Marseille, European Capital of Culture 2013

Marseille has always been proud of her origins and uniqueness, and this is why, after a fierce battle, she was finally designated European Capital of Culture 2013.

Marseille had to fight against Lyon, Bordeaux and Toulouse last September and finally managed to win this much-coveted title. In the past, several French cities won the title of European Capital of Culture: Paris in 1989, Avignon in 2000 and Lille in 2004. The latter is a very significant example, as it enabled Lille to attract more than 8 million visitors, as well as to develop great urban and cultural infrastructures that locals still enjoy today.

Of course, it is up to the cities and local communities involved to finance these projects, helped by business sponsors. However, the EU contributes up to one million Euros.

This collective challenge is a wonderful boost for our city, as it should result in an economic and cultural expansion. At least, this is what our city is aiming at : a lasting cultural expansion, depending mostly on the Euroméditerranée workshops, a Mediterranean union based on cultural exchanges, the promotion of artistic creation, as well as the mobility of both artists and their works…

Concretely, this will translate in the creation of about 250 workshops within some of the city’s associations and businesses. This project involves most of the local cultural, scientific, educational and economical players, something we can feel proud of...

By 2013, the Euroméditerranée workshops will have turned Marseille Provence into a significant European platform for cultural cooperation, in any given cultural field.

The title was created in 1985, and aims at designating, each year, a European Capital of Culture. This contributes to bringing together the European people, opening new horizons for them, with different heritages, different ways of welcoming others…

We were selected thanks to our ambitious programme, based on the discovery of Europe as we know it and of the various cultures of the Mediterranean area, where civilisation and culture were born...

Let’s hope this much coveted title will enable us to attract many visitors, eager to discover new things and new people, for this is what our city, crossroads of the Mediterranean area, does best: enabling visitors to experience diversity mixed with tolerance and dolce vita…

Let’s get ready to welcome as best as we can our European neighbours, so they can get to know and love our city better, and promote her with us in the future...