Publikacja w języku angielskim stanowi uzupełnienie polskiej książki Europejskie stolice kultury. Wybrane zagadnienia pod redakcją przygotowanej przez Elżbietę Trocką-Leszczyńską i Elżbietę Przesmycką.

The initiative of the European Capital of Culture, one of the most interesting EU projects, sets it as its key goal to show the diversity of cultures in Europe and at the same time to increase the sense of cultural community of the citizens of European countries. This idea, on the one hand, involves promoting a city's image in the eyes of its residents through cultural events, and on the other hand, it is aimed at increasing the international prestige of cities.

The authors of this publication wish to introduce the reader to research on the cultural potential of many cities, both those which have already participated in the competition and those which may want to improve their image in future editions of programs designed to improve the quality of life of European citizens. A special focus of this study is the architectural environment, without which one cannot speak of a city’s culture.