The city of 75,000, located on Sweden's north-eastern coast, will share the 2014 title with an as-yet-undecided Latvian counterpart.
Umeå based its bid around the concepts of the Nordic Space, crossing borders and cultural diversity, and the programme for the year is inspired by the eight seasons of the Sami calendar.
The city, which has allocated 100m Swedish kronor (around 10m euros) to financing the project, will base its programme around the vast open spaces and unique seasonal conditions of the region, where darkness reigns for much of the winter.
Hailing Umeå's selection, Swedish Culture Minister Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth spoke of the increased economic importance of culture, noting that "seven million Europeans work in the creative sector".
Liljeroth added that the status of European cultural capital can mean a great deal to a city, citing the example of Glasgow in 1990. "Glasgow at the time was a city lacking in self-confidence, that hadn't really found its role after the industrial age. But the award made something happen," she said.
The calendar for 2014 is centred on eight themes: 'Northern Light', 'Sami Invitation', 'Stories of the North: Ears for Europe', 'Burning Snow: Melting Ice', 'The Growth of Identities', 'She's Got the Beat: The Gendered City', 'Talking Architecture: Speaking Design', and 'Treasures in Leisure'.
Proposed events include performances of an eight-part musical composition, the presentation of a book project, and a reindeer drive over the city's bridges.
Umeå is also planning to build a riverside 'Cultural Centre for Children and Young People' and a new 'Art Campus' to host university research, with a particular focus on art and architecture projects.
Congratulating Umeå on its selection and wishing the city "all the success it so richly deserves," EU Culture Commissioner Ján Figel' said preparing to be a European Capital of Culture "is always a long adventure strewn with pitfalls that Umeå has skillfully been able to avoid".
"This wonderful project must now be led by a solid team and receive all the necessary political and economic support between now and 2014," Figel' added.
Riga will submit its recommendation for European Capital of Culture on 15 September.
Umeå and its Latvian counterpart must still be formally designated as Europe's 2014 cultural capitals by the EU's Council of Ministers. But the Council's endorsement, expected in May 2010, is considered a procedural formality.
Last May, EU culture ministers confirmed Košice (Slovakia) and Marseille (France) as European culture capitals for 2013 (EurActiv 13/05/09).
