Oulu in northern Finland was selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2026 by a European expert panel here, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
After visiting three Finnish candidate cities including Oulu, Tampere, and Savonlinna, the panel, composed of nine independent experts in the field of arts and culture, announced that Oulu was selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2026, according to a press release issued by Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture.
Oulu will be Finland's third European capital of culture, following in the footsteps of Helsinki in 2000 and Turku in 2011. It will share the accolade in 2026 with an as-yet-unnamed city from Slovakia.
Oulu's successful bid was built around three themes, "Wild City, Cool Contrasts and Brave Hinterland," with a focus on sustainability.
Antti Kurvinen, Minister of Science and Culture, noted in his speech that he hopes each of the candidate cities of Finland makes use of all the good work they have already done and continues to develop their cultural life in innovative and sustainable ways.
"The European Capital of Culture event is a unique opportunity to create new kinds of arts and culture, boost operating conditions, and encourage people to participate in and experience arts and culture together. It is a year-long cultural program by which the selected city showcases its arts and culture for Finnish and European audiences," said Kurvinen.
After the announcement of the result, Piia Rantala-Korhonen, the manager of the Oulu2026 project, told Finnish media that Oulu's selection is "a huge opportunity for Oulu and the whole of Northern Finland."
"I hope that Northern Finland will now be clearly visible on the map of Europe," she said.
European Capitals of Culture have been designated since 1985, aiming to highlight the diversity of cultures in Europe, to boost cultural exchange, and to increase European citizens' sense of belonging to a common cultural area.