The small municipality of Elefsina (Eleusis), due west of Athens, on Friday was named as one of three European Capitals of Culture for 2021.
Although the city lies in the middle of Greece’s most industrialized corridor, the area also hosts one of the most important and expansive archaeological sites in Greece.
Ancient Eleusis, in fact, was an eponymous city-state of classical Greek antiquity, with its fate intertwined with that of its nearby and more powerful rivals, Athens and Corinth.
In a press release on Friday, Tibor Navracsics, the EU Commissioner for education, culture, youth and sport, extended the Commission’s congratulations towards Elefsina.
"In 2021, Greece will host its fourth European Capital of Culture after Athens in 1985, Thessaloniki in 1997 and Patras in 2006. Many cities competed for the title, with 14 initial contenders narrowed down to three finalists. This shows once again how popular this EU initiative is with cities and citizens,” he said, adding:
“I congratulate Elefsina on its successful bid. I look forward to seeing Elefsina give visitors from Europe and all over the world the opportunity to discover the city and its cultural assets but also to appreciate the diversity of cultures in the European Union as well as our shared values – this is today more vital.”
With this week’s decision, the line-up of European Capitals of Culture for 2021 is completed, with Elefsina joining Timişoara in Romania and Novi Sad in EU candidate-state Serbia.
Athens was the first-ever European Capital of Culture, with then Greek culture minister Melina Mercouri eagerly promoting both the creation of the annual institution and the Greek capital’s selection as the first featured city. Athens’ candidacy was judged at the time as a stellar success.
Thessaloniki’s presence as the ECC in 1997 got more mixed reviews, with the positive highlights being an unprecedented exhibition of Mt. Athos treasures and artwork at the city’s Byzantine Museum and the showcasing of the metropolis’s medieval history and 19th century architecture, among others. Negative reviews focused on a handful of venues that were not completed in time for the year’s events.
The western port city of Patras’ tenure as the 2006 European Capital of Culture, however, was a decidedly unmemorable affair, according to most reviews.
