Chemnitz and Nova Gorica/Gorizia on the Italian-Slovenian border have taken over the baton as European Capitals of Culture for 2025. The official handover took place in Bad Ischl, Austria, which shared the title this year with Bodø, Norway, and Tartu, Estonia, as the organizers announced on Saturday night.
Many people in Chemnitz were very impressed by the diverse and inspiring programmes of the three European Capitals of Culture 2024, said Stefan Schmidtke, Programme Director of Chemnitz 2025. "This is how European togetherness succeeds for many people."
The opening of the Capital of Culture year in Chemnitz is planned for 18 January. The program with around 150 projects and 1,000 events is entitled "C the Unseen". Around two million visitors are expected.
A European Workshop for Culture and Democracy and exhibitions on the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch and European industrial cities are also planned. Around 550 kilometers further south, the neighbouring towns of Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and Gorizia (Italy) are preparing a programme about borders and overcoming them.
In Bad Ischl and the surrounding Salzkammergut region, more than 600,000 people visited the diverse projects this year, which revolved around the theme of remembrance culture, among other things.
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