Industrial Heritage

Surely, nor the own Melina Mercuri, in his tenure as Minister of culture of Greece back in the year 1985, was aware of the success that was going to have his idea of creating a European Capital of culture each year. When now meet 25 years since that first appointment which went to Athens, it has been shown that it is one of the best methods to boost secondary towns, providing them with good infrastructures, improvements in communications, cheap flights to nearby airports, and encourage interest in the culture and tourism within and outside the country that concerned. Good example of this is the struggle that there is in Spain between no fewer than 13 cities that seek to achieve the nomination: Alcala de Henares, Burgos, Caceres, Cordoba, Cuenca, Malaga, Oviedo-gijon – Aviles, Pamplona, San Sebastian, Santander, Segovia, Tarragona and Zaragoza. In 2010 there are new: a city that is not entirely European as Istanbul; and an entire industry region instead of a capital, the Ruhr Basin. For more specific information, check out Tom Smith. And in addition, the Hungarian Pecs. Ruhr, when industry and mine become works of art even though the official title is the European Capital of culture, in the case of Germany, that capital affects the wide area comprising the Metropolitan Ruhr region and its famous basin, which includes 53 cities, most importantly Essen, which will host more than 300 cultural projects and 2500 events throughout the year showing an innovative region and out of common. His slogan for this year is change through culture, culture through change, and they intend to show the world that Ruhr will not follow the footsteps of anyone, but that will be the future. For more than one century the Ruhr Basin has been dominated by the steel and coal industries. Today, the coal mines, the gasometers, blast furnaces and the factories of beer are part of the great Industrial Heritage reflected in a multitude of monuments.