Pilsen European Capital of Culture 2015

Press Advance Notice Pilsen – European Capital of Culture 2015

10th June 2014

Pilsen has made it among Lonely Planet‘s top 10 European destinations

Pilsen will be the European Capital of Culture next year. Thanks to this, Pilsen has already been attracting the attention of international media this year. Most recently the Lonely Planet guide has ranked it among the ten best destinations in Europe. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/europe/travel-tips-and-articles/lonely-planets- best-in-europe-2014

“We have been sensing a growing interest among international journalists since the beginning of this year. They take turns in Pilsen nearly every week, both individually or on press trips we organise. We have welcomed dozens of German journalists, among them e.g. reporters from the Hamburger Abendblatt, Lufthansa Magazin, Tagesspiegel, Hessische Allgemeine and Rheinische Post, representatives from Austrian, Italian, French and even Finnish media, a British freelance journalist with a commission for a report for an American travel magazine, not to mention a television crew from Brazil,” the PR Manager Mirka Reifová said.

The article in Lonely Planet does not just invite readers to the programme of the European Capital of Culture; it also presents Pilsen as the birthplace of beer: “To wash down a day packed with culture with a refreshing pint? Pilsen offers both in abundance, which might be why it has been selected as the European Capital of Culture for the year 2015.” The author of the article “the Best of Europe for the Year 2014 according to Lonely Planet” sees Pilsen as less crowded with tourists than Prague and able to offer its visitors both a tour of the underground and a beautiful view from the spire of St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral.

“We couldn’t have wished for a better advertisement,” added Radek Auer, the Marketing Director of the Pilsen 2015 project. ”It has been our aim in the marketing strategy from the very beginning to not only promote the cultural events of the year 2015 but also a complete experience that visitors can take away from the city.”