Photo from europa.eu European Commission While the city of Hancock has been selected as the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture for 2026, Oulu, in Finland, has been selected as a 2026 European Capital of Culture.

HANCOCK – This past summer’s selection of Hancock as the world’s Finno-Ugric Cultural Capital is significant to the local area for several reasons, not just culturally.

Copper Country Finns and Friends Chairman Jim Kurtti said in the European Union, capitals of culture are “huge deals,” and can draw millions of dollars in tourism to the cities selected for that title. European Capitals of Culture are cities selected to highlight a region’s culture, with two or three cities designated each year. Oulu, Finland and Trenčín, Slovakia were selected for 2026, according to europa.eu.

“There are various organizations in Finland and Estonia, in particular, that concentrate on the Finno-Ugric family of people,” Kurtti said, “and within that group, one of the leaders had the idea to create a capital of culture. It’s sort of a knockoff of the European Union’s capitals of culture.”

“This coming year (it) is the city of Oulu,” Kurtti said. “I can’t remember how many, but it was incredible the amount of money – millions of dollars — that flow through this big speck.”

Kurtti said these capitals of culture create a large economic boom, similar to that experienced by cities hosting the Olympic games.

“And so, it’s sort of a reflection of that, but on a Finno-Ugric level to recognize the community, and these Capitals Culture, in the past, one of them is a village of about 60 people,” Kurtti said. “So, they’re sort of congratulating and building up people who have been working hard to keep these identities alive.”

Kurtti said what has been discovered after a particular city has been designated as a capital of culture is an added prestige to that community. “This capital culture that creates a little extra interest and knowledge of that community and it creates this tourism,” he said, “and certainly bolsters the people that have been trying to preserve their particular culture during that time.”