CITY OF CULTURE OF GALICIA

CORUNA, SPAIN

PROJECT NAME

LOCATION

STATUS

START YEAR

BUILT YEAR

LAND SIZE

MAIN PROGRAM

PATRON

COST

 

City of Culture of Galicia

Coruna, Spain

Built

1999

2013

0.63 sqkm

Cultural

Parliamen of Galicia

US$326 million

 

       City of Culture of Galicia is created at the height of Spanish economic boom, when the government of Galicia decided to build a new attraction next to the historical town of Santiago de Compostela (a UNESCO listed World Heritage site). As there are often many tourists in Santiago, the projected attendance figures for City of Culture of Galicia was extremely high. In order to attract this large number of visitors, the government of Galicia hired world renowned architect Peter Eisenmann to design an extravagant structure that is fit to create a destination. However, the budget of the project has more than doubled due to the organic designs of the structures. On top of that, the center has not attracted many tourists as most visitors to Santiago was not interested in the hyper modern mega structure up the hill. Subsequently, the project was terminated in 2013, leaving 2 out of the 6 designed buildings unbuilt.

      The 2008 Spanish economic crisis did not play any favors for the already ballooned budget for the City of Culture of Galicia. Mistrust between the government, the architect, and the local neighborhoods quickly escalated, and the project was plunged into a management nightmare for all those involved. Today, few visitors are received at the center; especially with the shrinking funding the center receives every year, the exhibitions are not attractive enough for tourists to make the trip.

 

RELATED MEDIA COVERS

THE GUARDIAN: Spain's extravagant City of Culture opens amid criticism

ARCHITECT: Coda to a Career: Eisenman's City of Culture

ARCHDAILY: The City of Culture / Eisenman Architects

PHANTOM URBANISM
CITY OF CULTURE OF GALICIA