Each year, one European city -occasionally more- earns the right to call itself a capital: not of a country, but of culture itself. For twelve months, a title, a budget, and a spotlight land on a place, before moving on to the next one, leaving behind lasting impacts on local and regional cultural sectors. This map traces that pattern, starting with the very first title awarded in 1985 (Athens).

Cultural heritage, when made accessible and participatory, can constitute a powerful tool for countering spatial inequalities and injustices. As emphasised by the Faro Convention (Council of Europe, 2005), heritage is not a neutral object to be preserved, but a right to be actively exercised, capable of generating social cohesion and catalysing democratic processes.