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Marseille – European capital of culture 2013 |
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 |
Marseille has beaten Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse to win the right to be the European culture capital for the year 2013. The city founded by the Phoceans will share the privilege with Kosovice in Slovakia.
Christine Albanel, Minister of Culture, said that the jury of experts
advising her was unanimous in their choice. The project which takes in
the whole Communauté Urbaine of Marseille Provence will reflect
France’s current preoccupation with its southern neighbours across the
Mediterranean and the new Mediterranean Union.
Marseille has a population of 1.6 million and is presided over by its
colourful maire Jean-Claude Gaudin who held his post in the recent
local elections despite the leftward movement of the electors
nationally. He is credited with a major urban renewal programme and for
largely avoiding the youth riots that shook other French Cities in the
autumn of 2006. According to the President of the campaign to win the
title for 2013, Bernard Latarjet, the 130 communes that make up the
Marseille Provence district have prepared 74 exhibitions and other
events with a budget of 98 million Euros.
The idea of European culture capitals was first put forward by Melina
Mercouri when she was Greek Minister of Culture in 1985. Marseille
hopes to rival the very successful programme at Lille which is still
attracting visitors over and above the 9 million visitors who spent 72
million euros in 2004.
Monsieur Latarjet believes that Marseille will in its turn attract two
to three million extra tourists, a million cruise passengers and 600
million euros of new expenditure to the city. For every one euro
invested he expects 6 euros to be spent by extra visitors.
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