Liverpool – European Capital of Culture 2008
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Liverpool is celebrating its 800th birthday this year. King John founded the town in 1208, and it grew rapidly so that by the 16th century the population had reached – 500 people! But the rapid growth of commerce (including the slave trade) in the 17th and 18th centuries led to the creation of a large and wealthy city. Fuelled by waves of immigration from the Irish famine and the troubles across Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, Liverpool grew to become the vibrant, cosmopolitan city it is now.
Liverpool is proud to be the European Capital of Culture in 2008. The packed programme of events across the city includes -
- Turner Prize Ceremony for Modern Art (with a following exhibition at the Tate Liverpool)
- MTV European Awards
- Anne Frank Festival and Holocaust Memorial Day
- the re-opening of the famous Bluecoat Building (Liverpool’s oldest building and the UK’s oldest arts centre)
- concerts by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra
- the finish of the Round-The-World Sailing Clipper race and the start of the Tall Ships race
- the Liverpool Biennial Art Festival
- ...and numerous other music, dance and drama events.
Stay in Cheshire to see Liverpool!
Cheshire makes a great base for exploring Liverpool. Accommodation in Liverpool will be at a premium over the next 12 months – but it's easily reached by road or rail from the Cheshire side of the Mersey. Or you can take the famous ferry across the Mersey – it will drop you right in the city centre!