UNESCO City of Literature
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCNN) was established in 2004. It aims to connect cities that place creativity at the heart of sustainable urban development.
Today, over 400 cities worldwide belong to this global network. They sit across eight creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Architecture, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music.
In 2023, after the hard work of a small, committed working group, Hobart was designated a UNESCO City of Literature.
Hobart UNESCO City of Literature website
Nipaluna (Hobart) stands on Muwinina Country, beside timtumili minanya (the Derwent River/Estuary). It sits under the presence of Kunanyi / Mount Wellington, at the heart of Lutruwita (Tasmania).
Tasmania's Aboriginal community are the island's first storytellers. They have a cultural tradition grounded in orality – stories spoken, sung, danced and shared across generations. These narratives are inseparable from Country: held in the land, shaped by the sea, carried in the winds and written in the sky. Through the revival of palawa kani, a composite language drawn from Lutruwita's original tongues, the Tasmanian Aboriginal community continue to interpret and tell their stories in their own voice. This strengthens a living culture that has always been rooted in place. Their enduring culture and deep narrative continue to shape this place. Even as those stories meet and reckon with the long legacy of colonisation.
Becoming a City of Literature strengthens Hobart's identity as a place where stories are made, shared and celebrated.
A city of storytellers on an island of stories.
It connects our writers and readers with a global network of creative communities.
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