On 20 October, the final of the European Capital of Culture 2030 competition, in which Lviv is participating, will take place in Brussels at the headquarters of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture.
The Ukrainian team will compete for the title with the city of Nikšić (Montenegro).
The application to be presented by the Lviv team is the result of many years of work and the combined efforts of hundreds of cultural figures. Its creation was coordinated by the Institute for Cultural Strategy.
“We have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Why? Because we know we have something to say. Because we know that both the application process and, of course, the ECoC title change cities. The ECoC programme requires each candidate city to develop, among other things, a plan for measuring its success, the evolution and results of the ECoC programme,” said Yuliya Khomchyn, Director of the Institute for Cultural Strategy (head of Lviv’s application process for the ECoC 2030 title), in an interview with LB.ua.
The concept of Lviv’s competition application is Responsibility to Be. “This idea was born out of the Ukrainian context – the experience of threat, loss, broken ties, and at the same time dignity and solidarity. Lviv sees culture as a force that can restore, remember, care for and imagine the future,” the application says.
The following individuals also contributed to the creation of the application: Bohdan Shumylovych, researcher at the Centre for Urban History (artistic director of the programme); poet and musician Hryhoriy Semenchuk (programme director); Volodymyr Beglov, director of America House Lviv (coordinator of audience outreach); and artist Alevtyna Kakhidze (illustrator for the application). The Ukrainian Institute and the Lviv city authorities acted as partners. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyy, Deputy Minister of Culture Halyna Hryhorenko, and Ukrainian Institute Director Volodymyr Sheyko will also take part in the presentation of the application.
The results of the competition will be announced on 21 October in Brussels. The announcement will be broadcast live and can be viewed here.
About the European Capitals of Culture competition:
- The initiative was launched in 1985;
- To date, more than 60 cities in the European Union and beyond have received this title;
- The aim is to highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe, to celebrate the cultural characteristics shared by Europeans, to strengthen European citizens’ sense of belonging to a common cultural space, and to promote the contribution of culture to the development of cities;
- In 2025, there will be two European Capitals of Culture: Chemnitz (Germany) and Nova Gorica (Slovenia).