The five-day event will climax with the cultural heritage award ceremony of the European Union and Europa Nostra, and VIPs are expected to attend. By tradition, the awards will be presented by the President of the organization, opera singer Plácido Domingo, together with the EU Commissioner for culture. Also the top leaders of the state are expected to participate.
– This is the most notable annual event of cultural heritage in Europe and we are very happy to finally – after Amsterdam, Lisbon, Athens, Vienna, Oslo and Madrid – get it to Finland and Turku,” rejoices the Chair of Europa Nostra Finland Tapani Mustonen.
One of the highlights of Finland’s jubilee year
– The event will be one of the highlights of Finland’s jubilee year of 100 years of independence. I am grateful to the City of Turku as well as to the local businesses and foundations that have eagerly begun building the event. We want all Turku residents and Finns to participate in this event, states the Vice Chair of Europa Nostra Finland Benito Casagrande, also a resident of Turku.
Europa nostra is a non-government organization safeguarding the European cultural heritage as well as a federation of local and national cultural heritage organizations that also accepts individual members. The organization operates in 42 European countries – in close co-operation with the European Union, Council of Europe and Unesco.
A local organization, Europa Nostra Finland (EuNoF), was founded in Finland in March 2011. Its tasks are to function as a co-operation tool between Finnish cultural heritage organizations and to bring forward Finnish cultural heritage discourse and know-how in Europe, among other things.
The City of Turku has assisted Europa Nostra Finland with the application process. Convention Director Sari Ruusumo and Manager of International Affairs Mika Akkanen are rejoicing about the fact that the event will come to Turku during the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence.
70 international conventions every year
– Turku is a European City of Culture and now we again have an opportunity to highlight the oldest cultural destinations of Finland: the Cathedral and Turku Castle, as well as the numerous ensembles designed by Alvar Aalto and Erik Bryggman, for instance,” says Akkanen.
In Turku the jubilee year of Finland’s independence in 2017 will consist of a series of events that are already being planned.
– During recent years Turku has been one of the leading cities for conventions, and as many as 60–70 international conventions are held in Turku every year, confirms Ruusumo.