The world of cultural capitals in Europe is becoming increasingly diverse. There are the European ones, created in 1985 on the initiative of Melina Mercouri, which are preparing to start a new cycle of programming from 2034 onwards; there are the national ones, in most cases created as a consolation prize for cities that did not win the title of European Capital of Culture (e.g. Italy, Portugal and Poland, to name but a few); and then there are even regional ones. In truth, the latter title of regional capital of culture is mainly found in countries where there is a historically strong difference between local identities within the same country. In Italy, the regions of Tuscany and Puglia have tried, but with very little success or appeal. Regional capitals of culture are more deeply rooted in Spain. In the Valencia region, for example, the title of regional capital of culture has been awarded since 2018 to municipalities with a population of less than 5,000 inhabitants.

A wonderful opportunity to promote rural municipalities.

The first to earn this title was Potries, a municipality with just 1,000 inhabitants.

Building on this experience, Potries is now taking a huge step forward by applying to be European Capital of Culture for 2031, when it will be Spain and Malta's turn to nominate a city.

This challenge promises to be very complicated. Initially, the title of European Capital of Culture was mainly awarded to medium-sized cities. Athens, Florence, Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris were the first European cities of Culture. Then the EU turned its attention to small and medium-sized cities, with a resident population of between 50,000 and 200,000 inhabitants.

Never in the 40-year history of European Capitals of Culture has the title been awarded to a municipality with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. This is partly for logistical reasons. One of the main consequences of this title is an exponential growth in tourism, which means that the city must be able to manage and accommodate a significant number of so-called temporary citizens.

But Potries is giving it a try, and rightly so. It will be a complex competition for the small municipality: David against Goliath. In fact, at the moment, a total of 12 Spanish cities have already announced that they will submit their candidacy by 27 December this year: Granada, Toledo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Burgos, Pamplona, Vitoria, Oviedo, Cáceres, Palma de Mallorca, León and Jerez de la Frontera.

In recent days, Potries has made public its intention to participate in the competition because, it has been said, “The people of the rural world also have cultural rights and we must fight for them. Potries offers to fight for these rights”.

Potries aims to collect signatures from individuals and cultural groups, creators and promoters from across the state who are convinced of the importance of culture in rural areas, through the website potries2031.org.

The mayor of Potries, Sergi Vidal, has assured that ‘we can change the history of the rural world and consolidate our city's commitment to culture as a driver of local development, demonstrating that more culture means a better quality of life’. Potries and its mayor are clear on this point: ‘With this candidacy, we can continue to demonstrate the pride we feel for our cities’. The motto of the Potries 2031 bid is “Pride of Villages”.

This challenge could also serve as a good example for other countries.

Let's see how it goes.

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EcocNews is an independent, non-profit, online newspaper. We cover the world of European and National Capitals of Culture.
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