Bourges named as European culture capital for 2028

Bourges, a medium-sized town in the heart of France, is looking forward to an economic boost after being chosen as the European Capital of Culture for 2028 alongside Ceské Budejovice, in the Czech Republic, and Skopje, in North Macedonia. 

The 15th century Palais Jacques Coeur courtyard in Bourges. © AFP - Guillaume Souvant

Yann Galut, the mayor of Bourges, said that being selected was an “immense honour", while Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak said the title would "shine a light on a medium-sized city with big ambitions”.

Three other French cities – Rouen, Montpellier and Clermont-Ferrand – missed out on the status, which ensures both international recognition and substantial tourist numbers.

“We tried to put forward a different vision and a different way of experiencing our European Capital of Culture,” said Galut.

🎉 Nos félicitations les plus chaleureuses à Bourges 🇫🇷, désignée aujourd'hui Capitale européenne 🇪🇺 de la culture 2028 ! 👏👏👏

🏆 Bourges deviendra la cinquième ville française lauréate depuis la création du Prix en 1985 !#EuropeforCulture pic.twitter.com/oCBIxWaPDp

— Commission européenne 🇪🇺 (@UEFrance) December 13, 2023

Launched in 1985 by France and Greece, the European Capital of Culture initiative aims to stimulate cultural tourism by organising exhibitions and festivals and opening new museums. 

With a population of 64,000, Bourges campaigned as the standard-bearer for medium-sized towns because towns with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants account for half of all citizens in France and the European Union.

Bourges is an ancient fortified town 240 kilometres south of Paris dating back to Gallic times. It’s best known for its contemporary music festival, the Printemps de Bourges, which is celebrated every April.

• Marseille, EU Capital of Culture, prepares for opening of Mediterranean museum

The town, which intends to become a European city of artists and authors, plans to hold a “Printemps Européen de Bourges” in 2028.

Bourges joins other French cities that have held the title, including Paris in 1989, Avignon in 2000, and Lille in 2004. 

Marseille was France’s latest European Capital of Culture in 2013. The Mediterranean port city welcomed 11 million visitors, with a total budget of over €1 billion and estimated spin-offs of €500 million. It also opened the Mucem museum.

Since 2021, the European Capital of Culture can also be awarded to a city in an EU candidate country.

Climate change challenges

For the EU-led initiative, culture is seen as an important lever in the fight against climate change.  

Rossella Tarantino, chairwoman of the jury responsible for selecting candidates, praised the fact the cities selected "took the challenges of climate change very seriously”.

She added that the Bourges 2028 cultural programme was strongly committed to a low carbon impact and followed the EU’s 2030 climate and societal objectives.

Driven by these sustainability goals, Galut hopes that the millions of people who come will do so by train.

However France's high-speed TGV train do not currently serve Bourges. 

(with newswires)