The city of Ceske Budejovice – the capital of the South Bohemian region of the Czech Republic – has won the race to become the “European Capital of Culture” in 2028.
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| Ceske Budejovice – the capital of the South Bohemia region of the Czech Republic – has won the race to become the “European Capital of Culture” in 2028. (Illustration photo, Source: budejovice.cz) |
In addition to the 1.5 million Euro cash prize from the European Commission (EC), Ceske Budejovice is expected to receive large investments from the Czech government, as well as local authorities, with a total value of 45 million USD over the next 5 years.
According to the Czech Ministry of Culture, the Czech government will provide about CZK 480 million ($22 million) for projects related to Ceske Budejovice's title as the "European Capital of Culture" for the period 2024-2029.
The city budget will also spend 500 million CZK (23 million USD) on cultural events and invest in cultural facilities such as the Slavie Cultural Center, the South Bohemia Alssova Exhibition Center...
The city of Ceske Budejovice has also pledged to increase spending on culture to 9% of its budget. “This success will bring many opportunities for the development of the region, the vision and strategy of a candidate who respects cultural diversity,” said Martin Kuba, governor of the South Bohemian region and Ceske Budejovice councillor. “Investing in cultural facilities will have a positive impact on the quality of life in the city and the region.”
Each year, the European Union (EU) selects three cities from two member states and one candidate country, a potential candidate to join the bloc or member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Economic Area to be awarded the title of “European Capital of Culture”.
The race will officially kick off six years before cities officially take on the role. This title was established by the EU in 1985 with the aim of highlighting the richness and diversity of European countries and supporting the cultural development of a given city.
To date, the Czech Republic has had two cities awarded the title of “European Capital of Culture”, including Prague (2000) and Plzen (2015).
Together with the Czech Republic, France will announce the results of the race between the four cities of Bourges, Clermont-Ferrand, Montpellier and Rouen to award the title of “European Capital of Culture” for 2028 next December.
The remaining name will be the city that wins the “final” between Budva (Montenegro) and Skopje (North Macedonia).
The title of “European Capital of Culture” in 2023 belongs to the three cities of Veszprem (Hungary), Elefsina (Greece) and Timișoara (Romania).
According to the Czech Tourism Agency (CzechTourism), the “European Capital of Culture” helps the city’s GDP per capita increase by about 4.5% during the two-year period before and after the year it holds the title.
Besides, this title is also an effective marketing method to attract international tourists. According to CzechTourism, the number of tourists to South Bohemia, including Holasovice, Hluboka or Trebone, will increase sharply after Ceske Budejovice becomes the “European Capital of Culture”.
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