The Lithuanian Capital of Culture (Lithuanian: Lietuvos kultūros sostinė) is a city designated for a period of one calendar year, during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and development, with Zarasai being chosen as the first Lithuanian Capital of Culture in 2008.
The aim of the project is to encourage the cultural activity of inhabitants of Lithuanian towns and cities and to develop culture and art in the regions.[1]
Lithuania's Regional Capitals of Culture (Lithuanian: Lietuvos mažosios kultūros sostinės) initiative aims to strengthen cultural traditions, promote professional art, develop cultural tourism, and encourage new creative initiatives in different regions. Naisiai was the first town to be declared the country's Regional Capital of Culture in 2015, and since then, 10 towns and cities have been selected each year. The Ministry of Culture supports and promotes this initiative, with the Lithuanian Council for Culture allocating 50,000 euros annually to the most important projects since 2018. The Lithuanian Union of Rural Communities initiates the competition, with partners including the Association of Lithuanian Municipalities, the Ministry of Culture, and the Association of Lithuanian Elders. Many of these regional capitals are seeing the efforts of local enthusiasts, cultural workers, and volunteers result in memorable cultural events for the local community and the development of new cultural tourism initiatives.[2]
| Year | National Capital of Culture | Regional Capital of Culture (by county) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alytus | Kaunas | Klaipėda | Marijampolė | Panevėžys | Šiauliai | Tauragė | Telšiai | Utena | Vilnius | |||
| 2008 | Zarasai | |||||||||||
| 2009 | Plungė | |||||||||||
| 2010 | Ramygala | |||||||||||
| 2011 | Šilutė | |||||||||||
| 2012 | Anykščiai | |||||||||||
| 2013 | Palanga | |||||||||||
| 2014 | Panevėžys | |||||||||||
| 2015 | ||||||||||||
| 2016 | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||||||
| 2018 | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | ||||||||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | Deltuva | |||||||||||
| 2022 | Alytus | Vievis | ||||||||||
| 2023 | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | Onuškis | |||||||||||
| 2025 | Rudamina | |||||||||||