The epicentre of not just Greek, but European culture. The opening of the very first Capital of Culture in 1985 was attended by ministers of cultures of all member states, a unique event in itself. Mehr erfahren.
This L-shaped historic Florentine square was the site of the opening of the 1986 European Capital of Culture, with a unique performance of Verdi's Requiem. Mehr erfahren.
The Royal Palace was one of several historic venues chosen as part of the Century '87 initiative of turning the entire city into a museum, as part of Amsterdam's year as Capital of Culture in 1987. Mehr erfahren.
Newly renovated at the time, this railway station was the site of the State of Art Today exhibition gathering 32 artists from all over the world for the Berlin Capital of Culture celebration in 1988. Mehr erfahren.
A world venue of dance and drama already before, the Théâtre du Châteletof naturally played centre stage in Paris' year as European Capital of Culture in 1988. Mehr erfahren.
A bi-product of Glasgow's tenure as Capital of Culture, the concert hall was officially opened after a troublesome construction on October 5 in 1990 by Her Royal Highness the Princess herself. Mehr erfahren.
The site of "Music City" during Dublin's year as EU Capital of Culture - at the time, the largest ever rock concert held in Ireland and the very first one arranged in Phoenix Park. Mehr erfahren.
Together with the restoration of the Teatro Real de Madrid, this was one of the many cultural infrastructure measures undertaken when Madrid held the status of Capital of Culture in 1992. Mehr erfahren.
The site of the now infamous fireworks display for the Capital of Culture opening in Antwerp 1993 - infamous, that is, in that very few go to see it, as it was aimed too low. Mehr erfahren.
The then-newly refurbished Coliseum served as one of the main stages for the music section of Lisbon's ambitious programme as Capital of Culture in Europe in 1994. Mehr erfahren.
This contemporary art gallery in the heart of Luxembourg was the venue of many art exhibitions, as the Grand-Duchy celebrated 1995 as European Capital of Culture. Mehr erfahren.
When Copenhagen was Capital of Culture in 1996, 30 European artists worked together to create a sand sculpture on the beach below Arken. The finished result was over 10 meters tall. Mehr erfahren.
One of two venues used for the 2-month festival “Theatrical scene of Thessaloniki” during the city’s run as Capital of Culture in 1997, this municipal theatre was redesigned to tie in with this event. Mehr erfahren.
Located in the heart of Stockholm, this was also the cultural heart of the 1998 European capital of Culture - and the home of Stadsteatern, the city's other great art institution. Mehr erfahren.
Coinciding with the 250th and 240th birthday of Goethe and Schiller respectively, this was one of the main venues as Weimar celebrated its year as European Capital of Culture in 1999. Mehr erfahren.
The final site for the travelling exhibition Kide, itself the beating heart of the nine city joint Capitals of Culture year of 2000. Helsinki’s theme was “Knowledge, technology and the future”. Mehr erfahren.
At 74.5 meters, you would have been able to see all the activities of Reykjavik's year as European Capital of Culture in 2000 from the tower of this church and sometime concert hall. Mehr erfahren.
Taking over ten years to complete, already the name of this monument makes it clear that the city's status as European Capital of Culture in 2000 was not a one-year thing. Mehr erfahren.
The home of the Czech Philharmonics, one of many landmarks that makes Prague a Capital of Culture not just in 2000, the year it shared this status with 8 other European cities. Mehr erfahren.
The queues for autographs circled halfway across the square during the infamous Poet's Meeting events, a central part of the city's programme as EU Capital of Culture in 2000.
The hub of the now infamous Zinneke Parade, the biennial event founded in 2000 to coincide with the city's status as Capital of Culture, shared with 8 other European cities. Mehr erfahren.
The Bologna Towers was also the name of British director Peter Greenaway show in image and sound, celebrating the history of the city during it's year as Capital of Culture in 2000. Mehr erfahren.
Under the motto "Art, work and leisure", the birth city of composer Edvard Grieg celebrated the year 2000 as European Capital of Culture together with 8 other cities in Europe. Mehr erfahren.
The natural focal point of the Avignon Capital of Culture festivities in 2001, as the stage for the Avignon theatre festival - and of Avignon reaffirming itself as the World Theatre Capital. Mehr erfahren.
Construction of this grand project started in 2001, as part of Porto's year as Cultural Capital of Europe, but didn't finish until 2005.
During Rotterdam's Capital of Culture 2001, this museum housed special exhibitions on both Bosch and Brueghel. Mehr erfahren.
This is famously one of the main stages for the ambitious theatre projects undertaken by Salamanca as Capital of Culture in 2002. Mehr erfahren.
This concert hall, originally conceived in 1990, was finally realised specifically for the Bruges' Capital of Culture year of 2002. Mehr erfahren.
This artificial island in the river Mur was designed and built specifically for the Graz Capital of Culture tenure in 2003. Mehr erfahren.
The site of the now infamous Bal Blanc, attending by close to a million as the opening of Lille's year as Capital of Culture December 6 2003. Mehr erfahren.
This scenic and historic site also hosted many events and exhibitions in 2004, when Genoa was European Capital of Culture. Mehr erfahren.
This was the site of "Enlargement", showcasing art from the enlarged EU, the exhibition running throughout 2005 thus coinciding with Cork's tenure as Capital of Culture. Mehr erfahren.
The beating heart of the Patras Carnival, the largest of its kind in Greece, this was also the natural centrepiece for the city's 2006 stint as European Capital of Culture. Mehr erfahren.
The natural hub of Luxembourg and the greater region's aim to specifically target young people during their stint as Capital of Culture in 2007, to compensate for poor past efforts.
The opening of 2007 was a double celebration: Sibiu kicked off its one year stint as European Capital of Culture, as Romania entered the EU as a full member. Mehr erfahren.
Declaring Liverpool EU Capital of Culture 2008 of course demands a Beatle in attendance. Ringo Starr not only showed up: he performed new song Liverpool 8, written specifically for the occasion! Mehr erfahren.
His Majesty King Harald of Norway was himself in attendance in both Stavanger and Sandnes, declaring 2008 as their joint year as EU Capital of Culture officially opened. Mehr erfahren.
Only 10 minutes into 2009, 500 singers announced Linz's year as Capital of Culture with specially commissioned Rocket Symphony. Total event attendance for the year that followed reached 3.5 million. Mehr erfahren.
For the opening of Vilnius' 2009 as EU Capital of Culture, the historic cathedral was lit up in blue with high-resolution projector stars in the night sky - to symbolize the European project Mehr erfahren.
Just one of several locations throughout the city used for the grand opening of the third joint 2010 Capital of Culture, both a balloon theatre and fireworks were broadcast live on the web from here. Mehr erfahren.
Nearly a 1000 performers enacted almost every historical period in Pécs past for the opening, aided by a laser show and light-painting. The city calculated an extra 1 million extra tourists for 2010. Mehr erfahren.
This location was chosen as the spectacular and symbolic setting for not just Essen's 2010 opening, but for the 25th anniversary of the honorary title of European Capital of Culture. Mehr erfahren.
Tallinn's joint year as EU capital of Culture opened with a double celebration: as 2011 took off with big concerts and fireworks, Estonia also introduced the European joint currency, the Euro. Mehr erfahren.
Over 50.000 people braved minus 26 degrees to attend the opening of the city's year as European Capital of Culture 2011. By the end of the year, their 5000+ events had attracted 2 million visitors. Mehr erfahren.
The site of the kick-off of the Guimarães Capital of Culture year of 2012, the opening featured not just fireworks and a light show, but also a hovering giant horse and knight. Mehr erfahren.
In this square, over 100 artists performed in the hour-long opening ceremony, as Maribor rang in 2012 as European Capital of Culture. Mehr erfahren.
As Marseille kicked off 2013 as European Capital of Culture, the city-wide light parade started from here - just the first of many activities planned for this exciting year. Mehr erfahren.
A much-needed restoration was started in 2012 ahead of the city's status as Capital of Culture in 2013. Once finished, this gothic cathedral will also house many events during the year. Mehr erfahren.
On 18 January 2014, join the human chain transferring books hand-to-hand from the old Latvian National Library to the new one at the official opening ceremony of Riga as EU Capital of Culture! Mehr erfahren.
As you attend the inauguration of Umeå as EU Capital of Culture 2014, be sure you make it here on 1 February. As the centrepiece of the 3-day ceremony, it promises to be a magical night of surprises! Mehr erfahren.
