CNN explains that while the city is still recovering from the brutal financial crisis that struck in 2010, austerity has created the same conditions which made Berlin the top cultural destination a decade ago.
“It’s clear everywhere you look that Lisbon is on the up - and part of its appeal is an art and culture scene that has, until relatively recently, been a well-kept secret”, CNN said this week.
“The opening of the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) last October, and the launch of art fair ARCO Lisboa, now in its second year, have both attracted international art lovers to the city. They are part of a new energy in the city, luring foreign creatives from other European capitals and expat Portuguese back home.”
Cheap rent, food and empty buildings, combined with a population that speaks good English and a strong local art scene are all factors that CNN says are transforming Lisbon into Europe’s new culture capital.
CNN further argues that two or three years ago, all this began to draw in artists from elsewhere. Portugal’s improving economy and way of life also started to attract back Portuguese who fled the country during the recession.
The news channel concludes its piece by reasoning that “it would appear that Lisbon is now well and truly on the map for creatives.”