Chemnitz, which lies close to the Czech border, will thus join a Slovenian city that has yet to be selected.

It triumphed over the cities of Hanover, Hildesheim, Magdeburg and Nuremberg, which had all made it onto to shortlist in December last year.

The German federal government and the states must still formally nominate the city following the jury’s recommendation.

The two cities currently holding the title are Rijeka in Croatia and Galway in Ireland.

Chemnitz is known in Germany for a huge bust of Karl Marx that stands in the city centre.

German cities that have been European Capital of Culture in the past include Essen in 2010, Weimar in 1999 and West Berlin in 1988, the year before the Berlin Wall came down.

The selection of Chemnitz follows a years-long process during which the different local authorities promoted their respective cities by means of extensive application catalogues.

Visits to the cities by the jury were undertaken digitally this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Two years ago, Chemnitz was in a state of uproar for days on end after an asylum seeker fatally stabbed a man at a city festival sparking xenophobic demonstrations.