3161) Bad Ischl, Salzkammergut, Republic of Austria (Osterreich Republic): Osterreichische Post (Austrian Post) has issued a postage stamp of 94 Euro Cents commemorating the Austrian City designated as the 2024 European Capital of Culture City: Date/Year of Stamp issue: 20.01.2024:
What is the European Capitals of Culture initiative?:
- It is an initiative putting culture at the heart of European cities with EU support for a yearlong celebration of art and culture.
The European Capitals of Culture (ECOC) initiative is designed to:
- Highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe.
- Celebrate the cultural features Europeans share.
- Increase European citizens' sense of belonging to a common cultural area.
- Foster the contribution of culture to the development of cities.
In addition to this, experience has shown that the event is an excellent opportunity for:
- Regenerating cities
- Raising the international profile of cities
- Enhancing the image of cities in the eyes of their own inhabitants
- Breathing new life into a city's culture
- Boosting tourism
The initiative was developed in 1985 and has, to date, been awarded to more than 60 cities across the European Union (EU) and beyond.
Designation of European Capitals of Culture:
- Six years before the title year the selected host Member States publish a call for applications, usually through their Ministry for Culture. Cities interested in participating in the competition must submit a proposal for consideration.
- The submitted applications are reviewed against a set of established criteria at the end of a pre-selection phase by a panel of independent experts in the field of culture or culture-based city development. The panel agrees on a short-list of cities, which are then asked to submit more detailed applications.
- The panel then reconvenes to assess the final applications and recommends one city per host country for the title. The relevant authority in the Member State concerned then formally designates the recommended city as European Capital of Culture.
- The role of the European Commission is to ensure that the rules established at EU level are respected all along the way.
- Moreover, cities in EU candidate countries, potential candidates or members of the European Free Trade Association party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (so-called EFTA/EEA countries) can also hold the title in 2022, 2024, 2028, 2030 and 2033. These cities are selected through an "open competition", meaning that cities from various countries may compete with each other.
Designated European Capitals of Culture:
European Capitals of Culture have already been designated until the year 2028.
They are as follows:
2024: Bad Ischl (Austria), Tartu (Estonia) and Bodø (Norway)
2025: Chemnitz (Germany) and Nova Gorica (Slovenia)
2026: Oulu (Finland) and Trenčín (Slovakia)
2027: Liepāja (Latvia) and Évora (Portugal)
2028: České Budějovice (Czech Republic), Skopje (North Macedonia, pending formal endorsement) and a city in France.
Competitions are running for title-years 2028, 2029 and 2030.
About European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut (Austria):
The Capitals of Culture for 2024, alongside the Salzkammergut with 23 participating Upper Austrian and Styrian municipalities, are Tartu in Estonia and Bodø in Norway.
With the Salzkammergut and Bad Ischl as the "flagship town," an inner Alpine, rural region was named a European Capital of Culture for the first time.
Since 1985, the title of European Capital of Culture has been awarded by the European Union.
More than 60 European cities and regions have been honoured to date, including Graz (2003) and Linz (2009).
The Salzkammergut Capital of Culture region has developed four program lines that guide its agenda:
- “Power and Tradition,”
- “Culture in Motion,”
- “Sharing Salzkammergut – The Art of Travelling,” and
- “Globalocal – Building the New”.
Through numerous projects, the region presents itself, showcasing the diversity of traditional and contemporary art and culture, as well as opportunities for actively shaping the future.
Bad Ischl - The Salzkammergut's secret capital:
Bad Ischl is an imperial city, spa town and in 2024, it will be the focal point of the "European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024".
The symbiosis of architecture, culture and tradition reflect the history and artistic diversity of the town - pointing the way into the future.
Bad Ischl’s beauty and relaxing effect has been appreciated by holiday makers for centuries – spearheaded by Emperor Franz Franz Joseph.
Architecture in Bad Ischl:
Bad Ischl’s architecture is a mix of historic buildings, traditional Alpine architecture, and influences from various eras. The city by the river Traun is also considered the birthplace of the "Sommerfrische," a summer holiday that takes you out of the city to enjoy the cooler climate of the mountains.
The trend was started when Emperor Franz Joseph I. and Empress Sisi went there on holiday and were copied first by members of the aristocracy, then industrial magnates and finally the bourgeoisie.
Hotels, coffee houses, casinos, and promenades were built to be the new playground for Austria’s high society and onlookers from all over Europe.
Many artists, such as Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms and Franz Lehár, discovered the magic of a summer holiday in the countryside as well.
These holiday makers built fantastic villas for themselves, and it is these buildings that dominate the face of the town to this day.
THE WHITE GOLD OF HALLSTATT 20 EURO SILVER COIN SERIES:
In 2024, the Austrian town of Bad Ischl is European Capital of Culture, together with 22 other towns in the country’s Salzkammergut region.
To mark this momentous occasion, the Osterreich Munze (Austrian Mint) is bringing out a Coin series titled - "The White Gold of Hallstatt" in February 2024, a three-piece 20 Euro silver series that focuses on the famous town of Hallstatt's fascinating ancient history.
Some 3,500 years ago, the richest and most technically advanced Europeans lived around Hallstatt where they mined salt, the source of their great wealth. The Coin Series will begin with "Salt Mining", which will be followed by "Salt Trading" (in November 2024) and the third and final coin in the series, "Beliefs and Rituals", in 2025.
A postage stamp brought out by Osterreichische Post (Austrian Post):
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ii) Lady Bug Beetles: A set of four Commemorative stamps brought out by India Post on 23.02.2017
Posts on "Wonderful World of Insects":
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Posts on Grimm's Fairy Tales on this Blog:
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