A delegation of the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) will visit Bad Ischl to understand how the city has maximised the opportunity of its status as European Capital of Culture 2024.

A group of seven members of the CULT Committee will visit Bad Ischl, Austria, from 28 to 30 October, in the context of the city’s role as a European Capital of Culture 2024.

The MEPs will visit examples of the city’s cultural heritage, including museums and exhibitions, in particular one focused on identity, tradition and human heritage and another at the Altaussee salt mine, where miners rescued from destruction artworks stolen by Nazi.

At the Salzkammergut Craft Art Lab, MEPs will meet with creators and craftspeople to discuss the digitisation’s potential for the creative sector in rural areas, as well as the need for EU funds to support the arts. They will visit the town of Hallstatt, where they will debate the challenges facing cultural heritage, sustainable tourism development, and the impact of over tourism with a local think tank. MEPs will also visit the Ebensee concentration camp.

Alongside Bad Ischl, the cities of Tartu (Estonia) and Bodø (Norway) also share the title of European Capital of Culture 2024.

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Ahead of the mission, Bogdan Andrzej ZDROJEWSKI first vice-chair of the CULT Committee and head of the mission said: “The Culture is the New Salt programme of the Bad Ischl as the European Capital of Culture 2024 values tradition while also looking to the future. It is a tribute to the cultural heritage of the region shaped by elements of salt, water and wood. We are looking forward to discovering how this rich programme has been put into practical action”.

Press conference

On 30 October at 10.45, the chair of the delegation, Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski, will debrief media on the outcomes of the mission at the Gmundner Keramik Manufaktur - Keramikstraße 24, Gmunden.