Liberec wants to have the application concept for the European Capital of Culture ready by the summer

Liberec – Liberec is approaching the conclusion of creating the concept for the application for the European Capital of Culture (EHMK) for 2028. The city hall aims to have the basic version of the sixty-page document completed by the end of June. The news was reported by the deputy mayor for culture, Ivan Langr.

"I expect that by the end of June we should have a cleaned-up concept, and throughout July and August, graphic additions and translation into English will take place," said the deputy. The city must submit the application by September 1; however, according to Langr, it will not yet contain a specific outline of activities. "The first application will only cover very briefly. The crucial detail, meaning the cultural program, will be for application number two," stated the deputy.

According to him, the basic version of the application must indicate the foundations they want to build on and what their candidacy will be based upon. "A lot of the application is about comparing whether the candidate city will be able to grasp and implement the project in terms of capacity, meaning human resources," added the deputy.

For the preparation of materials and the creation of the application for the first round, the city will pay over 2.9 million crowns. Like the other three candidates, Liberec received a grant of half a million crowns from the Ministry of Culture for its creation. Langr expects that those advancing to the second round could be announced this November or December. Liberec's competitors will be Brno, Broumov, and České Budějovice.

The title of European Capital of Culture is awarded for one year by the European Union to one or more European cities, which thus have the opportunity to present their cultural life and development to Europe throughout the year. The holders for the Czech Republic were Prague in 2000 and Plzeň in 2015. The turn will come again for the Czech Republic in 2028. Which of the Czech cities will succeed is expected to be known next year.