Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012

The city of Maribor won the prestigious European Capital of Culture title in 2008 with an ambitious regional proposal that mobilised 5 partner cities in Slovenia (Murska Sobota, Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec, Novo mesto and Velenje). Some of the programme was co-organised with the Portuguese town of Guimarães, another European Capital of Culture in 2012.

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Programme

The programme of the Cultural Capital of Europe 2012 was opened with Marij Kogoj's opera Black Masks (written in 1924–1927), directed by Janez Burger and performed by the joint ensembles of the Maribor and Ljubljana National Theatres.

The Cultural Capital's programme highlights also the performances by the so-called Maribor Directing School (Tomaž Pandur, Jernej Lorenci, Matjaž Latin, and Sebastijan Horvat). It has also included inventive urban projects such as "social ecology" or "militant research" in the suburbs and a new installation of the Maribor Regional Museum's permanent collection.

The programme has been divided into four strands: Terminal 12 (led by Aleš Šteger), Town Keys (led by Boris Cizej), Urban Furrows (led by Marta Gregorič), and LifeTouch (led by Aleš Čar), the latter featuring also Perspectives & Reflections blogs by international authors.

Featured international artists

Within the Terminal 12 programme strand each month in 2012 Maribor hosts one of the prominent international guests, among them Charles Simic, Boris Groys, Jan Fabre, Jean-Claude Carrière, Rebecca Horn, Vikas Swarup, Tzvetan Todorov, Gari Kasparov and Hans Magnus Enzensberger. Ulay (Uwe Laysiepen) has conceived the new site-specific work during his residence in Maribor.

A talk with the screenwriter and actor Jean-Claude Carrière at the Slovene National Theatre Maribor, led by Stojan Pelko, Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012

Infrastructural investments

The seat of the Maribor 2012 Public Institute was situated in the recently renovated Vetrinje Mansion (Naskov dvorec) in the very heart of the city. The architects Maruša Zorec and Matjaž Bolčina won the 2010 Piranesi Award for its renovation.

At first the City of Maribor gave the leading position to the new Maribor Cultural Centre (MAKS), which is to be erected on the grounds of the former knitting factory in the Studenci area. The plans for this edifice with its 2-multi-purpose halls for 650 visitors each were made by SADAR + VUGA Architects. According to the current plans the cultural centre should comprise also the new premises fo the Maribor Art Gallery. The realisation of the project was dropped due to financial issues.

Partner cities

Each of the partner cities had some highlights in their programmes. In February 2012 the city of Ptuj organised a world mardi-gras EtnoFest and the Ptuj Regional Museum prepared the 4th World Congress of Archaeologists. Ptuj hosted also the traditional Days of Poetry and Wine Festival.

Slovenj Gradec renovated the Birthplace of Hugo Wolf, Slovenj Gradec into an international museum and documentation centre of the Austrian composer. A performance based on Wolf's lieder was accompanied by the first international workshop on classical solo singing.

Murska Sobota featured dance through the enhanced international Front@ Contemporary Dance Festival, the mining town of Velenje, however, produced an underground spectacle featuring Laibach music group.

Cultural Embassies

The international programming in 2012 has been supported also by the embassies and cultural centres located in Slovenia: Cultural Embassies programme strand comprises more than hundred events that feature arts and heritage of 24 countries.

Some of the programme was co-organised with the Portuguese town of Guimarães, another European Capital of Culture in 2012. A documentary about the Guimares was shot by the LifeTouch video team (Smehomat Association).

5 PIECES OF HEART by Življenje na dotik Lifetouch on YouTube

External links

ECoC Maribor online content

Critical reviews

Zofijini and EPK (in Slovenian)
Raw Energy Manifesto (2009, in Slovenian)

ECoc Ex-Post Evaluation

Ex-post Evaluation of the ECoC 2012

ECoC references

ECoC MB 2012 in media

Gallery

The Village, exhibition by Markku Haanpää, artist in residence at Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012

The Way of the Rider, a grand equestrian theatre spectacle by Bartabas, founder of Académie du Spectacle Équestre de Versailles at the Hippodrome Kamnica, Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012

Opening of the French Embassy of Culture at the Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012

DJ acid Washed concert in Maribor, 2012

Art residency by sound artist Fouad Bouchoucha, in the frame of the French Cultural Embassy, Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012. © Otto-Prod

A lecture by the Nobel Chemistry Prize laureate Jean-Marie Lehn at the Out of the Box seminar at the University of Maribor, Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012

A talk with the screenwriter and actor Jean-Claude Carrière at the Slovene National Theatre Maribor, led by Stojan Pelko, Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012

Animated Maribor European Capital of Culture 2012 opening banner, 250 x 100 px

Animated Maribor European Capital of Culture 2012 opening banner, 728 x 92 px

Sirkus Sudenkuoppa, Finnish circus group, performing at Finnish-Estonian month opening ceremony of the Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012

Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012

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