By Linda Tancs

Marseille-Provence in France and Košice in Slovakia ring in 2013 as the year’s European capitals of culture.  The cultural heart of Marseille Provence includes an area stretching from Martigues to La Ciotat.  As usual, the opening ceremony in each city promises to be a spectacular kick-off event.  In Marseille, the opening is a two-day event on 12 and 13 January.  The twelfth features such events as a flyover of Patrouille de France, an art trail in Aix, and the Grande Clameur (a wall of sound incorporating ships’ sirens, bells and fog horns).  The thirteenth offers treasure hunts across the region and a fireworks display at dusk over the Rhone at Arles.  Košice will likewise inspire with a two-day opening beginning on 19 January.  One of the most architecturally significant symbols in old Košice is the indoor pool, a structure experiencing an exciting makeover as an art and media showcase thanks to aid from the European Commission and the European  Capital of Culture project.