Knowledge trip to Aarhus with important insights

A delegation from Chemnitz travelled to the Danish city of Aarhus, which is this year's European Capital of Culture together with Paphos in Cyprus, and gained important insights for Chemnitz's application. Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig, city councillors, Head of Cultural Operations Ferenc Csák, the General Director of Chemnitz Municipal Theatres, Dr Christoph Dittrich, CWE Managing Director Dr. Christoph Dittrich, CWE Managing Director Dr. Christoph Dittrich, CWE Managing Director Dr. Christoph Dittrich, CWE Managing Director Dr. Christoph Dittrich and CWE Managing Director Dr. Christoph Dittrich travelled to Denmark. Christoph Dittrich, CWE Managing Director Sören Uhle, Egmont Elschner as Chairman of the Cultural Advisory Board and the President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Gunnar Bertram.

The discussion with the head of the Aarhus Cultural Office, Ib Christensen, in particular, gave the guests from Chemnitz interesting insights into the cultural strategy of the Danish city, the application process and the effects that the title of Capital of Culture entails. Accordingly, the city of Aarhus places the topic of culture at the centre of its entire urban policy and development. Ib Christensen described this focus and the associated persuasion work as "hard work, but worth it." In the Capital of Culture application process in particular, it is important to "harmonise art and culture with the social challenges of the past, present and future." Political consensus and the involvement of the region are also important in such an application, as is the issue of citizen participation. "The Capital of Culture is a project with the city and not just for the city," says Christensen. It is already apparent that Aarhus is being perceived in a completely different way in the country and internationally - especially in terms of tourism. But the bid and the title have also paid off for the city itself: "We have learnt and developed so much during the process. This knowledge will remain in the city and its citizens even after 2017."

Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig, who was able to sign the Golden Book of the City of Aarhus, explains: "The trip to Aarhus was an important learning experience for everyone involved. We experienced a city that is very similar to Chemnitz: Copenhagen has always stood in the shadow of a large neighbour. The harbour, industry and trade are focal points and have undergone structural change at the same time. And Aarhus is a university city. The discussions with both my counterpart and the heads of the city administration provided us with valuable information on how the application process should be organised and the sustainability of such a title. The visit to the facilities was a further gain in knowledge, as it showed us the importance of culture in urban development."

Cultural Director Ferenc Csák: "The city of Aarhus has shown the enormous development potential that can be mobilised with the application process and subsequently with the title of European Capital of Culture. Coordinated strategies across the entire administration, professional management, broad support for the process in the city council as well as the involvement of the region and clear budgeting were important ingredients in the recipe for success. As a result, Aarhus has gone from being a remarkable city in Europe to a European city in the truest sense of the word. This means that an important goal has been achieved with the title."

Gunnar Bertram, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, member of the steering group and participant in the trip to Aarhus adds: "It was exciting for me to learn that the City of Aarhus' Capital of Culture application was also successful thanks to the intensive involvement of the region. This networking is also a good and sustainable opportunity for the future for us in Chemnitz - the city and the region need to work together. The Chemnitz Capital of Culture bid can be an excellent starting point for everyone."

The 14-strong delegation from Chemnitz was in Aarhus from 17 to 19 August. The programme of the trip included a city tour, visits to the "Godsbanen" cultural centre, which is also home to the city's cultural office, the AROS art museum and a tour of the newly built Dokk1 multimedia building, which houses the city library and the Capital of Culture Secretariat.