European Capitals of Culture 2018

La Valletta in Malta and Leeuwarden in the Netherlands are the European Capitals of Culture 2018. Both are located by the sea – but when it comes to stone, the cities differ: Malta is characterized by limestone and Friesland by brick.

The island of Malta emerged from a former limestone plateau between Europe and Africa. The island’s architecture is therefore characterized by limestone buildings.

In the capital La Valletta, for example, the yellow-grey Globigerina limestone was used for the fortifications. It was built and extended between the 16th and 20th centuries – as the archipelago, with its location between Italy, Tunisia and Libya, was at the focal point of various power groups.

Over the course of history, the image of the city gate from 1633 had become distorted – which is why it was renovated between 2009 and 2015 by the Italian architecture firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Today, two 25-metre high masts once again mark the entrance to the city in the style of the original. The historic opera house, which is located behind the city wall, was also redesigned: An open-air theater was created from the ruins.

The Dutch city of Leeuwarden is also the 2018 Capital of Culture. As there are no quarries on the North Sea coast, houses were mainly built from brick, which was made from the deposits of clay and peat. Natural stone was used in the Middle Ages for public buildings such as churches: It often came from the Eifel region and was brought to Leeuwarden by boat from the nearby low mountain range.