European Capital of Culture

The logo used by European Commission for European Capital of Culture
Oulu (Finland), European Capital of Culture for 2026
Trenčín (Slovakia), European Capital of Culture for 2026

A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can be an opportunity for a city to generate considerable cultural, social, and economic benefits, and it can help foster urban regeneration, change the city's image, and raise its visibility and profile on an international scale. Multiple cities can be a European Capital of Culture simultaneously.

In 1985, Melina Mercouri, Greece's Minister of Culture, and her French counterpart Jack Lang came up with the idea of designating an annual City of Culture to bring Europeans closer together by highlighting the richness and diversity of European cultures and raising awareness of their common history and values.

The Commission of the European Union manages the title, and each year the Council of Ministers of the European Union formally designates European Capitals of Culture: more than 60 cities have been designated so far. The current European Capitals of Culture for 2026 are Oulu in Finland and Trenčín in Slovakia.

Selection process

An international panel of cultural experts is in charge of assessing the proposals of cities for the title according to criteria specified by the European Union.

For two of the capitals each year, eligibility is open to cities in EU member states only. From 2021 and every three years thereafter, a third capital will be chosen from cities in countries that are candidates or potential candidates for membership, or in countries that are part of the European Economic Area (EEA)– an example of the latter being Stavanger, Norway, which was a European Capital of Culture in 2008.

A 2004 study conducted for the commission, known as the "Palmer report", demonstrated that the choice of European Capital of Culture served as a catalyst for 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.

Bids from five United Kingdom cities to be the 2023 Capital of Culture were disqualified in November 2017, because the UK was planning to leave the EU before 2023.

History

Melina Mercouri

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 minister of culture in Greece. 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. In 1999, the European City of Culture program was renamed to European Capital of Culture.

List of European Capitals of Culture

YearCityCountryNotes/LinksCandidate cities
1985Athens Greece
1986Florence Italy
1987Amsterdam Netherlands
1988West Berlin West GermanyCity under Western Allied occupation until 1990; territory was claimed by the Federal Republic of Germany. The name "European City of Culture" was used instead of "Capital" in order to not provoke the East German government.
1989Paris France
1990Glasgow United KingdomGlasgow Garden Festival
1991Dublin Ireland
1992Madrid Spain
1993Antwerp Belgium
1994Lisbon Portugal
1995Luxembourg City Luxembourg
1996Copenhagen Denmark
1997Thessaloniki Greece
1998Stockholm Sweden
1999Weimar Germany
2000Avignon FranceThe year 2000 was called the millennium year and treated in a special way, in order to emphasize the enduring heritage and contribution of European cities to world culture and civilization. Because of that, nine locations were chosen, including two cities of states that were to join the EU on 1 May 2004.
Bergen Norway
Bologna Italy
Brussels Belgium
Helsinki Finland
Kraków Poland
Prague Czech Republic
Reykjavík Iceland
Santiago de Compostela Spain
2001Porto Portugal
Rotterdam Netherlands
2002Bruges Belgium
Salamanca Spain
2003Graz Austria
2004Genoa Italy
Lille France
2005Cork IrelandCork CaucusGalway, Limerick, Waterford
2006Patras Greece
2007Luxembourg City Luxembourg
Sibiu Romania
2008Liverpool United KingdomBirmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle and Gateshead (joint bid), Oxford
Stavanger Norway
2009Linz AustriaLinz 2009
Vilnius Lithuania
2010Essen GermanyRepresenting the whole Ruhr as Ruhr.2010.Braunschweig, Bremen, Görlitz, Halle an der Saale, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Lübeck, Potsdam, Regensburg
Istanbul Turkey
Pécs Hungary
2011Tallinn Estonia
Turku FinlandTurku 2011
2012Guimarães Portugal
Maribor Slovenia
2013Košice SlovakiaKošice 2013
Marseille FranceMarseille-Provence 2013Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse
2014Riga Latvia
Umeå Sweden
2015Mons BelgiumMons 2015
Plzeň Czech Republic
2016San Sebastián SpainDonostia/San Sebastián 2016 (Donostia 2016)Burgos, Córdoba, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Segovia, Zaragoza
Wrocław PolandGdańsk, Katowice, Lublin, Warsaw
2017Aarhus DenmarkAarhus 2017Sønderborg
Paphos CyprusPafos 2017Limassol, Nicosia
2018Leeuwarden NetherlandsEindhoven, Maastricht, The Hague, Utrecht
Valletta MaltaValletta 2018
2019Matera ItalyMatera 2019Cagliari, Lecce, Perugia, Ravenna, Siena
Plovdiv BulgariaPlovdiv 2019Sofia, Varna, Veliko Turnovo
2020 – April 2021Galway IrelandGalway 2020Limerick, The Three Sisters (joint bid Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny)
Rijeka CroatiaRijeka 2020Dubrovnik, Osijek, Pula
2022Esch-sur-Alzette LuxembourgEsch-sur-Alzette 2022
Kaunas LithuaniaKaunas 2022Klaipėda
Novi Sad SerbiaNovi Sad 2022 (Coronavirus postponement)
20231Eleusis GreeceEleusis 2023 (Coronavirus postponement)Kalamata, Rhodes
Timișoara RomaniaTimișoara 2023 (Coronavirus postponement)Baia Mare, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca
Veszprém HungaryVeszprém 2023Debrecen, Győr
2024Bad Ischl AustriaSalzkammergut 2024Dornbirn, St. Pölten
Bodø2 NorwayBodø 2024Banja Luka, Mostar
Tartu EstoniaTartu 2024Kuressaare, Narva
2025Chemnitz GermanyChemnitz 2025Hannover, Hildesheim, Magdeburg, Nuremberg
Nova Gorica/Gorizia joint bid Slovenia
 Italy		GO! 2025Ljubljana, Piran, Ptuj
2026Oulu FinlandOulu 2026 (Theme: "Cultural Climate Change")Savonlinna, Tampere
Trenčín SlovakiaTrenčín 2026 (Theme: "Cultivating Curiosity")Nitra, Žilina
2027Évora PortugalÉvora 2027Aveiro, Braga, Ponta Delgada
Liepāja LatviaLiepāja 2027Daugavpils, Valmiera
2028Bourges FranceBourges 2028Clermont-Ferrand, Montpellier, Rouen, Saint-Denis
České Budějovice Czech RepublicČeské Budějovice 2028Broumov, Brno, Liberec
Skopje2 North MacedoniaSkopje 2028Budva
2029Kiruna SwedenKiruna 2029 Uppsala
Lublin PolandLublin 2029Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Kołobrzeg
2030Larnaca CyprusLarnaca 2030Limassol, Nicosia
Leuven BelgiumLeuven 2030Molenbeek, Namur, Bruges, Ghent, Kortrijk
Nikšić MontenegroNikšić 2030Lviv
2031Victoria MaltaVictoria 2031Birgu
TBA 3 December 2026 Spainshortlisted: Cáceres, Granada, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Oviedo
eliminated:
Burgos, Jerez de la Frontera, Palma, Potries, Toledo
2032TBA in 2028 Bulgariashortlisted: Burgas, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo
TBA end-2027 Denmarkshortlisted: Aalborg, Elsinore
2033TBA Netherlandspotential candidates: Den Haag, Heerlen, Nijmegen, Groningen
TBA Italypotential candidates: Turin, Pesaro/Urbino, Viterbo
TBA2TBA

1 The European Capital of Culture was due to be in the UK in 2023. However, due to its decision to leave the European Union, UK cities would no longer be eligible to hold the title after 2019. The European Commission's Scotland office confirmed that this would be the case on 23 November 2017, only one week before the UK was due to announce which city would be put forward. The candidate cities were Dundee, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Nottingham and a joint bid from Northern Irish cities of Belfast and Derry and the town of Strabane.

2 A new framework makes it possible for cities in candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine), potential candidates for EU membership (Kosovo) or EFTA member states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) to hold the title every third year as of 2021. This will be selected through an open competition, meaning that cities from various countries may compete with each other.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Oulu and Trenčín - Culture and Creativity". culture.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "Decision No 445/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014". 3 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 December 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  3. ↑ "European Capitals of Culture 2020 to 2033 — A guide for cities preparing to bid" (PDF). European Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  4. ↑ Palmer, Robert. "European Cities and Capitals of Culture" (PDF). ec.europa.eu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2015. Study prepared for the European Commission
  5. ↑ "Brexit blow to UK 2023 culture crown bids". BBC News. 23 November 2017. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  6. ↑ Kiran Klaus Patel, ed., The Cultural Politics of Europe: European Capitals of Culture and European Union since the 1980s (London: Routledge, 2013)
  7. ↑ "History – UNeECC". Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  8. ↑ Janet Merkel (5 December 2016). "From a divided city to a capital city: Berlin's cultural policy frameworks between 1945 and 2015". Politiques de la Culture. doi:10.58079/mreh.
  9. ↑ "Tanz im August | International Festival Berlin | Berlin - European Capital of Culture 1988". www.tanzimaugust.de.
  10. ↑ "Association of European Cities of Culture of the Year 2000 – KRAKOW THE OPEN CITY". krakow.pl. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  11. ↑ "Galway & Cork make culture shortlist". RTÉ. 10 September 2001. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  12. ↑ "Liverpool named European capital of culture". The Guardian. 4 June 2003. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "Marseille named Europe's culture capital for 2013". France24. 16 September 2008. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  14. ↑ "The European Capital of Culture in Spain in 2016 will be San Sebastián". euroalert.net. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  15. ↑ "Wrocław Chosen as European Capital of Culture 2016". culture.pl. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  16. ↑ "Sønderborg, Denmark: EU Capital of Culture 2017?". The Avid Cruiser. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  17. ↑ "Nicosia and Paphos outbid Limassol for European Capital of Culture 2017". Cyprus Mail. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  18. ↑ "Who What When Where Why: LF2018". The Northern Times. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  19. ↑ "Matera to be 2019 European Capital of Culture in Italy". International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
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  23. ↑ "Kaunas is shortlisted for the title of European Capital of Culture 2022". Kaunas City Municipal administration. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  24. ↑ "Eleusis 2023". Aeschylia Festival. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  25. ↑ "Timisoara 2021". European Capitals of Culture Ποιειν Και Πραττειν - create and do. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  26. ↑ "Veszprém formally named 2023 European Capital of Culture". Budapest Business Journal. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  27. ↑ "FAQs". Salzkammergut 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  28. ↑ "Bodø recommended for the European Capital of Culture 2024 title beyond the EU". European Commission. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  29. ↑ "Tartu win not a 'unanimous' decision for European Capital of Culture 2024". ERR.ee. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  30. ↑ "Chemnitz to be European Capital of Culture 2025". DW. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  31. ↑ "GO! 2025 - European Capital of Culture Nova Gorica-Gorizia 2025". GECT GO / EZTS GO. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  32. ↑ "Oulu named European Capital of Culture 2026". The Barents Observer. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  33. ↑ "Trenčín to be the European Capital of Culture 2026 in Slovakia". europa.eu. 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  34. ↑ Bruxo, Michael (7 December 2022). "Évora named 2027 European Capital of Culture". Portugal Resident. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  35. ↑ "Liepaja is the European Capital of culture for 2027". EcocNews.com. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  36. ↑ "Bourges to be the European Capital of Culture 2028 in France". European Commission. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  37. ↑ "České Budějovice to be the European Capital of Culture 2028 in the Czech Republic". European Commission. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  38. ↑ "Skopje 2028, is online the Panel's Decision". ecocnews.com. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  39. ↑ "Kiruna becomes Europe's cultural capital: "Grateful"". Sweden Herald. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  40. ↑ "Kiruna och Uppsala vill bli kulturhuvudstad". Kulturrådet (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  41. ↑ "Lublin has been awarded the title of European Capital of Culture 2029!". White Mad. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  42. ↑ "Lublin has been awarded the title of European Capital of Culture 2029!". White Mad. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  43. ↑ "Larnaka to be 2030 European Capital of Culture in Cyprus". European Commission. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  44. ↑ "The race is on: Three cities bidding for EU cultural capital 2030". 30 October 2023.
  45. ↑ "Two cities shortlisted for the European Capital of Culture 2030 in Cyprus". European Commission. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
  46. ↑ "Leuven wordt Culturele hoofdstad van Europa in 2030". VRTNWS (in Dutch). 24 September 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  47. ↑ "European Capital Of Culture 2030 Belgium". ECOC2030BE. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  48. ↑ "Ecoc 2030, in shortlist Lviv (Ukraine) and Nikšić (Montenegro)".
  49. ↑ "Victoria will be the European Capital of Culture 2031 in Malta". European Commission. 23 September 2026. Retrieved 8 October 2026.
  50. ↑ "Victoria shortlisted for the European Capital of Culture 2031 in Malta". European Commission. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  51. ↑ "European Capital of Culture 2031 Candidates".
  52. ↑ "𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟑𝟏: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞". ecocnews. 16 September 2026. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
  53. 1 2 3 "4 cities shortlisted for the European Capital of Culture 2031 in Spain". European Commission. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  54. 1 2 "Bulgaria 2032, three cities in the running (for now)". ecocnews.com. 29 September 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  55. 1 2 "Denmark 2032, only two cities are in the running: Aalborg and Elsinore". ecocnews.com. 8 October 2026. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
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