The opening ceremony of the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026 will take place on February 14 of next year, with the event coming under the auspices of President Peter Pellegrini, the organisers from the Creative Institute Trenčín told a news conference in Bratislava on Thursday.
"On 5 December, the cities of Kamenica (Germany) and Nova Gorica (Slovenia) will hand over the symbolic baton to two other cultural centres on the old continent. The title of European Capital of Culture 2026 will be held by Finland's Oulu and Slovakia's Trenčín. The following months will be full of social and cultural events that the whole of Europe will look to," said the festival's PR manager Tereza Fojtova.
The main idea of the European Capital of Culture is to promote unity and cross-border cooperation between towns and cities in Europe via the discovery of individual cultures and traditional and modern art elements. For each country of the European Union this is a unique opportunity to present the best that it can contribute to European cultural diversity. The current trend favours smaller towns and cities over well-known centres of culture.
"Following Kosice, Trenčín will become the second Slovak city to host social, cultural, and artistic events of European significance. Not only domestic artists, but also globally known and awarded personalities of traditional and new art will be given space. However, we don't just want to create a cultural programme, but also to support the transformation of the city and the region," stressed Stanislav Krajci, the director of the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026 project.
The decision that Trenčín would become the Capital of Culture was made back in 2021. Trenčín beat off challenges from the cities of Nitra and Zilina in the national final. The main slogan of the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026 is 'We're Awakening Curiosity'.
The European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026 project is being financially supported by the municipality of Trenčín, Trenčín Self-governing Region and the Culture Ministry. The European Union is a partner of the project.
Source: TASR
