Presseurop |

Portugal | Guimarães - can culture beat the crisis? (El País, Madrid)

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:31:43 +0100

A former textile industry boom town, Guimarães is using its 2012 European Capital of Culture status to resurface after over twenty years in the economic doldrums. (Article)

Basque country | Saint Sebastian, capital of peace and culture

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:01:31 +0100

“Saint Sebastian opens to the world,” headlines the Spanish daily El Correo, following the decision by the Minister of Culture to designate the Basque city as the 2016 European City of Culture (alongside the Polish town of Wroclaw). San Sebastian, or Donostia in Basque, was selected over five other candidates. The jury was won over by the city’s effort “to overcome violence and to have culture serve peace and cohabitation,” the Basque paper notes. This will be a genuine test for the city’s administration, led by the separatist coalition, Bildu, newly-elected last May 22, El Correo argues. The paper also stresses that the designation of the city marks “political change in San Sebastian,” formerly administered by the Socialist Party. Called "highly political", the decision was criticised by supporters of the other cities in the running. These included Saragossa and Cordoba.

(News in brief)

Heritage | Istanbul, all a facade (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich)

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:58:15 +0100

For years the Turkish government has been deliberately gutting Istanbul’s old town rather than restoring it, writes the Süddeutsche Zeitung. UNESCO now intends to strike Istanbul off the World Cultural Heritage list, seeing as politicians have done nothing but stymie efforts to preserve its historic monuments. (Article)

A town in Europe | The Ruhr - from coal to culture (Der Spiegel, Hamburg)

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:53:47 +0100

The Ruhr region has seen the rise and fall of the coal industry in the space of 170 years. Now, during its stint as 2010 European Capital of Culture, it aims to complete its modernisation process. But its cities are running out of funds, reports Der Spiegel. (Article)

Hungary | A kvetch about Pécs (Hírszerzö, Budapest)

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:46:30 +0100

The Hungarian city of Pécs, this year’s European Capital of Culture along with Istanbul and Essen, is having a hard time getting out from under Budapest’s long shadow. Is the country incapable of staging an event worthy of Europe’s interest? wonders the Hungarian news portal Hírszerzö. (Article)

Culture | Cities on the edge stand tall (Le Monde, Paris)

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:41:47 +0100

Unloved and unrepentant: Europe's rebellious port cities have always been marked by a strong sense of their own identity. In 2006 six of them grouped together to form "Cities on the edge," a cultural network that celebrates pride in local differences. (Article)

Cities | Tallinn, one hand in its pocket (Eesti Päevaleht, Tallinn)

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:16:59 +0100

In 2011, Tallinn becomes European capital of culture. Without money and above all without any ideas, all the Estonian capital has been doing is to keep a jealous on fellow Baltic capital Vilnius, in Lithuania, which has organised this event successfully. (Article)