As 2014 draws to an end, Riga is closing the year as the European Capital of Culture.

Since Greek actress and then Culture Minister Melina Mercouri conceived the idea to designate an annual European Capital of Culture to celebrate the richness and diversity of European cultures, various cities, big and small, have held the title, with the Greek capital Athens rightly becoming the first European Capital of Culture in 1985.

The European Commission picked Latvian capital city Riga and the northern Swedish university city Umea to share the title in 2014. A foundation, named Riga 2014, was established to plan and manage the approximately 200 projects, events, creative and civic initiatives planned in the vast program planned for this year in the Latvian capital.

The Riga 2014 Program, which included cultural projects and events like exhibitions, operas and festivals, ranged from a major cultural history exhibition on the 500 years of printed book and a contemporary art exhibition to one of the biggest celebrations of summer solstice in Europe.

The Latvian capital city's program for 2014 titled "Force Majeure" was intended as a catalyst and spark plug of the cultural events planned for the year in the city. The events, organized with an active participation of local residents, were grouped in six thematic categories: "Thirst for the Ocean," "Freedom Street," "Survival Kit," "Road Map," "Riga Carnival," and "Amber Vein."

Riga's European Capital of Culture program kicked off in mid-January 2014. The unique Chain of Booklovers, a unique action in which people moved books from the Latvian National Library's old buildings to the new one, dubbed Castle of Light, passing them from hand to hand, became one of the central opening events of the program highlighting the significance and values of culture uniting people of all walks of life and generations.

Remembering the scars and lessons of the First World War, the exhibition "1914" was unveiled at the Arsenals exhibition hall at the Latvian National Museum of Art, displaying visual and artistic evidence on the First World War as a landmark historical, social and cultural event of 20th century Europe.

The new building of the Latvian National Library offered a year-long exhibition "Books. 1514-2014" exploring the 500-year history of book printing and publishing.

Sigulda, a picturesque town just north of the Latvian capital, was also involved in the Riga 2014 Program as the Latvian capital city's official partner, introducing the public to the traditions of midsummer celebrations in various European countries in June.

In July, Riga, which has always boasted rich choir-singing traditions, played host to one of the largest events of the year, the 8th World Choir Games, which brought together some 27,000 choristers from more than 70 countries of the world.

Europe's social and economic issues became the focus of the international contemporary art festival Survival Kit in September. The festival was created in 2009 as a reaction to the changes brought about in Latvia by the economic crisis.

In November, Staro Riga, the largest light festival in northern Europe, saw the city brilliantly illuminated by light festival artists.

On Dec. 13, the European Film Academy handed out its annual awards at the Latvian National Opera, with stars like Liv Ullmann, Wim Wenders in attendance.

"This year is a turning point. We all wanted to build this year in a meaningful way with substance, with projects that were implemented to a high-quality artistic and professional organisational level. And we succeeded," Diana Civle, the head of the Riga 2014 foundation, told the press in December as she looked back at the year Riga has spent as the European Capital of Culture.

Inspired by the success of its Riga 2014 Program, the Riga 2014 foundation has come up with a new initiative - nominating a city in Latvia for the title of the Latvian Capital of Culture every year.

The foundation hopes that this would not only give positive impulse to some cities in a particular region of Latvia, but also ensure the development of successful cultural projects, increase the number of local and foreign tourists visiting the region, and also contribute to the economic development of Latvia.

Putting together and implementing the European Capital of Culture program throughout 2014 involved more than 12,000 participants from nearly a hundred different cultural bodies, national and municipal cultural institutions, and non-government cultural organisations.

More than 1,900 artists and representatives of creative groups took part in implementing the European Capital of Culture artistic program.

The number of people attending Riga 2014 events surpassed the 1.5 million mark by Dec. 1, the foundation said. The events broadcast live on television and radio or streamed online reached more than 6 million people, according to Latvian Television viewing figures. The number of foreign tourists grew by 18.9 percent in the first half of the year, the second steepest rise in Europe, largely thanks to Riga's status of the European Capital of Culture.

"Overall, the European Capital of Culture program has been substantive in content, diverse, compelling and included both public-participation projects and so-called high culture," concluded Riga 2014 Program Manager Aiva Rozenberga.