The verdict fell this Friday March 3: the project of the 142 municipalities of Eastern Hérault, led by Montpellier and Sète, returns to the last four.
For this 43rd edition, nine French cities were pre-selected to become “European Capital of Culture 2028”. Alongside the Montpellier-Sète tandem, Amiens, Bastia, Bourges, Clermont-Ferrand, Nice, Reims, Rouen and Saint-Denis were indeed also candidates to win this coveted title.
The verdict of an independent European jury
After an oral which was held on Wednesday March 1 in Paris before an independent jury, made up of 12 European members, including two Frenchmen, the representatives were invited this Friday March 3, at the end of the followingnoon, to the auditorium of the National Institute of Heritage, to know the verdict aimed at leaving only three or four competitors in the running.
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The good news therefore fell shortly before 6 p.m.: the Montpellier-Sétoise bid, bringing with it more than 140 municipalities in eastern Hérault, is therefore one of the last finalists, alongside Rouen, Bourges and Clermont.
Paris, Avignon, Lille, Marseille and… Montpellier-Sète?
Since its launch in 1985 at the joint initiative of France and Greece, the system previously concerned the cities of Paris in France in 1989, Avignon in 1999, Lille in 2004 and Marseille in 2013. As a reminder, the “European Capital of Culture” system, born in 1985, aims to make known the cultural wealth of Europe across the continent. This system makes it possible to designate, for a period of one year, a host city responsible for ‘organize a program of cultural events’, says the Ministry of Culture.
The designation of the winning city should take place next December.