Derry is bidding to become the UK’s City of Culture in 2013, it was revealed tonight.
Derry City Council officials confirmed the move to coincide with the 400th anniversary of building its famous walls to protect settlers from England and Scotland from attack.
It reflects a period in the Northern Ireland city’s history when it was at thecentre of major European political change, the council mayor said.
“The preparation of the cultural bid is a confident step forward in recognising and celebrating the cultural strengths of the city and district,” Paul Fleming added.
It is the only remaining completely walled city in Ireland and one of the finest examples of walled cities in Europe. The walls were built during the period 1613-1618 by the Irish Society as defences for early seventeenth century settlers from England and Scotland.
They are approximately 1.5km in circumference, form a walkway around the inner city and allow visitors to view the layout of the original town, which preserves its Renaissance-style street plan. The walls vary in width between four and ten metres.
The city claims Europe’s largest collection of cannon whose origins are known precisely. Many were fired over two 17th century sieges.
In 2005 the surviving 24 cannon were restored, and under expert supervision and often by hand, craftsmen cleared the barrels of centuries of rubbish, stripped off layers of paint and corrosion and restored the cannon to former glory.
The council has already launched a bid to obtain world heritage site status.