European Capital of Culture

What is the European Capital of Culture?

It is a title that turns a chosen city into a cultural centre for a whole year. For that time, exhibitions, festivals and art projects gather there, drawing visitors and attention from across Europe. For twelve months the city thus gains an extraordinary cultural scene.

How does the European Capital of Culture work?

The title gives the chosen city's art scene a running start, draws an audience and brings about new projects and facilities that often outlast the year itself. It is not merely a series of events but rather a long-term impulse that changes how a city thinks about itself. Who would have thought a single year could set a scene moving like that?

How does the European Capital of Culture affect the value of a work or an artist's career?

For artists connected with the city, such a year means an unusual wave of attention, exhibition opportunities and contacts. The scene becomes visible, curators, journalists and collectors arrive from elsewhere, and local artists reach a wider public. That kind of visibility can give a career an impulse that would otherwise take years to arrive.

Can you give an example?

In the year Pilsen held the title, the city turned for twelve months into a cultural centre with a rich programme. Graz in Austria tried out the role in a similar way and, thanks to the title, wrote itself onto the cultural map of Europe. Examples like these show how a single year can set a city's scene going.

— Anna Pulkertová, founder of Art Part Club