European Capital of Culture

Six years before the title year, a call for applications is published. Cities interested in participating in the competition must submit a proposal for consideration.

The submitted applications are reviewed at the end of a pre-selection phase by an independent panel of experts in the field of culture or culture-based urban development, based on a set of established criteria. The panel agrees on a shortlist of cities, which are then invited to submit more detailed applications.

The panel meets again to evaluate the final applications and recommend one city per host country for the title. The competent authority of the respective Member State then formally designates the recommended city as the European Capital of Culture.

In 2025, Chemnitz (Germany) and Nova Gorica/Gorizia (Slovenia/Italy) were the European Capitals of Culture. This means that these cities were at the center of cultural events and initiatives for a year, highlighting Europe’s cultural diversity and commonalities. Each European Capital of Culture is allocated €1.5 million from the Creative Europe cultural funding program. Previously, “Essen for the Ruhr Area” (2010), Weimar (1999), and Berlin (West) (1988) had already been awarded the title.

On January 11, 2021, the Conference of Ministers of Culture appointed the Saxon city with a population of nearly 250,000, unanimously following the expert recommendation of the European jury. Under the motto “C the Unseen – European Makers of Democracy,” Chemnitz had also presented a convincing concept in the view of the Culture Ministers’ Conference.

Taking into account the detailed EU rules, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) defined the main principles of the national selection procedure in Germany and entrusted the Cultural Foundation of the German States (KSL) with the practical organization of the process. As part of a public call for applications, Chemnitz prevailed over competitors Dresden, Gera, Hanover, Hildesheim, Magdeburg, Nuremberg, and Zittau.