Salou will be the Capital of Catalan Culture 2025

Salou has been designated Capital of Catalan Culture for the year 2025, a recognition announced this Thursday by Xavier Tudela, president of the Capital of Catalan Culture organisation. 

According to Tudela, the city has been chosen for being ‘an innovative and modern municipality with a millenary history and a vibrant culture, closely linked to Catalonia and its historical development’. 

This recognition will be, as the organisers have stressed, the ‘starting point’ for highlighting the ‘immense cultural heritage of Salou’. It is also hoped that this title will contribute to strengthening the spirit of belonging of the inhabitants of Salou to their municipality, offering a ‘unique’ international showcase for local and Catalan culture. Tudela also expressed his conviction that the designation of Salou as Capital of Culture will be highly beneficial, not only for the municipality, but also for ‘Catalan culture and for the nation as a whole’. 

The main objective of the Capital of Catalan Culture initiative, which encompasses the entire Catalan linguistic and cultural domain, is to increase the dissemination, use and social prestige of Catalan language and culture, while at the same time increasing cultural cohesion between Catalan-speaking territories. In addition, this initiative seeks to promote and project the chosen municipality both nationally and internationally. 

Salou's Councillor for Culture, Júlia Gómez, expressed her ‘enthusiasm and satisfaction’ for this recognition, stressing that ‘this title is clear evidence that the efforts we have made to recover and preserve our culture and history are bearing fruit’. Gómez also stressed the importance of turning cultural heritage into a fundamental asset for local tourism: ‘This distinction will allow us to disseminate and project our culture throughout Catalonia, and it is a great source of pride for Salou and for all Salou residents to be able to showcase our history and traditions’. 

For his part, the Mayor of Salou, Pere Granados, expressed his gratitude for the recognition, stating that ‘Salou has become the cultural reference point for Catalonia throughout 2025, and this fills us with responsibility and enthusiasm. We will take this opportunity to show the world our valuable cultural and historical heritage, which we want to be recognised and appreciated internationally’. 

With the designation of Salou as Capital of Catalan Culture 2025, the city is preparing for a year full of cultural activities, events and initiatives that will highlight its rich heritage and culture, with the aim of projecting it both nationally and internationally, thus strengthening its role as a cultural driving force within Catalonia.