The winner of the Cultural Capital of Russia 2027 competition will be announced on December 14. The final decision will be made by the organizing committee, based on the combined results of the expert evaluation and public voting. The public voting will last till December 5.
26 Russian cities participated in the project this year. The experts selected eight of them that continue to fight for the right to be called the "Cultural Capital of 2027." Vologda, Kaluga, Novosibirsk, Ryazan, Sochi, Stavropol, Ulyanovsk and Chelyabinsk reached the final of the competition.
About 114,000 people have already voted for Vologda to become the Cultural Capital. It takes the third place.
The Cultural Capitals competition began in 2023 and annually takes place in Russia. During the event, a prestigious title is awarded to one city in the country by a panel of experts. Cities with at least 250,000 inhabitants are invited to participate.
Selection has a novel twist: an online public vote, followed by a public presentation to an expert panel. Experts assess the preservation of historical and cultural heritage, the level of development of the urban environment, theatres, museums and archives, education and enlightenment, the introduction of innovations and creative industries.
In 2027 Vologda will celebrate the 880th anniversary of its foundation, which makes obtaining the status of the Cultural Capital of Russia 2027 especially important.