What is the European Capital of Culture?

The mission of the European Capital of Culture programme is to reveal, showcase and develop the cultural wealth of individual European regions and to promote shared European values. The programme, launched in 1985, was the brainchild of Melina Mercouri, the Greek actress, singer, pro-democracy activist and eventually minister of culture. An inspirational figure on the Greek and European cultural scene, Mercouri was passionate about promoting citizens’ interest in their local culture, stimulating vibrant creativity rather than merely supporting existing cultural institutions, and creating a forum for the exchange of ideas, projects and contacts across Europe.

The European Capital of Culture programme has become one of the most successful trans-European projects, thanks to the elegance of the concept and the clear benefits for participating cities. It is based on a simple principle: each year, two cities from two EU member states are awarded the title European Capital of Culture. For 2015, the cities will be in the Czech Republic and Belgium. The title is not awarded for prettily restored historical buildings or long-established cultural events and festivals – the jury does not merely consult tourist brochures and guidebooks. Instead, the award goes to cities that can present new and bold projects whose originality catches the attention of the local and European public – stimulating projects which can bring long-term sustainable benefit to the candidate city and its wider region. This requires at least six years of funding and concentrated work involving the organisers, artists, local authorities and of course the general public.

A winning city benefits greatly from the prestige conferred on it by Capital of Culture status, which brings an increase in tourism and investment and helps to earn the city a permanent place on the cultural map of Europe. However – and this is of key importance – the benefits to the city are also felt in the long term, and continue to stimulate cultural and economic life long after the title has passed to the next holder. Many long-term projects, including major investments in new cultural infrastructure, enhance the quality of the city’s cultural life permanently.

Now, as part of Ostrava’s candidacy for European Capital of Culture 2015, we have the opportunity to present the city’s unique and diverse cultural life to a wider public – to tell the world how Ostrava has enriched European culture in the past, and to showcase the city’s cultural vibrancy in the present day.

European Capitals of Culture 1985 – 2009:

European Capitals of Culture 2011 – 2015:

Candidates for European Capital of Culture:

2015:
Ostrava, Plzeň (Czech Republic), Mons (Belgium)

2016:
Alcalá de Henares, Burgos, Cáceres, Córdoba, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca and the Balearic Islands, Santander, Tarragona, Donostia - San Sebastián, Segovia (Spain),
Lublin, Łódź, Szczecin, Toruń, Gdańsk, Poznań, Warszawa, Katowice, Wrocław, Białystok (Poland).

Who decides on the award of European Capital of Culture status in 2015?

In 2015 two cities will become European Capitals of Culture – one in Belgium and one in the Czech Republic. The selection process is divided into two phases – the pre-selection phase and the final selection phase. The deadline for submission of bids to the pre-selection phase was 31 October 2009. From the Czech Republic, three cities filed applications for the ECOC competition: Plzeň, Ostrava and Hradec Králové. The only Belgian candidate city is Mons. On 8 December 2009 a presentation of the projects by the Czech candidate cities took place at the Czech Ministry of Culture before a 13-member panel of jurors, of which seven were named by European institutions and six by the Czech minister of culture. The commission decided that the cities of Ostrava and Plzeň would advance to the second round. Both cities must now supplement their applications in accordance with the recommendations of the jurors and develop their projects in greater detail. The final winner will be decided by the end of September 2010.

European Capital of Culture step by step