Creative Europe Co-sponsors the Icelandic Basque Centre in Djúpavík

Creative Europe Co-sponsors the Icelandic Basque Centre in Djúpavík

Ambassador Ganslandt gave a speech at a presentation event on the upcoming inauguration of the Icelandic Basque Centre in Djúpavík. The project is co-sponsored by Creative Europe, the European Union's programme for cultural and creative sectors.

On Tuesday 16 September at the National University Library, Ambassador Ganslandt attended an introductory presentation on the Icelandic Basque Centre which is scheduled to be inaugurated in Djúpavík on Saturday 20 September 2025.

Ambassador Ganslandt gave a short speech highlighting Creative Europe's co-sponsorship of the Icelandic Basque Centre. María Luisa Marteles Gutiérrez del Álamo, Chargé d'Affaires of the Spanish Embassy, and Guillaume Mounier, Cultural Advisor of the French Embassy, also gave speeches at the event.

The Icelandic Basque Centre is managed by its Director Héðinn Birnir Ásbjörnsson in collaboration with colleagues from the Basque Association of Iceland and the University Centre of the Westfjords, as well as the Albaola Shipyard in Pasaia, Spain, and the Haizebegi Association in Bayonne, France.

The Basque Centre is co-sponsored by Creative Europe, the EU's programme for culture and creative sectors. The centre celebrates the common cultural heritage between Icelanders and the Basques which dates back to the 16th and 17th century when Basque whalers from northern Spain and southwestern France established whaling operations around Iceland - particularly around the Westfjords.