European Union Chooses Istanbul, Turkey Over Kyiv, Ukraine As An 'Official' European Capital Of Culture For Year 2010

"Kyiv lost the competition for the title of “European Capital of Culture – 2010.” During the press conference in Brussels, Jeremy Isaacs, Chairman of the jury which was to decide on bids in the non-EU-member category by Istanbul and Kyiv to hold the title of European Capital of Culture in 2010, announced the winner - Istanbul....

The cities vying for the title [in the EU-member category] are Pécs in Hungary and Essen and Görlitz in Germany.

In the non-EU-member category, Istanbul in Turkey was competing against Kyiv in Ukraine.

Since 2005, non-EU countries are also entitled to participate in the project, but such applications will not be accepted for the years after 2010....

[Kyiv's] dossier was presented in Brussels on 24 February 2006. The title of the city's bid is 'Crossroad of cultures.'

Istanbul's ... dossier was presented in Brussels in late 2005. The proposed theme for the city is 'Istanbul: A city of the four elements.' "

forUm "Kyiv fails to become European Capital of Culture" April 11, 2006

http://eng.for-ua.com/news/2006/04/11/140101.html

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Official E.U. Member European Capitals of Culture, 2000 through 2011 [starting again in 2007, two cities will share this status each year. Starting in 2009, there will be -- each year -- one official cultural capital from the 'old' EU and one official cultural capital from the 'new' EU]:

2000: Reykjavík (Iceland), Bergen (Norway), Helsinki (Finland), Brussels (Belgium), Prague (Czech Republic), Krakow (Poland), Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain), Avignon (France), Bologna (Italy)
2001: Rotterdam (Netherlands), Porto (Portugal)
2002: Bruges (Belgium), Salamanca (Spain)
2003: Graz (Austria)
2004: Genoa (Italy), Lille (France)
2005: Cork (Republic of Ireland)
2006: Patras (Greece)
2007: Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Sibiu (Romania)
2008: Liverpool (United Kingdom), Stavanger (Norway)
2009: Vilnius (Lithuania), Linz (Austria)
2010: Essen (Germany) or Gorlitz (Germany), Pécs (Hungary)
2011: Tallinn (Estonia), tba (Finland)

http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_City_of_Culture

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Lviv, Ukraine -- a European 'Crossroad of Cultures' and 'City of Religious Tolerance'; and the unofficial Cultural Capital Of Europe 2006 -- celebrates 750 Years!

Lviv, Ukraine -- A UNESCO World Heritage Site:

Brief Description

The city of L'viv, founded in the late Middle Ages, was a flourishing administrative, religious and commercial centre for several centuries. The medieval urban topography has been preserved virtually intact (in particular, there is evidence of the different ethnic communities who lived there), along with many fine Baroque and later buildings.

Justification for Inscription

Criterion ii: In its urban fabric and its architecture, L’viv is an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany. Criterion v: The political and commercial role of L’viv attracted to it a number of ethnic groups with different cultural and religious traditions, who established separate yet interdependent communities within the city, evidence for which is still discernible in the modern townscape.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/865

Lviv History Museum:

http://lhm.lviv.ua/eng/











"Remnants of the Renaissance-era Golden Rose Synagogue. Jewish people settled in Lviv from the early days of the city. The Golden Rose Synagogue was built in 1582. Jesuit monks later claimed the land under the temple which resulted in a court trial that ended in favor of the Jews in 1606. In 1604, the Golden Rose became the main synagogue of Lviv and the center of the Jewish community. The temple was destroyed by German soldiers in WW2. The remains include the foundation, part of the northern wall with windows and partially western wall with the entrance. The functioning synagogue in Lviv is now located at Brativ Mikhnovskykh St."

Photo and caption credit: Vladyslav Tsarynnyk www.lvivecotour.com