ESSEN, Germany, January 10 /PRNewswire/ — The Ruhr is the European Capital of Culture 2010. The cultural capital year was officially kicked off yesterday at the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site Zeche Zollverein, the region’s main landmark, by German President Horst Köhler with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and other political heavyweights in attendance. More than 100,000 Ruhr residents braved icy temperatures to celebrate the grand opening until the early morning hours.Fritz Pleitgen, Chairman of RUHR.2010 GmbH: “Who needs Copenhagen when you have the Ruhr metropolis? Despite climate change, we have a winter wonderland here! And nobody gets cold feet because RUHR.2010 is full of energy and everyone in the region is full of hot-blooded enthusiasm. We are on fire!”
Oliver Scheytt, General Manager of RUHR.2010 GmbH: “Our motto for 2010 is change through culture, culture through change. We will show the world that the Ruhr is no longer breathing dust but the future!”
The city of Essen bears the title of European Capital of Culture as the representative of the 53 cities of the Ruhr with around 5.3 million residents. That makes the region the European Union’s third largest urban agglomeration behind Paris and London. Following the decline of the coal and steel industries, the region has transformed itself into a cultural metropolis. The title of European Capital of Culture marks the high point of this development so far. 300 projects with more than 2,500 events will create new images to replace the old clichés.
