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Kiruna is designated as the European Capital of Culture 2029.
The choice was between Kiruna and Uppsala, and the European jury selected the northern city with the concept “Movement. Below ground. On earth. In space”.
It is a locality with a significantly smaller budget that beats the prestigious university city of Uppsala.
“We want to show that a small but personal locality can have a lot to offer, and we truly have much going on in Kiruna that we want to share. Sometimes it can feel lonely up here, but our heartbeat is the same as everywhere else in Europe,” says Emma Jonsson, growth strategist in Kiruna municipality.
Umeå (2014) and Stockholm (1998) have previously been European Capitals of Culture.
“I hope that the presidency becomes an opportunity for more people to discover Sweden’s culture,” says Sweden’s Minister of Culture Parisa Liljestrand.
Formally, the European expert jury’s statement is a recommendation to the Swedish government about which city they should designate. A formal report from the jury will be submitted to the Swedish government in January 2025, after which the government will inform the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission, and the Committee of the Regions about the appointment.
Kiruna is the city that has been forced to move because the ground it rests on has been undermined by mining. A new center was inaugurated in 2022, two kilometers east of the previous city center.
The Polish city of Lublin can also title itself Capital of Culture 2029.
(December 6)