Brno is in the running to become the European Capital of Culture for 2028. To prepare for the first round of the competition, Brno City Council is allocating CZK 3 million to TIC Brno, who will assemble a team to manage the city’s bid. Photo Credit: KK / BD.
Brno, Aug 28 (BD) – Brno is one of the candidates to become the European Capital of Culture in 2028. This week, Brno City Councillors approved the next phase of the project, by transferring CZK 3 million to TIC Brno, who will assemble a team of experts to prepare the city’s application for the first round of the competition.
“The candidacy for the European Capital of Culture is a huge opportunity for the development of Brno,” said Marek Fišer, Brno City Councilor for Culture. “By culture, we do not have to imagine only theater or classical music, it can also be street art, various innovations, planning, improving public space, sports, and so on. I believe that we will be able to create a team that will prepare us well for the first round of the competition for the title of European Capital of Culture 2028.”
The European Capital of Culture competition is a European Union project which aims to bring the people of Europe closer together. The highly prestigious title offers an opportunity to raise the profile of Brno on the international level. In 2028, the twin capitals will be one city from France and one from the Czech Republic. Brno will compete in the Czech competition with České Budějovice, Liberec, and Broumov. The governing body of the competition in the Czech Republic is the Czech Ministry of Culture.
The deadline for the first round of the competition is the beginning of September 2022. The contribution of CZK 3 million to TIC Brno will be used to create the team which will prepare this phase of the bid.
“The contribution will be used for managerial, program, and organizational support of the candidacy. It will also cover legal and marketing services and office rent. An equally important issue, apart from the point discussed today, is the selection procedure for the general manager of the ECOC candidacy team. We are looking for an experienced and ambitious manager for the team with a passion for culture and experience in leading teams and projects,” said Fišer.
The winner will be decided by a selection committee consisting of 12 members (10 members nominated by European institutions, and two nominated by the Czech Ministry of Culture), independent experts without ties to the candidate cities. The selection committee will decide on the list of cities advancing to the final round. The final selection of the winner by the commission in 2023 must be approved by the Council of European Culture Ministers. The winner of the competition will receive a prize of 1.5 million euros and the title of European Capital of Culture for use indefinitely.
Details of Brno’s candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2028 can be found on the Brno Culture website: https://kultura.brno.cz/brno-2028/.
