World Esperanto Congress

The World Esperanto Congress (Esperanto: Universala Kongreso de Esperanto, UK) is an annual Esperanto convention. It has the longest tradition among international Esperanto conventions, with an almost unbroken run for 119 years. The congresses have been held since August 5, 1905, every year, except during World War I, World War II, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the 1920s, the Universal Esperanto Association has been organizing these congresses.

Mark Fettes, president of the World Esperanto Association, during the 100th World Esperanto Congress in Lille (France), 2015

These congresses take place every year and, over the 30 years from 1985 through 2014, have gathered an average of about 2,000 participants (since World War II it has varied from 800 to 6,000, depending on the venue). The average number of countries represented is about 60. Some specialized organizations also gather a few hundred participants in their annual meetings. The World Congress usually takes place in the last week of July or first week of August, beginning and ending on a Saturday (8 days in total). For many years ILERA has operated an amateur radio station during the conventions.

Until 1980, meetings were held in Europe and the United States, with the exception of Japan in 1965. Since then, other countries have been Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, South Korea, Australia, Israel, Vietnam and Argentina. In 2024, the congress will be held in Africa for the first time, in Arusha, Tanzania.

The attendance at each World Esperanto Congress from the 1st in 1905 until the 100th in 2015.
World Esperanto Congress 1908

History

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Countries that have hosted the World Esperanto Congress, 1905–2018
Number Year City Country Number of
participants
110 2025 Brno   Czech Republic  
109 2024 Arusha   Tanzania  
108 2023 Turin   Italy 1318[1]
107 2022 Montreal   Canada 859[1]
106 2021 Internet[2] The Congress was originally planned to happen in Belfast but it was transferred online due to the
COVID-19 pandemic[3]
1853[4]
105 2020 Internet[2] The Congress was originally planned to happen in Montreal but it was transferred online due to the
COVID-19 pandemic[5]
2006[6]
104 2019 Lahti   Finland 917[7]
103 2018 Lisbon   Portugal 1567[8]
102 2017 Seoul   South Korea 1173[9]
101 2016 Nitra   Slovakia 1252[10]
100 2015 Lille   France 2698[11]
99 2014 Buenos Aires   Argentina 706[12]
98 2013 Reykjavík   Iceland 1034[13]
97 2012 Hanoi   Vietnam 866[14]
96 2011 Copenhagen   Denmark 1458[15]
95 2010 Havana   Cuba 1002[16]
94 2009 Białystok   Poland 1860
93 2008 Rotterdam   Netherlands 1845
92 2007 Yokohama   Japan 1901
91 2006 Florence   Italy 2209
90 2005 Vilnius   Lithuania 2235
89 2004 Beijing   China 2031
88 2003 Gothenburg   Sweden 1791
87 2002 Fortaleza   Brazil 1484
86 2001 Zagreb   Croatia 1691
85 2000 Tel Aviv   Israel 1212
84 1999 Berlin   Germany 2712
83 1998 Montpellier   France 3133
82 1997 Adelaide   Australia 1224
81 1996 Prague   Czech Republic 2972
80 1995 Tampere   Finland 2443
79 1994 Seoul   South Korea 1776
78 1993 Valencia   Spain 1863
77 1992 Vienna   Austria 3033
76 1991 Bergen   Norway 2400
75 1990 Havana   Cuba 1617
74 1989 Brighton   United Kingdom 2280
73 1988 Rotterdam   Netherlands 2321
72 1987 Warsaw   Poland 5946
71 1986 Beijing   China 2482
70 1985 Augsburg   West Germany 2311
69 1984 Vancouver   Canada 802
68 1983 Budapest   Hungary 4834
67 1982 Antwerp   Belgium 1899
66 1981 Brasília   Brazil 1749
65 1980 Stockholm   Sweden 1807
64 1979 Lucerne   Switzerland 1630
63 1978 Varna   Bulgaria 4414
62 1977 Reykjavík   Iceland 1199
61 1976 Athens   Greece 1266
60 1975 Copenhagen   Denmark 1227
59 1974 Hamburg   West Germany 1651
58 1973 Belgrade   Yugoslavia 1638
57 1972 Portland   United States 923
56 1971 London   United Kingdom 2071
55 1970 Vienna   Austria 1987
54 1969 Helsinki   Finland 1857
53 1968 Madrid   Spain 1769
52 1967 Rotterdam   Netherlands 1265
51 1966 Budapest   Hungary 3975
50 1965 Tokyo   Japan 1710
49 1964 The Hague   Netherlands 2512
48 1963 Sofia   Bulgaria 3472
47 1962 Copenhagen   Denmark 1550
46 1961 Harrogate   United Kingdom 1646
45 1960 Brussels   Belgium 1930
44 1959 Warsaw   Poland 3256
43 1958 Mainz   West Germany 2021
42 1957 Marseille   France 1468
41 1956 Copenhagen   Denmark 2200
40 1955 Bologna   Italy 1687
39 1954 Haarlem   Netherlands 2353
38 1953 Zagreb   Yugoslavia 1760
37 1952 Oslo   Norway 1614
36 1951 Munich   West Germany 2040
35 1950 Paris   France 2325
34 1949 Bournemouth   United Kingdom 1534
33 1948 Malmö   Sweden 1761
32 1947 Bern   Switzerland 1370
31 1939 Bern   Switzerland 765
30 1938 London   United Kingdom 1602
29 1937 Warsaw   Poland 1120
28 1936 Vienna   Austria 854
27 1935 Rome   Italy 1442
26 1934 Stockholm   Sweden 2042
25 1933 Cologne   Nazi Germany 950
24 1932 Paris   France 1650
23 1931 Kraków   Poland 900
22 1930 Oxford   United Kingdom 1211
21 1929 Budapest   Hungary 1200
20 1928 Antwerp   Belgium 1494
19 1927 Danzig   Free City of Danzig 905
18 1926 Edinburgh   United Kingdom 960
17 1925 Geneva   Switzerland 953
16 1924 Vienna   Austria 3400
15 1923 Nuremberg   Weimar Republic 4963
14 1922 Helsinki   Finland 850
13 1921 Prague   Czechoslovakia 2561
12 1920 The Hague   Netherlands 408
11 1915 San Francisco   United States 163
10 1914 Paris   France cancelled due
to World War I
9 1913 Bern   Switzerland 1203
8 1912 Kraków   Austria-Hungary 1000
7 1911 Antwerp   Belgium 1800
6 1910 Washington, D.C.   United States 357
5 1909 Barcelona   Spain 1287
4 1908 Dresden   Germany 1500
3 1907 Cambridge   United Kingdom 1317
2 1906 Geneva   Switzerland 1200
1 1905 Boulogne-sur-Mer   France 688

Statistics

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Countries

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Countries by number of times as host:

Times hosted Country Years hosted
8   Germany[a] 1908, 1923, 1933, 1951, 1958, 1974, 1985, 1999
  United Kingdom[b] 1907, 1926, 1930, 1938, 1949, 1961, 1971, 1989
6   France 1905, 1932, 1950, 1957, 1998, 2015
   Switzerland 1906, 1913, 1925, 1939, 1947, 1979
  Netherlands 1920, 1954, 1964, 1967, 1988, 2008
5   Poland[c] 1931, 1937, 1959, 1987, 2009
4   Belgium 1911, 1928, 1960, 1982
  Finland 1922, 1969, 1995, 2019
  Austria[c] 1924, 1936, 1970, 1992
  Sweden 1934, 1948, 1980, 2003
  Denmark 1956, 1962, 1975, 2011
  Italy 1935, 1955, 2006, 2023
3   Spain 1909, 1968, 1993
  United States 1910, 1915, 1972
  Hungary[c] 1929, 1966, 1983
2   Czech Republic[d] 1921, 1996
  Norway 1952, 1991
  Yugoslavia 1953, 1973
  Bulgaria 1963, 1978
  Japan 1965, 2007
  Iceland 1977, 2013
  China 1986, 2004
  Canada 1984, 2022
  Brazil 1981, 2002
  Cuba 1990, 2010
  South Korea 1994, 2017
1   Austria-Hungary 1912
  Danzig 1927
  Greece 1976
  Australia 1997
  Israel 2000
  Croatia[e] 2001
  Lithuania 2005
  Vietnam 2012
  Argentina 2014
  Slovakia 2016
  Portugal 2018
  Tanzania 2024 [f]

Continents

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Of the 102 congresses that have happened so far,[g] 84 were hosted in Europe, 8 in Asia, 6 in North America, 3 in South America, 1 in Australia/Oceania and 1 in Africa.

Cities

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Cities by number of times as host:

Times hosted City Years hosted
4   Vienna 1924, 1936, 1970, 1992
  Copenhagen 1956, 1962, 1975, 2011
3   Antwerp 1911, 1928, 1985
  Bern 1913, 1939, 1947
  Paris 1914, 1932, 1950
  Budapest 1929, 1966, 1983
  Warsaw 1937, 1959, 1987
  Rotterdam 1967, 1988, 2008
2   Geneva 1906, 1925
  Kraków 1912, 1931
  The Hague 1920, 1964
  Prague 1921, 1996
  Stockholm 1934, 1980
  London 1938, 1971
  Zagreb 1953, 2001
  Helsinki 1969, 1922
  Reykjavík 1977, 2013
  Beijing 1986, 2004
  Havana 1990, 2010
  Seoul 1994, 2017

The remaining cities hosted the event only once.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ As West Germany in 1951, 1958, 1974 and 1985.
  2. ^ Does not include the 2021 Congress, which was originally scheduled to be in Belfast, but was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  3. ^ a b c Does not include the 1912 Congress in Kraków, which happened in the territory of Austria-Hungary.
  4. ^ As Czechoslovakia in 1921.
  5. ^ Does not include the 1953 Congress in Zagreb, which happened in the territory of Yugoslavia.
  6. ^ Scheduled.
  7. ^ This excludes the cancelled 1914 congress and future congresses.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Universala Esperanto-Asocio: Listo de UK-oj". uea.org.
  2. ^ a b "Virtuala Kongreso de Esperanto 2020". vk.mondafest.net.
  3. ^ "Universala Esperanto-Asocio". uea.org.
  4. ^ "Listo de aliĝintoj - Virtuala Kongreso de Esperanto 2021".
  5. ^ "Universala Esperanto-Asocio".
  6. ^ "Listo de aliĝintoj - Virtuala Kongreso de Esperanto 2020".
  7. ^ "Universala Esperanto-Asocio: Gazetaraj Komunikoj". uea.org.
  8. ^ "Universala Esperanto-Asocio: Universala Kongreso". uea.org.
  9. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-14.
  10. ^ "Pribina - KONGRESA KURIERO DE LA 101 A UNIVERSALA KONGRESO DE ESPERANTO" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  11. ^ Universala Esperanto-Asocio: "Fina statistiko de Lillo: 2698 aliĝintoj el 80 landoj".
  12. ^ Universala Esperanto-Asocio: "Rezolucio de la 99-a Universala Kongreso de Esperanto".
  13. ^ Universala Esperanto-Asocio: "La 98-a Universala Kongreso de Esperanto Archived 2013-05-03 at archive.today".
  14. ^ "Loa! - Kongres a Kuriero de la 97a Universala Kongreso en Hanojo, Vjetnamio" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  15. ^ Vikinga Voĉo, n-ro 6 (La kongresa Kuriero de la 96-a Universala Kongreso de Esperanto.
  16. ^ "Universala Esperanto-Asocio". uea.org.
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