Brussels, 06/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - The towns of Riga (Latvia), and Umea (Sweden) became Europe's Cultural Capitals on 1 January 2014. Since the initiative took off after being inaugurated in Athens in 1985, over 40 cities around Europe have received the title of “European Cultural Capital”. Since 2011, two towns located in two different member states have received the title each year.
Riga, the capital of Latvia, is the largest city of the Baltic states. Its history dates back over 800 years and the historic city centre, with its Art Nouveau architecture, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its central position in the Baltic Sea region makes the city an important cultural, industrial, commercial and financial centre. In 2014, the World Choir games will be hosted in Riga, making the town the capital of choral music. Festivals such as the Museum Night and White Nights are highly appreciated by the public. Riga will also offer a multitude of cultural events for young people, many of them taking place in the more creative districts.
Umea is the first Swedish city to be awarded European Cultural Capital status since Stockholm acquired the title in 1998. With its university for 34,000 students, the city is at the forefront of Swedish research. The city's aim for the year 2014 is to show Europeans northern Sweden (Umea is located 600 km north of Stockholm) and to increase cultural exchange between Umea and the rest of Europe. Umea is very active in the cultural and creative spheres, with the Science Park Uminova and the artistic campus offering a unique cluster of programmes and activities in the cultural field. (IL/transl.jl)