Athens establishes the Capitals of Culture Documentation Center

The Honorable, Nikitas Kaklamanis, Mayor of the City of Athens (Greece) has established the Capitals of Culture Documentation Center. The purpose of the Center is to gather information and all supporting documentation of all capitals of culture around the world, beginning with the very first one in history, Athens. This Capitals of Culture Documentation Center will preserve the legacy and the history of all existing capitals of culture for present and future generations.

Melina Mercouri, famous actress and Minister of Culture of Greece, created the first European Capital of Culture. Since its launch in 1985, the initiative has grown around the world. Today, besides the European Capital of Culture, other capitals of culture have been established, i.e. the American Capital of Culture, the Arab Capital of Culture, the Brazilian Capital of Culture, the US Capital of Culture, the Capital of Catalan Culture, the Capital of Culture of the Volga, and the Canadian Capital of Culture, among others.

Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis established the Capitals of Culture Documentation Center following the recommendation of a fellow Greek, Rodolfo Maslias, former Director of International Affairs of the European Capital of Thessalonians Culture (1997) and former Secretary General of the European Network of Capitals of Culture.

The Mayor of Athens has appointed Christos Roilos of Greece, Xavier Tudela of Catalonia, Spain, and Joerg-Ingo Weber of Germany, to form part of the Committee of the recently created Capitals of Culture Documentation Center.

This Center will be publicly recognized in Athens next October. The event coincides with the II International Symposium of Capitals of Culture to take place in the Greek capital.

2005-06-25