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 by the European Commission by Robert Palmer (Palmer Study) demonstrated that the choice of European Capital of Culture served as a catalyst for the cultural development and the transformation of the city. Consequently, the beneficial socio-economic development and impact for the chosen city are now also considered in determining the chosen cities.
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 Ministerof
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
GermanPresidency of
1999, the European City of Culture programme was renamed the European Capital of Culture.
List of European Cities/Capitals of Culture
Past years
Current year
Future years
According to the official EU website. From 2015 to 2019, only the countries have been chosen, based on the rotation system.See also
