The events that shaped culture in 2017

Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" is the most anticipated issue in the world of magazines. This year, the publication highlighted not a single person, but a whole movement of women and men who went public to share their experience with sexism and abuse. The accompanying hashtag #metoo sparked a debate about the social contract between the sexes.

It all started with Harvey Weinstein, the influential Hollywood producer, who has been accused of misconduct by numerous actresses and colleagues. The accusations set off an avalanche that decimated the reputation of many formerly respected artists, such as Kevin Spacey or the fashion photographer Terry Richardson.

In January, the Elbphilharmonie concert hall opened in Hamburg, Germany after years of delays. The building designed by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron should have been finished in 2010 for €77 million, but the final cost rose to €866 million ($1 billion). Since its opening, however, the beloved "Elphi" concert hall has been continuously sold out.

German director Fatih Akin's movie "Aus dem Nichts" ("In the Fade") about neo-Nazi terrorism has already won numerous prizes, including Best Actress for Diane Kruger in Cannes. The film will now go on to compete in the Foreign Film category at the Golden Globes in 2018 - which gives Akin good chances to get an Oscar nomination next year.

A depressing five-hour-long performance on power and powerlessness, violence, resistance and freedom — that was "Faust," the opening act at the German pavilion at this year's Art Biennale in Venice. Designed by the Frankfurt artist Anne Imhof, it received the Golden Lion award for the Best National Contribution.

As usual, the art festival Documenta 14 took place in Kassel, Germany. But for the first time ever, the organizers also set up shows in Athens, Greece. The remote event turned out to be a financial disaster as it consumed an enormous amount of money. In the end, the event went €7 million ($8.25 million) over budget and the parent company had to be saved by sponsors from looming bankruptcy.

For the first time in history, a Portuguese artist won the Eurovision Song Contest. The 62nd edition of the beloved event took place in Kiev, Ukraine where Salvador Sobral was awarded the winning prize for his song "Amar pelos dois" ("Loving for Both of Us"), an expressive jazz waltz. Earning 758 points in total, the song set a new record at the competition.

On May 22, a homemade bomb was detonated as people were leaving the Manchester Arena after a concert by American singer Ariana Grande. The terror attack killed 23 people and injured more than 500. On June 4, Ariana Grande returned to Manchester with a benefit concert "One Love Manchester" that raised £10 million (€11.3 million) for the victims of the attack.

After the Manchester Arena bombing and the November 2015 Paris attacks at the Bataclan, cultural event organizers have been on constant alert. During this year's Rock am Ring at Germany's Nürburgring racetrack, a song by the German band Broilers was interrupted amid a terror warning, and 80,000 people were forced to leave the area. The festival resumed the next day.

In his interpretation of Richard Wagner's "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg," Australian theater director Barrie Kosky addressed the difficult relationship between Bayreuth and Jews as he transformed Wagner's Wahnfried house into a courtroom of the Nuremberg Trials. "Wagner created his own hell. He's permanently in the witness box, and I am not sure if he can get out of it," said Kosky.

The Basque capital of Bilbao has been celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Guggenheim Museum all year. One night, the iconic building designed by Frank Gehry became a canvas for a gigantic light show. Today, Bilbao is a mecca for art lovers around the world that attracts more than a million visitors every year, with the Guggenheim having saved the once-thriving industrial city from decline.

According to legend, German theologian Martin Luther nailed his famous "Ninety-five Theses" to the door of All Saints' Church in the town of Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. Though this has been proven to be a myth the Ninety-five Theses, a list of propositions against the abusive practices of clergy addressed to the Archbishop of Mainz, challenged the Church and started the Reformation in Europe.

In November, bidders fought ardently for 19 whole minutes to buy "Salvator Mundi," a newly-discovered painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. No one is entirely certain that the portrait of Jesus was actually painted by the Renaissance maestro, but the mystery shrouding the artwork only added to the hyped marketing campaign orchestrated by Christie's New York expert Loïc Gouzer.

Taylor Swift's latest album, "Reputation," needed only four days to top the Billboard charts as the best-seller of 2017. Though fans bought more than 1.2 million copies worldwide, critics lambasted the record for being full of gossip and bitterness toward her musical colleagues, whom the American singer and songwriter likes to confront in her songs.

The eighth episode of the main Star Wars saga, "The Last Jedi," tells the story of the young scavenger Rey and her brave friends as their galaxy is being terrorized by a mysterious villain. The rebels decide to seek help from the last remaining Jedi, Luke Skywalker. With the global opening weekend box office totalling $450 million, it is the second most successful theatrical release of all times.