European Capitals of Culture 2024

2024-01-09 09:36:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Illustrative photo

Bad Ischl, a town in Austria's Salzkammergut region near Germany's Bavarian border, is a popular tourist destination. Hundreds of thousands of people come here every year to enjoy the picturesque mountain scenery of the region, with crystal clear lakes and green meadows in summer or snow-capped peaks in winter.

This once attracted the Austrian nobility to the city. Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Sisi spent many summers in Bad Ischl. They got engaged there in 1853.

In 2024, Bad Ischl and the 22 surrounding communities will become one of the year's three European Capitals of Culture – along with Tartu in Estonia and Bodo in Norway.

Climate change, history and Conchita Wurst

Bad Ischl and other communities want to realize more than 300 projects together to show that there is more to the region than idyllic landscapes. The program will explore, among other things, the consequences of rampant tourism and climate change, as well as the heavy historical burden from this region's past.

The aim is to reveal the positive and negative sides of this whole region and not to turn it [European Capital of Culture year] into a fireworks show or festivals," program curator Elisabeth Schweeger told the German news agency DPA. The program will
however kick off with a show in Bad Ischl, Austria on January 20. Tom Neuwirth, who is best known as Eurovision Song Contest winner Conchita Wurst and hails from the Salzkammergut region, will take part in the opening concert of along with rappers and a yodeling chorus of thousands.

Formed by salt mines

Salt has been mined in the Salzkammergut area for at least 7,000 years, and this "white gold" shaped the region. "It developed because of salt, got rich through salt - and with salt it will face its future," Schweeger said. "Now is the time to add another essential element: culture. It is the engine for sustainability in the Salzkammergut and far beyond."

Projects for the European Capital of Culture include an exhibition by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, which will also explore the tradition of salt mining.

Other exhibits deal with art looted by the Nazis. The Nazi regime hid looted art and art treasures in a mountain tunnel in Bad Ischl during World War II. A show in Bad Aussee will also shed light on the life of art dealer Wolfgang Gurlitt, whose collection included works of art looted by the Nazis. Concerts with music by Arnold Schönberg and an operetta by Oscar Straus also highlight the many Jewish artists and art lovers who have been closely associated with the Salzkammergut.

Another project will deal with the history of the Habsburg monarchy. The Salzkammergut was originally the private property of the Habsburgs.

A critical reflection on the past

Bad Ischl has only about 14,000 inhabitants. Other communities in the region that have come together to form the European Capital of Culture have, in some cases, populations of only a few hundred. The region, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, already has to cope with an influx of visitors every year. Historian Michael Kurz from Bad Goisern, who knows the region well, notes that there was some concern during the European Capital of Culture campaign. Locals often asked, "Do we need this?"

On the other hand, as the curator Elisabeth Schweeger pointed out, more than 85% of the activities are held by sponsors of local and regional projects. And getting an outside perspective on the region is an opportunity for the community to reflect critically on its history and culture, she added./DW