Liberec today submitted an application for the European Capital of Culture

Liberec – Today, Liberec submitted its application to the Ministry of Culture for the European Capital of Culture (EHMK) for the year 2028. In the manner of submission, it also pointed out the absurdity of the transport connection between Liberec and the capital city. The city council informed about this in a press release.

The mayor, Jaroslav Zámečník, transported the application to Prague, which is 100 kilometers away, by motorcycle, while the deputy mayor for culture, Ivan Langr, set off by train with the project's manager for EHMK, Markéta Sabáčková. The mayor arrived at the destination on the motorcycle several dozen minutes earlier than the train after a two-and-a-half-hour journey. "We wanted to highlight the absurdity of the situation again, how public and environmentally friendly transport lags behind road transport. Because the sustainability of many social areas is the alpha and omega of our application," said Langr.

Creating the application for the first round of the competition cost Liberec approximately two million crowns, of which 600,000 was covered by the city council from a grant from the Ministry of Culture. Today in Prague, city representatives handed over a 60-page document in both Czech and English. "For the statutory city of Liberec, this is a historic moment and also a completely extraordinary and unrepeatable opportunity for the development of the entire Liberec region in many creative areas," said the mayor. Details and the program of the candidacy are not yet known in detail. The city council will publish the document in mid-October, when the candidate cities should find out which of them will advance to the second round. Besides Liberec, other cities competing for the title, according to earlier statements from local authorities, include Brno, České Budějovice, and Broumov in the Náchod region.

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