City of Literature

Recognition conferred by UNESCO

The Portico Library in Manchester The State Library Victoria in Melbourne

UNESCO's City of Literature programme is part of the wider Creative Cities Network.

The Network was launched in 2004, and now has member cities in seven creative fields. The other creative fields are: Crafts and Folk Arts, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Media Arts, and Music.[1]

## Criteria

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To be approved as a City of Literature, cities need to meet a number of criteria set by UNESCO.[2]

Designated UNESCO Cities of Literature share similar characteristics:

* Quality, quantity, and diversity of publishing in the city
* Quality and quantity of educational programmes focusing on domestic or foreign literature at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels
* Literature, drama, and/or poetry playing an important role in the city
* Hosting literary events and festivals, which promote domestic and foreign literature
* Existence of libraries, bookstores, and public or private cultural centres, which preserve, promote, and disseminate domestic and foreign literature
* Involvement by the publishing sector in translating literary works from diverse national languages and foreign literature
* Active involvement of traditional and new media in promoting literature and strengthening the market for literary products

Cities submit bids to UNESCO to be designated a City of Literature. The designations are monitored and reviewed every four years by UNESCO.

## About the cities

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Heidelberg University Library Braidense National Library in Milan

In 2004, Edinburgh became the first literary city. It hosts the annual International Book Festival and has its own poet laureate—the Makar.[3][4]

Ljubljana runs their Library Under the Treetops at various locations across the city, including Tivoli City Park and Zvezda Park. These sites offer a selection of book genres and several domestic and foreign newspapers and magazines.[5]

Manchester is home to the "world-class" Central Library and the "historic gems" of The Portico, John Rylands, and Chetham's.[6]

Melbourne's is home to Australia's oldest public library, the State Library of Victoria; the Centre of Books, Writing and Ideas, The Wheeler Centre; and was home to the world's biggest book shop, Cole's Book Arcade, opened at the turn of the twentieth century.

Prague's "great intellectual and creative resources" includes the book design, illustration, typography, and graphic design fields. It also has the National Library of the Czech Republic, as well as over 200 libraries, one of Europe's highest concentrations of bookshops, and the Prague Writers' Festival.[7]

Libraries in other literary cities include Braidense National Library in Milan, Heidelberg University Library and the National Library of Ireland in Dublin.[8][9][10]

Dunedin is the "Edinburgh of the South", and home to New Zealand's oldest university. Durban is "fun-loving."[11][12]

Montevideo is a "vibrant, eclectic place" and Québec City is a "gorgeous, seductive place."[13][14]

## Cities of Literature

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The National Library in Prague The National Library in Dublin John Rylands Library in Manchester Aracataca train station, in Colombia, is one of the settings of a Gabriel García Márquez novel.

11 countries have multiple Cities of Literature; 10 of them have two, while the United Kingdom has five.

The Cities of Literature are:

City  | Country  | Year of inscription

|
|

Angoulême |  France | 2019[15]
Baghdad |  Iraq | 2015[16]
Barcelona |  Spain | 2015[17]
Beirut |  Lebanon | 2019[15]
Bremen |  Germany | 2023[18]
Bucheon |  Korea Republic | 2017[19]
Buffalo City |  South Africa | 2023[18]
Dublin |  Ireland | 2010[20]
Dunedin |  New Zealand | 2014[21]
Durban |  South Africa | 2017[22]
Edinburgh |  United Kingdom | 2004[4]
Exeter |  United Kingdom | 2019[23][24][15]
Gothenburg |  Sweden | 2021[25]
Granada |  Spain | 2014[26]
Heidelberg |  Germany | 2014[27]
Hobart |  Australia | 2023[18]
Iași |  Romania | 2023[18]
Iowa City |  United States | 2008[28]
Jakarta |  Indonesia | 2021[25]
Kozhikode |  India | 2023[18]
Kraków |  Poland | 2013[29]
Kuhmo |  Finland | 2019[15]
Kutaisi |  Georgia | 2023[18]
Lahore |  Pakistan | 2019[15]
Leeuwarden |  Netherlands | 2019[30]
Lillehammer |  Norway | 2017[31]
Ljubljana |  Slovenia | 2015[32]
Lviv |  Ukraine | 2015[33]
Lyon |  France | 2023[18]
Manchester |  United Kingdom | 2017[34]
Melbourne |  Australia | 2008[35]
Milan |  Italy | 2017[36]
Montevideo |  Uruguay | 2015[37]
Nanjing |  China | 2019[15]
Norwich |  United Kingdom | 2012[38]
Nottingham |  United Kingdom | 2015[39]
Óbidos |  Portugal | 2015[40]
Odesa |  Ukraine | 2019[41]
Okayama |  Japan | 2023[18]
Prague |  Czech Republic | 2014[7]
Québec City |  Canada | 2017[42]
Reykjavík |  Iceland | 2011[43]
Rio de Janeiro |  Brazil | 2023[18]
Seattle |  United States | 2017[44]
Sulaymaniyah |  Iraq | 2019[15]
Taif |  Saudi Arabia | 2023[18]
Tartu |  Estonia | 2015[45]
Tukums |  Latvia | 2023[18]
Ulyanovsk |  Russia | 2015[46]
Utrecht |  Netherlands | 2017[47]
Vilnius |  Lithuania | 2021[48]
Wonju |  Korea Republic | 2019[15]
Wrocław |  Poland | 2019[15]

## See also

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* Creative Cities Network
* City of Crafts and Folk Arts
* City of Music
* City of Film
* Design Cities
* City of Gastronomy
* City of Media Arts

## References

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1. ^ "UNESCO Creative Cities Network". Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
2. ^ "Literature". UNESCO - Creative Cities Network. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
3. ^ "Edinburgh Crowned the Capital of Literature". TheGuardian.com.
4. ^ a b "Edinburgh". Retrieved 5 July 2024.
5. ^ "Knjižnica pod krošnjami". Knjižnica pod krošnjami.
6. ^ "Story, Manchester Metropolitan University". Manchester Metropolitan University. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
7. ^ a b "Prague". Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
8. ^ "Ten Stunning Italian Libraries". Archived from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
9. ^ "8 Most Beautiful Libraries In Germany". Culture Trip. 27 May 2016.
10. ^ "5 Libraries In Dublin Every Bibliophile Should Visit". Culture Trip. 20 October 2015.
11. ^ "Dunedin travel". Lonely Planet.
12. ^ "Durban travel". Lonely Planet.
13. ^ "Montevideo travel". Lonely Planet.
14. ^ "Québec City travel". Lonely Planet.
15. ^ a b c d e f g h i "UNESCO designates 66 new Creative Cities".
16. ^ "Baghdad". Retrieved 5 July 2024.
17. ^ "Barcelona". Retrieved 5 July 2024.
18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "55 new cities join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on World Cities Day". Retrieved 31 October 2023.
19. ^ "Bucheon". Retrieved 5 July 2024.
20. ^ "Dublin". Retrieved 5 July 2024.
21. ^ "Dunedin". Retrieved 5 July 2024.
22. ^ "Durban". Retrieved 5 July 2024.
23. ^ "Exeter - only UK city to be awarded UNESCO City of Literature status". news.exeter.gov.uk.
24. ^ "Exeter". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
25. ^ a b "49 new cities join UNESCO's Creative Cities Network". Cities of Design Network. 11 November 2021.
26. ^ "Granada". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
27. ^ "Heidelberg". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
28. ^ "Iowa City". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
29. ^ "Kraków". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
30. ^ "Leeuwarden". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
31. ^ "Lillehammer". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
32. ^ "Ljubljana". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
33. ^ "Lviv". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
34. ^ "Manchester". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
35. ^ "Melbourne". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
36. ^ "Milan". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
37. ^ "Montevideo". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
38. ^ "Norwich". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
39. ^ "Nottingham". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
40. ^ "Óbidos". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
41. ^ "Odessa". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
42. ^ "Québec City". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
43. ^ "Reykjavík". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
44. ^ "Seattle". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
45. ^ "Tartu". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
46. ^ "Ulyanovsk". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
47. ^ "Utrecht". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
48. ^ "Vilnius". unesco.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.

## External links

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* UNESCO Cities of Literature Website
* Creative Cities Map, UNESCO