Lublin has advanced to the finals of the competition for the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) 2029 title. Every resident can now contribute to winning this prestigious title. The City has started to collect ideas and dreams from the community, which will be used in drafting the final project for the ECoC 2029 competition. Any idea might become helpful in preparing the celebratory programme.
We are in the finals of the competition for the European Capital of Culture 2029 title. Winning the competition will not only strengthen Lublin’s status as an important cultural centre in Europe but will also bring new cooperation opportunities with other European cities. It will help to develop various areas of our city, as previous experiences in applying for the ECoC 2016 title have already proved so. We recognise this as a great opportunity, but also a significant challenge. We are actively cooperating with residents, cultural institutions, and non-governmental organisations to develop our competition application. Lublin’s culture will once again be the booster for changes in our city. I encourage everyone to share their ideas and dreams for ECoC 2029 - says Krzysztof Żuk, Mayor of Lublin
The final competition application for ECoC 2029 will be evaluated by European experts in autumn. Residents are encouraged to join this process and share their suggestions and dreams of Lublin as the European Capital of Culture. Starting from February 23, residents can submit their ideas for events and activities which they would like to see in the celebratory programme of ECoC 2029. These submissions must be made via the online form available on the website esk2029.lublin.eu until March 18. Starting from February 26, paper forms will be available at the branches of the Municipal Public Library, cultural institutions, and youth spaces. The results of these forms will be used to create the competition application.
Competing for the ECoC title is a chance for us to get a new perspective on Lublin. We care that this process didn’t involve only culture, but also other areas of city life, including education, tourism, development of infrastructure and green spaces. We seek active involvement from our residents in this process. We aim to develop a new system for Lublin’s culture that will boost changes in the whole city. We want to create the European Capital of Culture of your dreams and so we invite you to share your dreams with us - says Beata Stepaniuk-Kuśmierzak, Deputy Mayor of Lublin for Culture, Sports and Participation
Residents of Lublin can implement their ideas that fit into the ECoC 2029 concept through various tools and programmes, supported by approximately PLN 2 million allocated by the City. From February 23 to March 18, projects can be submitted under the ‘Cultural Districts’ programme, initially introduced during the ECoC 2016 bid. Scholarships for the implementation of a youth project within artistic creation or cultural promotion in 2024 are open for application until March 31. Furthermore, travel scholarships for culture creators have resumed this year after a lapse caused by the pandemic. Creative individuals can be supported in implementing their projects through the City programmes like ‘The Creative’ or ‘Creative Vouchers’. Moreover, Lublin’s participation in the ECoC 2029 finals is a great opportunity to submit the so-called ‘soft’ projects to the Civic Budget, with submissions accepted until March 14.
Young residents of Lublin are also encouraged to engage in the ECoC 2029 Competition through initiatives like the ‘Students of the Future’ project, which grant additional points for entries presenting Lublin as a city of culture (e.g. Cultural Districts – the Youth Inspires Districts’ programme). One can also apply for a scholarship for the implementation of a youth project within artistic creation or cultural promotion in 2024. The City’s support for youth includes also the City Youth Activator (CYA), Municipal Scholarship Scheme for Students and Doctoral Students, or the Academic Lublin programme. Moreover, SUper Grants, which is a new project for the student councils of primary and secondary schools, will be launched soon.
The cultural education of children and youth is an important part of Lublin’s competition application. According to this, the City has prepared a form to survey the needs of the students, their parents, teachers, and kindergarten’ parents, which will be used to prepare cultural education plans. The form will be passed on to Lublin’s schools and kindergartens. Its results will be used to prepare an optimal plan for cultural education for the next few years within the ECoC 2029 competition.
We rely on the ideas and visions of Lublin’s residents for our final competition application in 2029. We are particularly interested in meeting the needs, dreams and expectations of all Lublin residents, including the youngest ones. We encourage you to fill out the forms and to shape the future Lublin together. Tell us about your City of Dreams. This way we will know which activities to pay particular attention to, how to organise the ECoC 2029 celebrations, and how to develop cultural education in our city - says Rafał Koziński, Director of the Centre for Culture in Lublin, Programme Coordinator of ECoC Lublin 2029
Lublin City has been supporting the development of creativity, artistic attitudes, and cultural expression among children and school youth for years. The importance of cultural education is reflected in planned projects supported by the European funds. Initiatives like ‘EU-geniuses from Lublin’, ‘School Superpowers’, and ‘Young-Talented-Creative’ projects aim to develop socio-emotional competencies of students (e.g. art therapy), their basic skills, cross-functional skills, cultural expression and self-presentation. The activities also develop their talents or interests, such as handicraft workshops, singing classes, or photography, film and painting plein-airs. In the ‘Young-Talented-Creative’ project, cooperation with the H. Ch. Andersen Theatre in Lublin is planned, where students will participate in theatrical activities. Additionally, some projects that include vocational training development are being prepared. These will aim at supporting the cooperation of municipal facilities with institutions and employers related to the creative industry.
We continue to collect the activity ideas for European Capital of Culture 2029 from cultural institutions and non-governmental organisations. Until the end of February, proposals can be submitted through an online form available on the website esk2029.lublin.eu. Additionally, NGOs in Lublin had the opportunity to submit their projects in the ‘City of Culture within the European Capital of Culture 2029’ competition for proposals. This competition plans the distribution of financial resources for 2024-2026, which total PLN 2.4 million, i.e. PLN 800,000 annually. Currently, the submitted proposals are being evaluated.
Also, we are initiating a series of meetings with the residents regarding the ECoC 2029 competition. These meetings will address the needs of various social groups. The first meeting regards the expectations of people with special needs and will take place in the Sala Jasna of the Centre for Culture in Lublin (12 Peowiaków Street) on Wednesday (February 28) at 2:00 PM. We invite interested residents, as well as representatives of social organisations and institutions, to participate.
Lublin is one of the four finalist cities in the high-ranking competition for the title of European Capital of Culture 2029. Katowice, Bielsko-Biała, and Kołobrzeg also are on this ‘shortlist’ in the competition’s final stage. The main idea of Lublin’s application is ‘Re:Union’, meaning an unusual meeting, conversation, mutual care, and a new perspective on the city. The efforts to win the ECoC 2029 title and performance of the competition application’s activities boosted the support for the citywide changes through culture. The motivation to perform all the activities is a goal of reunification of diversities.
In 2024, according to Lublin's application for the European Capital of Culture 2029 title, the reserves total PLN 1.75 million and will be used to perform the activities within this application.
More information about ECoC 2029 and the supporting programmes can be found on the website esk2029.lublin.eu.
