European Capitals of Culture in 2023

The three European Capitals of Culture for 2023 are Elefsina in Greece, Timișoara in Romania and Veszprém in Hungary. The European Capital of Culture highlights the cultural heritage and history of different European city annually.

Let's make a virtual visit to each city and explore their cultural heritage.

Elefsina

Elefsina, also known as Eleusis, is a town in the historic Greek region Attica, to the northwest of Athens.

As with many cities in Greece, Elefsina has a rich archaeogological history stretching back many centuries covering both Ancient Greece and Roman times. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it develpoped into an industrial city - as exemplified by this photograph.

In Ancient Greece, Eleusis was the site of the Eleusinian Mysteries, one of the most famous secret religious rites of ancient Greece. These were initiations held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone.

Elefsina is the birthplace of ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, who is often described as the father of Greek tragedy.

Aeschylus lived between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. He is estimated to have written between 70 and 90 plays but only seven have surviving to today.

He entered - and won - many dramatic competitions, which took place as Greek theatre was beginning to evolve. He developed the genre of Greek tragedy. Aeschylus added more characters, scene decoration and made costumes more dramatic. His plays, written in verse, are stories about the gods or are set far away from Greeece, and are moral and religious.

Elefsina honours Aeschylus each year with the Aeschylia Festival. Founded in 1975, it is held at Palaio Elaiourgeio, an open-air theatre on the seafront which was formerly a soap factory.

The festival - held at the end of the summer - includes theatre performances, concerts, dance events and art exhibitions.

Timișoara

Timișoara, located in western Romania, is the country's third city and the second city in Romania to be awarded the European Capital of Culture.

The city has a rich history dating back to the early Middle Ages, and has long been a centre of culture and commerce in the region. It is considered the informal capital of the broader historical region Banat, which was one of the eastern frontiers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and is now shared by Romania, Serbia and Hungary.

Successive periods of history and rulers - the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, World War I - have all left reminders on Timișoara. The city's varied archicutre is the largest architectural ensemble of historic buildings in Romania, with Baroque, Historicism, Neoclassicism, Art Nouveau and Wiener Secession styles all to be seen in the city.

Timișoara has more than thirty parks and green spaces, which has led it to being given the nickname 'City of Flowers'.

Timișoara was the first city on mainland Europe to have electric street lighting, which was installed in 1884. In 1989, the Revolution against Ceaușescu’s regime began on the streets of Timișoara.

Veszprém

Veszprém is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and is located to the north of Lake Balaton. The European Capital of Culture title in 2023 is held by Veszprém and shared across the the Bakony-Balaton region, with more than 100 towns and villages cooperating to develop projects.

Veszprém is known as the 'City of Queens' as it was there that the Bishop of Veszprém crowned queens of Hungary. It was the first city in Hungary to have a bishop, when the diocese of Veszprém was established - this was believed to have been decreed in 1009 AD by King Stephen I of Hungary. The city was also the favourite of Stephen's wife Queen Gisela.

In the wider region, Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. It is known for its shore towns which developed as resorts, for wine production and water sports.