In 1999 the Xunta de Galicia called an International Architecture
Competition to build the City of Culture of Galicia on Mount Gaiás in
Santiago de Compostela. Twelve proposals by renowned national and
international architects' studios were initially submitted to this
competition for ideas. The architects who submitted their ideas for
defining the architectural complex and its uses were Ricardo Bofill,
Peter Eisenman, Manuel Gallego Jorreto, Annette Gigon and Mike Guyer,
Steve Holl, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Juan Navarro Baldeweg, Jean
Nouvel, Dominique Perrault, César Portela, and Santiago Calatrava (who
later withdrew his project). Out of all these ideas, the final project
to be selected for development was the design by Eisenman Architects,
as - to quote the Jury - it was, "unique both in concept and plasticity,
and exceptionally in tune with the site's location". Located in Santiago
de Compostela, a historic city that is an emblem of the European
cultural tradition and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in
1985, the City of Culture of Galicia stands on top of Mount Gaiás, a
formidable architectural landmark for the new century. Conceived as a
large-scale cultural hub devoted to hosting the best of cultural
expressions of Galicia, Spain, Europe, Latin America and the World, this
new "city" will contribute with its inclusive and pluralistic approach
to meeting the challenges of the information and knowledge society. Its
unique buildings, connected up by streets and plazas equipped with
state-of-the-art technology, create a space of excellence for
reflection, debate and actions oriented towards the preservation of
heritage and memory, towards study, research, experimentation,
production and dissemination in the field of literature and thinking,
music, drama, dance, film, the visual arts, audiovisual creation and
communication. This book invites readers to stroll around a new city
where past, present, and future cultures coexist: "A new cultural
Babylon will open its doors to readers."
