collage image featuring two postcards, showing buildings on city squares.
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European Capitals of Culture 2025 - Chemnitz and Nova Gorica-Gorizia

Germany and twin towns in Slovenia and Italy host the title

What are the European Capitals of Culture in 2025?

by
Adrian Murphy (opens in new window) (Europeana Foundation)

Each year, the European Capitals of Culture programme celebrates the rich tapestry of cultural heritage across Europe, showcasing the historical significance, cultural lives and artistic legacies of different cities and regions.

In 2025, cities in Germany and Slovenia are scheduled to host the title, with one locality coming up with a unique arrangement. The 2025 European Capitals of Culture are Chemnitz, in Germany, and Nova Gorica and Gorizia, two twin towns on the border of Slovenia and Italy. This is the first-ever European Capital of Culture to combine cities in two countries.

Chemnitz, Germany

Chemnitz is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony, located in the east of the country around 40 kilometres from the border with Czechia.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Chemnitz was one of the richest cities in Germany due to its industry. Chemnitz and regions surrounding the city played an important role in Germany's growth, especially in the textile, rail and car industries.

illustration of a factory with smoking chimneys in a rural landscape.

Around 40% of the city was destroyed during World War II, with the city centre left in ruins. In the following decades, the city was part of East Germany (GDR) and known as Karl-Marx-Stadt, with its city centre rebuilt with modernist architecture.

colour postcard image, showing a street scene in Chemnitz.

After the reunification of Germany in 1990, the city centre was again re-planned with a series of restorations and new buildings. That year, the city's inhabitants voted to adopt the name Chemnitz again.

postcard with black and white image of a building on a city street.
black and white photograph, a modern style building with a curved balcony or verandah.
black and white photograph, a man walking down a street with modern architecture.

This turbulent history has left the city with a variety of buildings in diverse architectural styles.

The city is home to many Art Nouveau and Bauhaus buildings from the early 20th century.

Examples of modern, concrete, industrial and Brutalist architecture can be found too.

The city's industrial history now plays an important role in heritage and culture. The Chemnitz Industrial Museum is a landmark on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. The nearby Erzgebirge region was an important mining centre, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.

Two of the city's largest museums are housed in a former bank and an art nouveau building - the Museum Gunzenhauser with a collection of around 2,500 modern artworks and the Kunstsammlungen located on Theaterplatz.

colour photograph of the facade of the König-Albert-Museum.

In 2025, Chemnitz joins 38 other municipalities in the region to celebrate the European Capital of Culture.

The year has the motto 'C the Unseen', making hidden treasures visible. Chemnnitz's nickname is the 'City of Makers' and this will be seen in garages and factory buildings converted into art spaces, while the city’s parks will host festivals, performances and exhibitions.

colour postcard image of a lake surrounded by trees in a city park.

Nova Gorica, Slovenia and Gorizia, Italy

Nova Gorica and Gorizia are twin towns on the border of Slovenia and Italy. This unique cross-border location is at the heart of the 2025 European Capital of Culture, which aims to be a celebration of unity across borders, and carries the slogan 'GO! Borderless'.

Gorizia is in Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, located at the foot of the Julian Alps. Nova Gorica was built in 1947, a new planned town with modernist architecture by the socialist government of Yugoslavia.

colour postcard, an aerial view of a town with a square at the centre.
colour postcard image of a church and other buildings on a town square.

Both towns are in hilly landscapes with orchards and vineyards and the Soča River running from the Julian Alps to the Gulf of Trieste.

The international border between Slovenia and Italy runs through a large square - known both as Piazza della Transalpina and Trg Evrope ('Europe Square'). This border was closed from the 1940s to the 2000s, when Slovenia joined the EU and the Schengen area. Since 2011, both towns have been managed by a joint administration board.

black and white photograph of a classical railway station building.
colour postcard image, aerial view of buildings in a city.
colour photograph of a modern, white building.

The railway station building on Trg Evrope / Piazza della Transalpina dates from 1906.

This postcard shows a view of Nova Gorica in 1969.

The France Bevk Public Library's new building opened in 2000, designed by Slovenian architects Vojteh Ravnikar and Robert Potokar.

Gorizia Castle dates back to the 12th century and has been a medieval castle, a prison and army barracks. It now houses the Museum of the Middle Ages of Gorizia, and is surrounded by a public park.

The city's cathedral was built in the 14th century, destroyed during World War I and later rebuilt to the Baroque style it had in the 17th century.

black and white photograph of a building with a tower surrounded by other buildings.

Nova Gorica is home to one of the four theatres that comprise the Slovene National Theatre. It was founded in 1969, with a new building built in 1994. It has a repertoire consisting of contemporary and classic plays.

colour photograph, two actors on stage during a performance of Hamlet. A man wearing black and a crown stands over a seated woman in a large dress and bright red wig.
colour photograph of an audience watching a music performance.

In 2025, Nova Gorica and Gorizia share the same commitment: being the European Capital of Borderless Culture.

Projects will take place across both cities in cultural and open-air spaces, involving clowning, dance, fashion, gastronomy, heritage tours and theatre - and a big cross-border table football match!

The main image is a collage of: Chemnitz. Rathaus + Gorica 1282

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