ZAGREB, March 24 (Xinhua) -- The Croatian city of Rijeka, located in northern coast of the Adriatic, was chosen as one of the two European Capitals of Culture in 2020 on Thursday.
An international panel of cultural experts, including officials from EU institutions and Croatia made the decision after Rijeka and other three Croatian cities, Dubrovnik, Osijek, Pula, presenting their respective programs in this competition.
Rijeka will share the European Capital of Culture 2020 title with an Irish city which will be selected in July 2016. Shortlisted Irish cities are Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
During 2020, as the European Capital of Culture, Rijeka will host a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension.
In 2016, the culture capitals are San Sebastian in Spain and Wroclaw in Poland.
The idea of selecting capitals of culture was proposed in 1985 with the idea of designating an annual Capital of Culture to bring the Europeans closer together by highlighting the richness and diversity of European cultures and raising awareness of their common history and values.
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