The regional Government has determined that the Valencian cultural capitals for 2023 will be Guardamar del Segura and Geldo, two localities that will become the cultural reference points for the region, winning the accreditation to take over from Alzira and Aielo de Malferit among more than a dozen candidates submitted.
Raquel Tamarit was in charge of communicating the recognition to the mayors and emphasised that “Valencian municipalities, large and small, are increasingly demonstrating the will to make culture a central axis for their development and projection This is demonstrated perfectly by those who will be Valencian cultural capitals in 2023 because they place culture at the centre of their discourse as a driver of social cohesion, economic development and an essential asset for citizens. The two new Valencian cultural capitals will have financial funds to further develop their programming and also programming that will come from our cultural spaces with exhibitions of works of art from our museums, shows from the Valencian Institute of Culture and Music of the Arts.”
Guardamar del Segura has been selected as Valencian cultural capital 2023 for a municipality of more than 5,000 inhabitants. With the ‘Guardamar del Segura, culture of dunes and water’ project, the town has come up with a proposal that includes cultural shows, promotion of the town’s rich archaeological heritage and an extensive didactic program of workshops, routes and guided tours.
It should be remembered that Guardamar del Segura is a town that has an exceptional archaeological heritage such as the Ràbita Califal and Fonteta sites, as well as an icon such as the bust of the Lady of Guardamar, which was found in the site from Cabezo Lucero; without forgetting the importance it has as an enclave in terms of underwater archaeology.
Geldo, a municipality in the province of Castellón with a population of 640, has been selected as Valencian cultural capital 2023 for a municipality of less than 5,000 inhabitants.
The proposals submitted by Geldo strengthen the bridges between education and culture in order to create synergies between its neighbourhood, with the towns that surround it and also project itself towards visitors. An objective that, with recognition as the Valencian cultural capital, will allow the town of Palancia to become a focus of culture and to project and give visibility to its heritage such as the castle and palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli; or by attracting more people to the various festivals held in the town linked to urban art, cinema, photography, literature or music.
