Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012
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15 Nov 2017
16 Nov 2017
Along the Mediterranean Sea, a conference on the topic of European Capitals of Culture, attended by Mitja Čander, a former programme director of Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012, an event being supported also by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Rome,
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15 Sep 2012
15 Oct 2012
Austria Graz Various venues in Graz and Maribor
Maribor-Graz, visual arts exchange projects, art academies and other cooperation projects within the Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012 programme
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26 Jun 2012
A presentation of the project Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012 by director-general Suzana Žilič Fišer
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5 Jun 2012
The presentation of the Urban Furrows programme within Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012, supported by the Slovenian Culture and Information Centre, Vienna (SKICA), Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Vienna,
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28 May 2012
6 Jun 2012
War and Peace by Tomaž Pandur, coproduced by Pandur.Theaters and Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012
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16 May 2012
Liverpool 2008. Capital of Vulture film screening and the European Culture: How Much Milch Gives the Holy Cow? panel discussion, coorganised by Slovenian Culture and Information Centre, Vienna (SKICA)(Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Vienna), . Participating Marta Gregorčič, Urban Furrows Programe of Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012
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12 May 2012
EU Open House programme, Lučka Koščak's sculpture, ArtVento Quintet Performance, the Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012 presentation
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31 Mar 2012
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28 Mar 2012
Presentation of the publication Une rassurante étrangeté: regards croisés sur Mons et Maribor by Caroline Lamarche and Dušan Šarotar in Mons, ECoC 2015 in collaboration with Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012
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23 Mar 2012
United Kingdom London Embassy of Portugal
Presentation of the Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012 programme in London, coorganised by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia London
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13 Mar 2012
Slovene literary evening with Drago Jančar, Andree Lück-Gaye (translator of his novels), Zoran Predin and Mitja Čander, co-organised by the Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012 and the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Paris
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17 Jan 2012
Official opening of the Slovenian Culture and Information Centre, Vienna (SKICA) (Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Vienna), including the Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012 programme presentation
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24 Sep 2011
Slovene Focus in Mons presents installation by Marko Batista (Aksioma Institute), Jan Cvitkovič's films, Dušan Šarotar's literature in cooperation with Maribor, European Capital of Culture 2012
at the Festival L'espace des possibles
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.
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).
See also
- A list of organisations engaged in the programme of the Maribor ECoC 2012
- Municipality of Maribor
- Municipality of Slovenj Gradec
- Municipality of Murska Sobota
- Municipality of Ptuj
- Municipality of Novo mesto
- Municipality of Velenje
External links
ECoC Maribor online content
- ECoC Maribor 2012 - information website (in Slovenian)
- Calendar of events (pdf)
- Programme Portfolio EPK (pdf)
ECoc ex-post evaluation
Critical reviews
- Zofijini and EPK (in Slovenian)
ECoC references
ECoC MB 2012 in media
- ECoC Maribor 2012 news on Misli slovensko portal by Slovene Press Agency (STA)
- ECoC Maribor 2012 news on Delo daily web portal
- ECoC Maribor 2012 news on Radio and Television Slovenija web portal
- Europäische Kulturhauptstadt Maribor, Presentation on Arte.tv (in German)