Patras

Culture

One of the biggest tourist attractions of Patras, is the Carnival of Patrashttp://www.carnivalpatras.gr/en/index-1.asp, held every year from February to March. It is said to be one of the most famous in the world coming just after Rio de Janeiro and Venice. Every summer takes place the International Festival of Patras with a program consisting mostly of plays--both ancient drama and modern theatre--as well as various music concerts.

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European Capital of Culture 2006

Patras was chosen by the European Commission to be the European Capital of Culture for the year 2006. The planning involves the construction of a major archaelogical museum, to be finished in 2006, which with its globe-like roof and modern architectural design, will enhance the town's northern entrance and take its place among the other town landmarks. Moreover the concept of Patras 2006http://www.patra2006.gr revolves around the main theme of "Bridges" and "Links", taking benefit from the City's rich history and its position as a "Gate to the West", to underline the essence of the productive interaction of culture and civilisation in Europe. The EU Commission found Patra's plans really ambitious and also commented that a successful hosting of the title by a medium sized city would make it possible to redifine the meaning of the term Cultural Capital. So far the program of events is being finalized and the construction of the new museum is moving on rapidly. Attempts to renovate old factories and link such spaces to the town's cultural life are to begin soon.

Related Topics:
European Commission - European Capital of Culture - Europe

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The Selection Panel for 2006 noted in its final report:

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The current cultural activity http://www.depap.gr of the city includes the Patras International Festival (various artistic activities, mainly in the field of music), the Patras Carnival and the Poetry Symposium. The city hosts several conservatoires and schools of music,including one devoted exclusively to Byzantine music, and several orchestras and choirs. There is one full-time theatre group in the city, the Patras Municipal Regional Theatre, as well as several amateur groups. A number of schools teach dancing, and there are plans to set up a dance theatre within the context of the Patras Municipal Regional Theatre. Patras has a visual arts workshop, a school of icon painting and a carnival float workshop, and hosts a Municipal Gallery as well as private art galleries. The city has a Municipal Library, an archaeological museum, a folk art museum, an historical and ethnological museum and a museum of the press. The architectural heritage of the city is dominated by neo-classicism, but includes also constructions from other periods.

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:The Patras 2006 proposal focuses on two central ideas: ?bridges? and ?dialogues?. Cultural managers from Patras and the general public will be involved in developing these ideas. Further, four poles/programmes of cultural attraction will be developed. The first, ?A city for Europe?, will relate to the architectural heritage, the industrial revolution and similar subjects. ?The counterpart cities? programme will bedeveloped in the fields of human and social sciences and in diverse artistic fields.?The three sea battles? will present a cultural programme focusing on peace and understanding. The last theme, ?The many homelands?, is directly linked to the etymology of the name of the city. This programme will amongst other things concentrate on art workshops, the transfer of know-how, way of life and entertainment.

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Excerpt from the Report of the Selection Panel for the European Capital of Culture 2006http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/eac/other_actions/cap_europ/pdf_word/patras_final_report.pdfhttp://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/eac/other_actions/cap_europ/cap_futur_en.html

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