Eleusis candidate for European Culture Capital

The announcement for the candidature of the ancient religious capital and home of the famed Eleusinian Mysteries came out in December 2014 . So far cities that have filed their candidacy include Rhodes, Volos, Kalamata, Tripoli, Messolonghi, Xanthi, Piraeus, Sparta-Mystras, Syros, Halkida, Corfu, Argos, and Nafplio.

The Mayor of Eleusis, Mr. Giorgos Tsoukalas, stating the reasons why Eleusis can undertake such a task, noted both the strong cultural profile, through the institution of the Aeschylia festival, and the ongoing struggles of the city against pollution and for its environmental restoration.

The institution of Cultural Capital was established in 1985 on the initiative of Melina Mercouri, with the aim of highlighting the different cultures of each European country and strengthening the contribution of culture to the development of each region. Ever since, three Greek cities have been given the title, beginning with Athens (1985), Thessaloniki (1997), and Patras (2006). Since 2007 the title of Cultural Capital is given to two European countries at a time. In 2021, the title will be given to towns in Romania and Greece, it is worth noting that the prize money amounts to EUR 1.5 million.