Encore
Ask the evidenceThe ArchiveAbout Encore
Sign in
Encore by Whitelabel, with Culture NextCities in the network: sign in for your workspace

The ECoC evidence base

The Archive

Forty years of European Capitals of Culture in their own words: what cities promised, what they did, and what the evaluations found.

documents
472

documents

cities
190

cities

evaluations
53

evaluations

bid books
182

bid books

1985–2031

title years covered

All shelvesEvaluations 53Monitoring and progress reports 1Bid books 182Selection and monitoring reports 111EU framework and official documents 27Strategies and action plans 5Research, guides and frameworks 33Shared by cities 1Sent in by members 59Published by cities 12
TypeBid book (pre-selection) 3Bid book (final selection) 11Monitoring panel report 2Ex-post evaluation 15Strategy 1Research 6Other 3
What the document types mean
Bid book (pre-selection)
A city's first application for the title, judged by the selection panel to make the shortlist.
Evidence of intent: what a city promised, not what it delivered.
Bid book (final selection)
A shortlisted city's full, final application for the title, with its programme, budget and plans.
Evidence of intent: what a city promised, not what it delivered.
Selection panel report
The EU expert panel's assessment of the bids in one competition, with its reasons and its recommendation.
Context: useful background, not a city's own evidence of what happened.
Monitoring panel report
The EU expert panel's report on a designated city's preparations before its title year, with its advice.
Context: useful background, not a city's own evidence of what happened.
Ex-post evaluation
An assessment, written after the title year or a programme, of what it actually achieved, usually by independent evaluators.
Evidence of outcome: what actually happened.
Monitoring or progress report
A city's own report on how its programme is going, written while it runs, with the figures it has tracked.
Evidence of outcome: what actually happened.
Strategy
A city's long-term plan or policy for culture, including legacy strategies and council decisions.
A plan: how a city meant to deliver and keep going.
Action plan
A concrete plan of what a city or organisation will do, by when and with what resources.
A plan: how a city meant to deliver and keep going.
Guide or toolkit
Practical how-to material that others can reuse: guides, toolkits, handbooks and templates.
Context: useful background, not a city's own evidence of what happened.
Research
Studies, frameworks and papers across one or more cities, written by researchers rather than by a city.
Context: useful background, not a city's own evidence of what happened.
Other
Anything else: news, memos, programme brochures and documents that fit no type above.
Context: useful background, not a city's own evidence of what happened.

41 documents for “Legacy”

Clear
Ask Encore: “Legacy”An answer from across the Archive, every claim cited to its document.

Found inside the documents

EC Ex-Post Evaluation — 2019 (Matera & Plovdiv)
Matera & Plovdiv · 2019

To ensure legacy, the Foundation added a specific requirement for project proposals to build on the following aspects: Topics and concepts of the Plovdiv 2019 programme, and where possible, to enrich festivals and events, which were…

  • San Sebastián 2016 — Evaluation Report
    San Sebastián · 2016

    The main finding of the evaluation in terms of legacy and sustainability is that the legacy planning of the ECoC in San Sebastián has been generally limited.

  • EC Ex-Post Evaluation — ALL ex-post evaluations -summary
    Cross-city (EU summary 2007-2019) · 2019

    LEGACY Planning legacy at an early stage Sustainability needs to be considered at an early stage and ‘built-in’ from the outset. Whilst the year before the title-year and the title-year itself are inevitably very busy, legacy planning…

  • 568e846b-0dac-4f5e-b911-102e063ecaae-novisad_culture_sdg_impact_profile-1-.docx-1-.pdf
    London. Contributed by London and published to everyone.

    …2.1 Title Year at a Glance The 2022 data paints a vivid picture of what the ECoC year achieved — and provides the baseline against which the legacy period should be understood.

  • Narva 2024 — Final selection
    Narva · 2024

    The pro- gramme will be carried out starting in 2020, and it will continue as one of the legacy projects of ECoC. LEVEL UP NARVA includes training, coaching, mentorship, workshops, seminars, study visits, and online project-development…

  • Legacy Magazine „Aufbruch, / Shine On, Salzkammergut“ (Bad Ischl 2024)
    Bad Ischl · 2024
  • EC Ex-Post Evaluation — 2016 (San Sebastián & Wrocław)
    San Sebastián & Wrocław · 2016

    The main finding of the evaluation in terms of legacy and sustainability is that the legacy planning of the ECoC in San Sebastián has been generally limited.

  • Split 2020 — Pre-selection
    Split · 2020

    It is important to state that delivering a 2020 legacy is not just about providing a “legacy funding stream”. A really positive legacy would be to deliver cultural, economic and social changes whilst at the same time recognising the need…

  • Banja Luka 2024 — Final selection
    Banja Luka · 2024

    LEGACY BEYOND 2024 The pragmatic approach of our Bid is rooted in the experience of other Euro- pean Capitals of Culture, which served as a good starting point and a case study for what happens after the titular year when you don’t have a…

  • Valletta 2018 — Final Report
    Valletta · 2018

    …initiatives in Valletta or elsewhere consider community involvement not as an afterthought or as a fringe element, but as a touchstone of legacy generation.

  • Timișoara 2023 — Evaluation report (2025)
    Timișoara · 2023

    The Municipality of Timișoara has also initiated the preparation of a Timișoara 2023 Legacy Plan, which will be integrated into the city’s future cultural strategy from 2025 onwards, reinforcing the positive impact of the programme on the…

  • Marseille 2013
    Marseille-Provence · 2013

    Both cities saw significant improvements to the cultural infrastructure, which are a key legacy effect. In some ways this is most noteworthy in Košice given the context of many years of under-investment.

  • EC Ex-Post Evaluation — Aarhus, Pafos
    Aarhus & Pafos · 2017

    …ECoC status can influence tourism numbers in a city as it becomes a contributing factor in their decision on which destination to choose. 3.6 Legacy This section looks at the longer-term legacy of the Pafos ECoC post 2017 and explores how…

  • Leeuwarden 2018 — European Commission evaluation
    Leeuwarden · 2018

    …staff felt the opposite, noting that visits to cities are often enriched by experiencing smaller and more locally focussed activities. 3.6 Legacy The first recommendations related to legacy were made in 2016 and 2017 where the Foundation…

  • Leuven 2030 — Pre-selection
    Leuven · 2030

    Importantly, that energy also segues into the legacy of our bid – the reconnection with our closest neighbours and the formation of one common cultural space.

  • EC Ex-Post Evaluation — 2015 (Mons & Plzeň)
    Mons & Plzeň · 2015

    Joint activities (including joint ticketing, joint marketing and the sharing of equipment) were still occurring due to the legacy of strong relationships built up over the ECoC year.

  • EC Ex-Post Evaluation — Umeå, Riga
    Umeå & Riga · 2014

    …events and activities ‘bigger and better’ rather than stimulating completely new activities was seen as a key way of maintaining a longer term legacy.

  • České Budějovice (Budweis) 2028
    České Budějovice (Budweis) · 2028

    MANAGEMENT Contributions from donors, residents, or visitors towards Budweis 2028 legacy will be collected by the foundation itself and further distributed to respective projects in a transparent way beyond 2028.

  • Rijeka 2020 — Evaluation Report
    Rijeka · 2020

    …Incubator programme Number of external events 2022 365 (173 foreigners) 13 86 128 2023 502 (200 foreigners) 20 86 90 144 EVALUATION REPORT 6 LEGACY EVALUATION REPORT 145 6.

  • Impact assessment accompanying COM(2012) 407, SWD(2012) 226
    2012

    Problem n° 3: weak legacy planning It clearly emerged from the 25 year anniversary conference which focused on the legacy of ECoC that legacy is far from automatic simply because a city holds the title.

  • Córdoba 2016 — Final selection
    Córdoba · 2016

    …encounters and the dialogue of cultures. 29 to bring the common aspects of European cultures to the fore Córdoba and al-Ándalus bequeathed a legacy with- out which the history of the West cannot be fully un- derstood, although many…

  • Compendium of recommendations from the ex-post evaluations of the ECoC 2007–2016
    2017

    LEGACY Planning legacy at an early stage Sustainability needs to be considered at an early stage and ‘built-in’ from the outset. Whilst the year before the title-year and the title-year itself are inevitably very busy, legacy planning…

  • Kortrijk 2030 — Pre-selection
    Kortrijk · 2030

    Kortrijk2030 Legacy Let’s be honest. The work will not be done by the end of the ECoC-year. After 2030, the ambition is to keep the Public Benefit Foundation, continue working with a Durf- mentality and keep evolving towards flaxible…

  • European Capitals of Culture: success strategies and long-term effects (Garcia and Cox, European Parliament, 2013)
    2013

    Legacy and sustainability Taking all identified challenges combined, from difficulties setting a coherent vision, to exploring the Programme’s European Dimension in a meaningful way, it is apparent that one of the key points to come to…

  • Lublin 2029
    Lublin · 2029
  • Timișoara 2021
    Timișoara · 2021

    Legacy-by-capacity-building-driven The last package is designed to investigate the long-term legacy of the project with particular focus on the overall goals and objectives (ECoC1- ECoC3 and SG1-SG3).

  • Riga 2014
    Riga · 2014

    Everyone arriv- ing at the european capital of culture will be asked to submit to the exhibition per- sonal items with a historic legacy. The lo- cation of the exhibition is planned in one of the former Freedom Street factories – VEF or in…

  • Culture Next Input - EC Call for Evidence on the new ECoC Legal Basis
    Cluj-Napoca. Contributed by Cluj-Napoca and published to everyone.Cluj-Napoca · 2026

    Strengthening the Legacy Framework The Interim Evaluation highlights weak knowledge transfer between past, current, and future candidates, leading to the loss of good practices.

  • EC Ex-Post Evaluation — Essen Ruhr, Pécs, Istanbul
    Essen/Ruhr, Pécs, Istanbul · 2010

    Beyond these benefits, the creation of a sustainable legacy is more uncertain. It typically requires the key stakeholders to come together around a long-term vision and strategy and to establish a structure for the ongoing governance and…

  • DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL renewing a Union action for the European Capitals of Culture for the years 2034 to 2047 and repealing Decision No 445/2014/EU
    Cluj-Napoca. Contributed by Cluj-Napoca and published to everyone.Cluj-Napoca · 2026

    The criteria for the assessment of application are as follows: (a) long-term strategy and legacy; (b) cultural and artistic content; (c) outreach, communication and citizens’ participation; (d) management and capacity to deliver.

  • Cultural Development Plan „Cultural Vision 2030“ (English) (Bad Ischl 2024)
    Bad Ischl · 2024

    Barbara Kernis a historian and has been researching the Salzkammergut region, its history, traditions, peculiarities, and legacy, since 2006. Since 2009, she has been a member of staff and spokesperson for the Hand.Werk.Haus Salzkammergut…

  • Katowice 2029
    Katowice · 2029

    Past ECoCs with strong legacy 2018: Leeuwarden (Netherlands) → We were invited to cooperate on their legacy project Arcadia on traditional arts and crafts.

  • Kalamata 2021 — Final selection
    Kalamata · 2021

    Our provision, and decision of the City Council is, if the Melina Mercouri Prize is awarded, it will finance our 4-year Legacy Plan (2022-2025). The award will cover the salary cost of a small team with an operating budget to support…

  • Leeuwarden 2018 — 2nd monitoring report
    Leeuwarden · 2018

    …region, but understood the advantages of using these channels for communication towards the international public at a later stage.  On legacy, the panel mentioned that the goals set in the bid-book relating to sustainable development…

  • Chemnitz 2025 — Monitoring Report
    Chemnitz · 2025

    Recognition that further coordination is core for the successful delivery of the project and ensuring a proper legacy for the future. A council of mayors will contribute to this.

  • Hannover 2025 — Final selection
    Hannover · 2025

    …responsi- bility outlined above are three further remits which are pre- sent in the work of all the teams: third-party funding, evalua- tion/legacy and Upgrade Hannover.

  • Novi Sad 2022 — Evaluation Report
    Novi Sad · 2022

    PUBLICATIONS 1000+ 122 123 LEGACY OF NOVI SAD 2022 The most important legacies of the ‘Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture’ project are people and processes, making the foundations and pillars which support the most visible legacies of…

  • Commission Staff Working Document — interim evaluation of the ECoC action, SWD(2025) 284
    2025

    Finally, the evaluation argues that the title year legacy, despite being an important aspect evaluated at the selection stage, can be affected by a multitude of factors such as a shifting political support.

  • Bourges 2028 — Final selection
    Bourges · 2028

    …A true service, knowledge and resource centre for artists and their access to the European stage This programme ECA is the Bourges 2028 legacy project which we described in detail in Bid Book 1.

  • Also matching the title, city or themes

    Chemnitz 2025

    Chemnitz · 2025

    Preparing for the European Capital of Culture Action post-2033: The role and legacy of LRAs

    Context

    Preparing for the European Capital of Culture Action post-2033: The role and legacy of LRAs