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European Capital of Culture

Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024

Europa* celebrates...

...Bad Ischl and the Salzkammergut as its Capital of Culture. For the first time in history, the prestigious title goes to an inner-alpine, rural region. The result is a cultural region that reinvents itself through the interaction of art, culture, economy and tourism. With a programme fed by international impulses that bring new voices and perspectives to the Salzkammergut.

*Europa is a Phoenician king's daughter of Greek mythology. She fell in love with the god Zeus, who approached her in the form of a bull. Today, Europa and the bull are a symbol of a united Europe.

Throughout 2024, there will be more than 150 projects to experience, spread across the entire Salzkammergut region – and certain events are already on the schedule for 2023. The programme promises to be a diverse, thought-provoking mix of inspiring regional contributions and international artists, of artistic performances and dialogue, with a sustainable concept that celebrates tradition while looking to the future.

 

Culture is the new salt

The Salzkammergut boasts a vast wealth of fascinating stories, places and people in a spectacular landscape. The influences of salt, water and wood combined to create this multifaceted region, where the history of salt mining began 7,000 years ago in Hallstatt. The salt trade has supported the region, enriched it and connected it to the world; powerful and wealthy people have been attracted to the area; and the invention of the summer retreat has transformed the Salzkammergut into a dream tourist destination. Today, the historic cultural landscape of the Inner Salzkammergut is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

 

Four programme strands

The programme for the 2024 Capital of Culture Bad Ischl–Salzkammergut highlights opportunities for shaping our future in four key areas.

 

23 towns and villages

23 communities in the provinces of Upper Austria and Styria make up the Capital of Culture region: the flagship town of Bad Ischl, Altaussee, Altmünster, Bad Aussee, Bad Goisern, Bad Mitterndorf, Ebensee am Traunsee, Gmunden, Gosau, Grünau im Almtal, Grundlsee, Hallstatt, Kirchham, Laakirchen, Obertraun, Pettenbach im Almtal, Roitham am Traunfall, St Konrad, Scharnstein, Steinbach am Attersee, Traunkirchen, Unterach am Attersee, Vorchdorf.

Power & tradition
Power & tradition

Traditions are kept alive and well in the Salzkammergut. They take in a wide range of activities, from music, crafts, customs, theatre and literature to inn culture. Culture is constantly changing, born out of social processes – sometimes even out of acts of protest. Recognising the roles played by power and tradition is vital when it comes to understanding and respecting local and global identities as they evolve.

Sharing Salzkammergut
Sharing Salzkammergut

From its roots in the 19th-century concept of the summer retreat, tourism has grown into a vital industry in the Salzkammergut. “Sharing Salzkammergut – the Art of Travelling” explores the myriad challenges as well as the opportunities for enhancing the high-quality tourism offer. It also seeks answers to the question of how the Alpine region can be made attractive in ways unconnected to tourism, especially outside the summer and winter seasons.

Culture in motion
Culture in motion

Customs, traditions and a shared language are resources that are available to everyone. Culture and cultural identity never stand still. It goes without saying that culture is in motion. It embraces new developments and makes a region and its people strong and well-equipped for the future. It recognises diversity as a strength that allows us to learn from each other, to develop and to rise to new challenges.

Globalocal - Building the New
Globalocal - Building the New

A challenge faces the rural Alpine region: what can be done so that people can make a life in the countryside but also be connected and work globally? “Globalocal – Building the New” is all about imagining the world of tomorrow, developing strategies and exploring intergenerational tensions. Young people are the focus when it comes to promoting cultural and creative diversity in the Salzkammergut region and making it an attractive place to live for all ages.

With the Freizeit-Ticket OÖ to the Salzkammergut

Public transport is a particularly convenient and relaxed way to get to your destination. The Freizeit-Ticket OÖ costs just € 19.90 in the Capital of Culture year 2024 and is valid until 3 a.m. the following day. This means that evening events can also be visited comfortably and stress-free by public transport. Up to two adults and four children under the age of 15 can travel by bus and train through Upper Austria and the entire Salzkammergut region for one day.

Freizeit-Ticket OÖ

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European Capital of Culture Events 2024

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