Nine more months. Then the Chemnitz application for the title of European Capital of Culture 2025 must be submitted. There is still a lot to do until then, but a lot has already been done. Here is a brief review of last year’s work – and an outlook for the coming months.
January 2018
At the start of the Capital of Culture Office’s year, international guests gave important impulses for the application: guests included Dr. Ulrich Fuchs, then chairman of the EU jury selecting the European Capitals of Culture, and Ib Christensen, who headed the cultural department in the European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017. In conversation, both made it clear once again that Capitals of Culture are not so much the princes in the fairy tale, but the frogs to be thrown against the wall.
March 2018
The second round of applicants for micro-project funding ended with over 60 submissions: Eleven projects were ultimately funded with a total of 18,500 euros.
May 2018
Chemnitz discusses the new cultural strategy up to the year 2030, and during a two-year participatory process involving around 200 actors from the local cultural and creative scene, a paper was produced which was presented to the public in its first version on “Debate Day”.
May 2018
For the first meeting of the 24 cities and municipalities along the Chemnitz model, workshops were held with the support of Prof. Oliver Scheytt, President of the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft and once Managing Director of Ruhr.2010 GmbH, to work on the realisation of the Chemnitz cultural region.
July 2018
The motto and story of the application were presented in a first version and put up for discussion. Under the title “Aufbrüche. Opening Minds. Greating Spaces.” Chemnitz tells a story that gives concrete faces, destinies and new beginnings to the great historical impacts in Europe. For if there is anything in Chemnitz’s blood, it is departures: to Germany’s leading industrial city at the beginning of the 20th century, to the leading mechanical engineering company in Central Eastern Europe during the Cold War and to the up-and-coming medium-sized business location since the turn of the millennium. Whatever has led to radical changes in history – the people of Chemnitz have made a breakthrough with a doer mentality and inventive talent. Nonetheless, the upheavals in the city’s history have also left their mark on the city. Three different city centres within 70 years, two city names, different social systems – Chemnitz is still searching for identity and self-image. The application for European Capital of Culture 2025 will also make a decisive contribution in this direction.
August 2018
The Programme Council and many of the city’s cultural actors confirm the potential of the application: “We were able to apply before 26 August. Now we must apply.”
September 2018
At a meeting with around 200 Chemnitz associations, the application for the European Capital of Culture will also be discussed. Is the city on the river an issue? How do we involve children and young people? What will mobility and work look like in 2025? Many questions, many revealing answers from the city’s volunteers.
All German candidate cities will meet in Berlin for the official start of the German competition for the title of European Capital of Culture 2025. Workshops and lectures will explain the selection procedure for the Federal Republic of Germany, which is organized by the Cultural Foundation of the Federal States.
The Saxon state government supports the applications of the cities of Chemnitz, Dresden and Zittau with 100,000 euros each.
In the third round of applications for micro-project funding, 43 ideas were submitted, of which 14 projects were ultimately approved with a total budget of just under 27,000 euros.
October 2018
The old Hartmann factory was the backdrop for “Keeping in touch” for the Capital of Culture application. The theme was the many places with potential in Chemnitz. The Capital of Culture team alone had put a total of 17 on the agenda. The approximately 150 Chemnitz residents, who created exciting future scenarios on this day, also had other ideas. Thus, on 27 October, a fruitful discussion of their own city began, which lasted until 30 November. The evaluation and the results of this citizen participation process now culminated in an exhibition at the Tietz at the end of January.
November 2018
Chemnitz2025 was the theme partner for the 10th KulturInvest congress in Berlin, Germany’s leading forum for cultural providers and promoters of culture. Together with ten high-ranking international speakers, Chemnitz, in a special panel on the Capital of Culture, got to the bottom of the involvement of the city society in the urban development process.
Historical: In a joint council meeting on 14 November, 24 cities and municipalities along the Chemnitz model sealed their support for Chemnitz’ bid to become the European Capital of Culture 2025: Amtsberg, Annaberg-Buchholz, Aue, Augustusburg, Burgstädt, Burkhardtsdorf, Flöha, Frankenberg/Saxony, Hainichen, Jahnsdorf/Erzgebirge, Lichtenau, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Lößnitz, Mittweida, Neukirchen/Erzgebirge, Niederdorf, Niederwiesa, Niederwürschnitz, Oelsnitz, Olbernhau, Pockau-Lengefeld, Stollberg/Erzgebirge, Thalheim/Erzgebirge, Zwönitz.
Now the Capital of Culture is available in magazine format. What’s that all about? What is this? What’s the point? – There are so many questions about the application, which are now answered in detail on 36 magazine pages.
December 2018
Under the title “Take a seat”, Chemnitz residents are called upon to fill unused areas or squares with their own ideas. These should be manageable projects that use creativity to increase the quality of stay in one place or another. A budget of 2025 euros is available per place. A sum that makes individual initiative possible and at the same time necessary. Because the goal is a joint project that unites many talents.
Proposals may be submitted until 28 February. All information under: www.chemnitz2025.de
<…that's what we expect next year.
January 2019
Kick-off of a new round of funding for micro-projects on the way to becoming a Capital of Culture.
end of January 2019
Exhibition on the results of the civic participation process for 17 ECOC intervention areas.
2 February 2019
Capital Party at the Weltecho. Details will be available soon …
6 February 2019
Together with Dresden and Zittau, the Chemnitz application will be presented at the New Year’s reception of the Saxony Liaison Office in Brussels.
8 March 2019
Kick-off of the public voting for the five most popular proposals in the “Take a seat” project. The voting ends on 3 April. The five most popular projects will be chosen on 5 April.
March 30, 2019
Citizen participation: Workshop with the citizens of Chemnitz on key aspects of the application.
31 March 2019
End of the call for proposals for the fourth round of microproject funding.
10-13 April 2019
EUROCITIES Cultural Forum in Chemnitz: The European network with around 140 cities from all over Europe will meet for its spring conference in Chemnitz, where the city will present itself as a candidate for the title of European Capital of Culture 2025 and present good practice examples of creative civic involvement.
09-11 April 2019
Twin Cities Conference: Together with the EUROCITIES Cultural Forum, Chemnitz will also welcome its twin cities Tampere, Ljubljana, Ústí nad Labem, Mulhouse, Łódź, Manchester, Akron, Arras, Düsseldorf, Taiyuan, Timbuktu, Volgograd for an exchange on further cooperation – also in the cultural field.
09th-12th May 2019
Chemnitz will host the PEN annual conference in 2019. Around 200 authors from the German Writers’ Association are expected to attend at the Villa Esche, the State Museum of Archaeology and the Schauspielhaus.
11 May 2019
Museum night with the region
May 24, 2019
European Neighbours Day
22 June 2019
Citizen participation: Workshop with the citizens of Chemnitz on key aspects of the application.
September 2019
Days of industrial culture with the region
September 30, 2019
Delivery of the bidbook.
September 2019
End of the call for proposals for the fifth round of microproject funding.
07-13 October 2019
International Children’s Film Festival Schlingel with the region
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