Further steps on the way to becoming Capital of Culture 2025

At yesterday's meeting of the steering group to manage the bid for the title of "European Capital of Culture 2025", the Capital of Culture Secretariat presented further steps on the way to the bid.

Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig: "With the projects presented, the Capital of Culture theme is now becoming visible in city life for the first time. Anyone who wants to can get directly involved with the Capital of Culture application and enter into dialogue with the people behind it. Ideas, suggestions and contributors are expressly encouraged."

The most visible sign will be the opening of the new office of the Capital of Culture Secretariat. On 18 July, the office in the Rosenhof will open its doors to the people of Chemnitz. The space will offer a creative ambience for talks, workshops and events.

The living room tour of the Capital of Culture application will be on site at this opening and invite guests to talk about the European Capital of Culture. The living room tour kicked off on 10 June at the family festival in Tietz. The response was impressive. Many people from Chemnitz sought dialogue with the cultural ambassadors in this new format. The next date for the Living Room Tour is the German Road Cycling Championships. Next Saturday, the living room will be on display in Innere Klosterstraße (near Webergasse) from 12 noon to 6 pm (please note that the times have changed from press release no. 389). Further dates for the living room tour will include the city festival, the Intercultural Weeks and the Christmas market.

The next steps will also be taken in the online area in July. The homepage(www.chemnitz2025.de) as well as the Facebook and Twitter pages will be launched in parallel with the opening of the Capital of Culture Secretariat.

From late summer, the adult education centre will be offering information evenings, seminars
information evenings, seminars, workshops and walks, including

- Rosenhof evenings with the topics "City and Culture", "Chemnitz City Culture" and "European Identity"
- City walks in the city centre and Brühl, Sonnenberg, Schloßchemnitz and Kaßberg areas
- A workshop under the title "Chemnitz city culture"
- The photo project "You see something I don't see - Chemnitz through the eyes of its inhabitants"

In addition to the various projects, an association Freundeskreis Chemnitz 2025 e.V. (Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 19, 09111 C) has also been founded. It already has 20 members. The chairman of the association and contact person for interested parties is Egmont Elschner (tel. 01723711363). The association is open to anyone who has ideas and wants to help during the application phase and support the Capital of Culture idea.

But it is not just the people of Chemnitz who should be involved in the application process. The surrounding area also plays an important role. In mid-April, Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig met with the mayors and representatives of the municipalities of Amtsberg, Annaberg-Buchholz, Burkhardtsdorf, Flöha, Frankenberg, Hainichen, Jahnsdorf/Erz., Limbach-Oberfrohna, Mittweida, Oelsnitz/Erz., Stollberg and Thalheim/Erz. to discuss the Capital of Culture application. The Lord Mayor invited the municipalities, all of which are or will be connected to the City of Chemnitz via the Chemnitz Model, to participate in the bid for the title of "European Capital of Culture 2025" with their own ideas and proposals. To this end, two regional conferences are planned for September in Thalheim (south) and Mittweida (north). The aim is also to extend the programme to municipalities in the region that are not part of the Chemnitz model, especially as towns such as Zschopau have already signed up. An initial meeting was held with the mayor of the town to discuss the possibilities for cooperation.

By way of explanation:
The steering group was appointed by the city council on 8 February 2017 to strategically manage the bid. It sets priorities in terms of content, defines framework conditions and prepares further necessary city council resolutions.
The Programme Council carries out the creative work for the bid. It develops the concept for the Capital of Culture and collects ideas and proposals. It is advised by international experts on the programme work.
Following a decision by the City Council on 25 January 2017, five honorary cultural ambassadors will also be involved in the Programme Council. The cultural ambassadors are citizens of all age groups from the city of Chemnitz who have agreed to support the application process in terms of content and concept.
A Capital of Culture Secretariat was established for project management and project organisation by resolution of the City Council on 25 January 2017. During the preparation of the bid, the staff of the Capital of Culture Secretariat are responsible for administrative and controlling tasks and cultural policy work. They also develop concepts for public participation. The head of the European Capital of Culture project is Ferenc Csák, Head of Cultural Operations for the City of Chemnitz.

The European Capitals of Culture help to emphasise the richness, diversity and commonalities of Europe's cultural heritage and facilitate a better understanding of Europe's citizens for one another. The title has been awarded for one year at a time since 1985.