The programme ?Port of Diversity? is based on three pillars: Water, Work and Migrations, without significant infrastructural interventions. The activities now continue, and the application will be soon available online.
As we have already reported, Rijeka submitted its final application documentation for European Capital of Culture of 2020 on 10 February 2016. In the month that follows, the visit of an evaluation commission and a verbal presentation before the said commission await us, right after which the Croatian city that will be awarded the title of European Capital of Culture will be announced.
Thematic lines
Together with the other candidate cities, we will soon publish the entirety of the application documentation on our web site and on the web site of the Ministry of Culture, together with details related to the cultural programmes and projects. The programme is based on three pillars (Water, Work and Migrations), united under the umbrella topic and motto ?Port of Diversity?. The programme is the fruit of the cooperation of local cultural producers, together with more than a hundred partners from all over Europe. As for infrastructural projects related to the ECoC projects, here are, above all, the Children’s House and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art , which are part of the large-scale project of the reconstruction of the Rikard Ben?i? industrial complex.
Activities
During the entire process of preparing the candidacy, we have been implementing a wide range of activities, and we plan to continue with their implementation. We held a variety of panel discussions, round tables and presentations where we, together with our fellow citizens, independent producers, institutions and partners, worked on the creation of concepts and programmes (while some of the work also was conducted online, in the form of e-consultations). In every stage of the preparation of the candidacy, we strived to involve the public at large as much as possible and to obtain the greatest number of different opinions possible in order to get feedback and to truly make the candidacy belong to all of the city and all of its citizens. The other segment of the activities we are implementing are community-based initiatives that aim to s(t)imulate citizens to imagine what things would look like if Rijeka were to win the title, which we are trying to accomplish to the greatest extent possible.
How we see Rijeka
In 2020 (and later), I see Rijeka with a cultural life that will contribute to the sustainable development of the city based on the cooperation of all of the sectors and stakeholders in the city, region and beyond, and which will involve the participation of the entire community through programmes that will examine the cultural, social and economic challenges that Europe is facing today.
Why Rijeka
The title of European Capital of Culture will help Rijeka to expand the scope and diversity of its cultural offer, to expand access to culture and participation in it, to strengthen the capacities of the cultural sector and its connections with other sectors, and to increase the international visibility and profile of the city. The title would also represent a great opportunity and tool for learning and would help Rijeka improve the entirety of its cultural and creative sector. The entire ECoC cycle represents a fabulous opportunity for the development of both this sector and the city as a whole. Rijeka needs this tool to facilitate and accelerate both our own ambitions, and the ambitions of our partners: the Primorje – Gorski Kotar County, the University of Rijeka and the City of Opatija.
