The award ceremony took place on 7 November 2019 in Essen (Germany).
A jury of 42 experts from the worlds of culture, business and media selected 22 nominees, including Saalfelden Leogang, on 26 September 2019 at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Museum Island Berlin. As part of the 14th European Cultural Brand Awards, 105 entries were submitted from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Croatia, Lithuania, Austria, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. The award ceremony for Europe's most advanced cultural prize took place as part of the ‘Night of Cultural Brands’ cultural brand gala on 7 November 2019 at the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site in Essen in front of 650 invited guests from business, culture, politics and the media. The awards were presented to trendsetting cultural providers, sustainable investments in cultural projects, innovative educational programmes, urban culture and cultural tourism regions as well as the most committed cultural managers from Europe. Saalfelden Leogang, Kulturland Brandenburg and South Moravia (Czech Republic) were in the running for ‘European Cultural Tourism Region of the Year 2019’. The winner was Kulturland Brandenburg.
Daniela Neumayer, cultural manager of Saalfelden Leogang Touristik and production manager of the Saalfelden Jazz Festival, is delighted with the nomination: ‘We are proud to be among the top three cultural tourism regions of the year for this important European award. It shows that we can not only achieve recognition with our sporting USPs but also with our cultural offerings. First and foremost our Saalfelden International Jazz Festival, which is extremely important in the music scene.’
Saalfelden Leogang: A hotspot for art and culture in the middle of the mountains
Saalfelden Leogang is not only known for its sporting activities and beautiful mountains. The most contrasting region in the Alps is also the perfect place for those interested in culture. In addition to the famous Saalfelden International Jazz Festival, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019, there are numerous other music events in a wide range of styles, as well as art events such as exhibitions and workshops, theatre performances and many traditional cultural events. Cultural venues such as the Kunsthaus Nexus in Saalfelden, the Schloss Ritzen Museum, the Mining and Gothic Museum in Leogang and the show mine in Schwarzleotal provide an insight into the individual past of the towns and are an integral part of the Pinzgau cultural scene for young and old.
