The idea of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture was born in 2011 in Estonia, at the time when Tallinn held the title of the European Capital of Culture.
From the start, a key consideration was to offer to the Finno-Ugric world something that can improve life in local communities through cultural exchanges, place marketing and tourism development. As such, Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture were meant to complement initiatives such as the World Congresses of Finno-Ugric Peoples that were not primarily aimed at communities. It was also understood that Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture would not be national capitals, but could also be small towns and even villages – especially because this is where Finno-Ugric languages and cultural heritage are often at their most vibrant.
The first public discussion of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture was held on 13-14 October in Tallinn, at the 1st Finno-Ugric Branding Conference co-organised by the Estonian NGO U-Turn and the Youth Association of Finno-Ugric Peoples (MAFUN). The conference was attended by Finno-Ugric activists from Estonia, Finland, Hungary and the Russian Federation, who discussed how to strengthen Finno-Ugric identity and brand in our respective countries but also internationally.
Participants of the 1st Finno-Ugric Branding Conference in Tallinn (14.10.2011)
One concrete outcome of the conference was strong support for the idea of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture, which was viewed as an instrument for both raising visibility of Finno-Ugric peoples and languages, and supporting concrete Finno-Ugric communities that would hold the capital of culture title.
From then onwards, the idea of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture went into rapid development phase, and was primarily led by activists of MAFUN.
The initiative of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture was formally presented at the VI World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples in Siófok (Hungary) and the first Statutes of the programme were adopted at the meeting of MAFUN in Khanty-Mansiysk (Russian Federation) in February 2013.
Participants of the meeting of MAFUN in Khanty-Mansiysk where the Statutes of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture were adopted (5.2.2013)
The competition for the first Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture resulted in 8 applications, from which 3 applicants were shortlisted: the village of Bygy (Udmurtia/RF), the village of Obinitsa (Setomaa/Estonia), and the village of Veškelys (Karelia/RF). Live presentations of shortlisted candidates were held at the Estonian Embassy in Moscow on 8 July.
The winner of the competition for the first Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture – Bygy -was announced at the conference of MAFUN in Helsinki in the summer of 2013, hosted by Friends of Kindred Peoples NGO. This is when the programme of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture truly took off.
Handover of the title of Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2014 to the Bygy delegation at the congress of MAFUN in Helsinki (8.8.2013)
Bygy delegation with the symbol – Tsirk-bird – of Finno-Ugric Capitals of Culture
