European Capitals Of Culture (ECoC) In 2012 – Guimarães And Maribor
April 21, 2012The Embassy of Portugal in London, Embassy of Slovenia in London, Turismo de Portugal and the Slovenian Tourist Board held a joint-presentation event at the Portuguese Ambassador’s Residence in London on the 23rd March 2012 to highlight the respective
European Capitals of Culture (ECoC) in 2012 – Guimarães and Maribor
- The event was a cultural and tourist presentation of 2012 ECoC and both destinations, Guimarães and Maribor
- Maribor, Slovenia’s second largest city, has been awarded ECoC status for 2012 and plays host to a plethora of world-class events. This will further widen Slovenia’s appeal to those tourists for whom culture and heritage are deciding factors in destination choice
- Guimarães, Portugal was the second European destination to receive the ECoC title. The city’s main aim in 2012 is to maintain its sense of identity. This can be seen in its beautiful buildings, windows and balconies, and the winding of its small streets alongside the ancient beauty of the castle and the Church of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira. The neighbourhoods, and people that live in them, are passionate about preserving their heritage, which is just one of the reasons Guimarães was classified a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 2001
- Both cities are historically and culturally very important in their respective countries, which can be seen throughout the rich cultural programs of ECoC 2012
- The event also showcased the good and friendly cooperation of two European countries regardless of current unstable world circumstances and growing scepticism in Europe
- Cultural and tourism integrations are still seen as the strongest diplomacy; this joint-presentation shows an example of positive cooperation and a good practice among European countries
- In the times of recession it was very important for both projects of ECoC 2012 to develop programmes with explicit sustainable development components
- The city of Maribor is becoming a key ‘city-break’ destination in Slovenia with plenty of additions: culinary, sport, nature and of course culture. Many important foreign media have already featured Maribor in last two years, among them are: BBC, RTE, Sunday Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, etc
- Guimarães is now seen – in large part, due to the fact of being ECcC in 2012 – as a trendy and welcoming city in the green northern Minho region of Portugal. As part of this Guimarães’ cultural programme has increased dramatically this year. This has allowed more visitors to come to the region and experience the city’s fantastic gastronomy and oenology, nature, sport and wellness facilities
- The Guimarães 2012 programming has been divided into four time frames, four rhythms and four beating pulses. During each of these time frames, there will be different events, different actors, and a different profile of those who are participating (“Time to Encounter” – January 21st to March 23rd –, “Time to Create” – March 24th to June 23rd –, “Time to Experience” – June 24th to September 21st –, and “Time to Reborn” – September 22nd to December 21st.
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