
2016 San Sebastián  Spain Donostia 2016 Burgos, Córdoba, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Segovia, Zaragoza
Wrocław  Poland Gdańsk, Katowice, Lublin, Warsaw
2017 Aarhus  Denmark Aarhus 2017 Sønderborg
Paphos  Cyprus Pafos 2017 Limassol, Nicosia
2018 Leeuwarden  Netherlands Eindhoven, Maastricht, The Hague, Utrecht
Valletta  Malta Valletta 2018
2019 Matera  Italy Matera 2019 Cagliari, Lecce, Perugia, Ravenna, Siena
Plovdiv  Bulgaria Plovdiv 2019 Sofia, Varna, Veliko Turnovo
2020 – April 2021 Galway  Ireland Galway 2020 Limerick, The Three Sisters (joint bid Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny)
Rijeka  Croatia Rijeka 2020 Dubrovnik, Osijek, Pula
2022 Esch-sur-Alzette  Luxembourg Esch-sur-Alzette 2022
Kaunas  Lithuania Kaunas 2022 Klaipėda
Novi Sad  Serbia Novi Sad 2022 (Postponed due to coronavirus)
20231 Eleusis  Greece Eleusis 2023 (Postponed due to coronavirus) Kalamata, Rhodes
Timișoara  Romania Timișoara 2023 (Postponed due to coronavirus) Baia Mare, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca
Veszprém  Hungary Veszprém 2023 Debrecen, Győr
2024 Bad Ischl  Austria Salzkammergut 2024 Dornbirn, St. Pölten
Bodø2  Norway Bodø 2024 Banja Luka, Mostar
Tartu  Estonia Tartu 2024 Kuressaare, Narva
2025 Chemnitz  Germany Chemnitz 2025 Hannover, Hildesheim, Magdeburg, Nuremberg
Nova Gorica/Gorizia joint bid  Slovenia
 Italy
GO! 2025 Ljubljana, Piran, Ptuj
2026 Oulu  Finland Oulu 2026 Savonlinna, Tampere
Trenčín  Slovakia Trenčín 2026 Nitra, Žilina
2027 Évora  Portugal Évora 2027 Aveiro, Braga, Ponta Delgada
Liepāja  Latvia Liepāja 2027 Daugavpils, Valmiera
2028 Bourges  France Bourges 2028 Clermont-Ferrand, Montpellier, Rouen, Saint-Denis
České Budějovice  Czech Republic České Budějovice 2028 Broumov, Brno, Liberec
Skopje2  Macedonia Skopje 2028 Budva
2029 Kiruna  Sweden Kiruna 2029 Uppsala
Lublin  Poland Lublin 2029 Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Kołobrzeg
2030 TBA December 2025  Cyprus Shortlisted cities: Larnaca, Limassol
Other applicants: Nicosia
TBA 24 September 2025  Belgium Shortlisted cities: Leuven, Molenbeek, Namur Other applicants: Bruges, Ghent, Kortrijk
TBA2 autumn 2025 TBA Lviv, Nikšić
2031 TBA
bids until 25 August 2025
 Malta Birgu, Victoria
TBA
bids until 31 December 2025
 Spain potential candidates:
Burgos, Cáceres, Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, Las Palmas, Toledo
2032 TBA  Bulgaria
TBA  Denmark potential candidate: Næstved
2033 TBA  Netherlands potential candidate: Heerlen
TBA  Italy potential candidates: Turin, Pesaro/Urbino, Viterbo
TBA2 TBA

1 The European Capital of Culture was planned for the UK in 2023. But because the UK left the European Union, its cities could not hold the title after 2019. This was confirmed on November 23, 2017. Cities like Dundee, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, and a joint bid from Northern Irish cities of Belfast and Derry with Strabane were candidates.

2 A new rule allows cities from countries that want to join the EU to hold the title every third year. This includes countries like Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine. It also includes countries like Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland that are part of the EFTA. These cities compete in an open contest.


See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Capital Europea de la Cultura para niños

  • American Capital of Culture
  • Arab Capital of Culture
  • European Green Capital Award
  • European Youth Capital
  • European Region of Gastronomy
  • UK City of Culture
  • University Network of the European Capitals of Culture
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