In 2032, Bulgaria and Denmark will select their cities for the title of European Capital of Culture. The procedure will open in 2026 when the two countries will officially invite their cities to prepare their candidacies. The candidates must draw up a diverse cultural programme with a European focus, after which an independent commission will evaluate the proposals and select the winners.

And even though there is still one year to go until the official launch of the campaign, there are cities in Bulgaria that have not been sitting idle, the most eager among them being Gabrovo, with mayor Tanya Hristova announcing last year that the city was getting ready to vie for the title of European Capital of Culture. Gabrovo’s highly successful Home of Humour and Satire, along with the Christo and Jeanne-Claude centre for modern art will be among the highlights in its application programme. Now, the Black Sea city of Burgas is also joining the battle for the prestigious title. Burgas mayor Dimitar Nikolov announced a few days ago that the preparations for the city’s candidacy have already begun. And the city council unanimously voted to set up a Burgas 2032 foundation to work on the city’s bid to become European Capital of Culture.  

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“I have unofficial information there are another 3-4 Bulgarian cities getting ready as well. We may have been the first to announce it officially but I am expecting other cities to make their bid as well. Then, during the year 2026 but no later than 2028 the Bulgarian candidate has to be nominated, and that city will have three years until 2032 to get ready - the year in which it is going to be European Capital of Culture,” the Deputy Mayor of Burgas Diana Savateva, who is head of the Burgas 2032 foundation, said in an interview with Radio Bulgaria.

Butgas has made a name for itself as a culture hub attracting tens of thousands of visitors with the diverse and colourful cultural events it has to offer. The summer festivals featuring world famous pop stars have made it a leading European stage for art and entertainment.

“Burgas is more than a tourist destination, it is a multicultural hub where people of different ethnicities can find development opportunities,” says Diana Savateva and adds:

“We are the EU’s Southeastern border. We, unlike many other cities, are able to turn the fact we are a young city to advantage. Because we are not like Plovdiv, we do not have an Old Town (Plovdiv was European Capital of Culture in 2019), but we do have “hidden” spaces in the surrounding area with a history going back thousands of years, and what we can do is make them more visible. Burgas has experience as candidate for European Capital of Culture in 2019, when all 13 municipalities in the region pooled their efforts in a common concept. Now, our city is once again relying on partnerships with neighbouring municipalities on the Black Sea coast for our candidacy,” says mayor Diana Savateva.

For the time being, Burgas and Gabrovo are the only Bulgarian cities to have officially announced they will be bidding for European Capital of Culture in 2032, but they are expected to be joined by Varna, Veliko Tarnovo and Russe, which are currently considering the option of joining the contest for this prestigious European title.

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos: Burgas municipality, Radio Burgas-BNR, Pixabay, humorhouse.bg