Liepāja City Municipality has initiated an active preparation stage for the 2nd round application of the European Capital of Culture competition. It will summon the strength of the cooperation with the South Kurzeme Region and the town of Kuldīga, including a wide range of public participation activities and expanding the network of international collaboration.
To inform the public about the latest developments in the preparation of Liepāja and Kurzeme Region for the 2nd round of the European Capital of Culture 2027 competition, on Thursday, 30 September, everyone were welcome to take part in the Culture Breakfast.
Both in person and via the live webcast from the new premises of the Liepāja High School of Music, Art and Design.
“The European Capital of Culture competition is not just a story about culture. During the preparation process we review all sectors in the city – economy, education, environment, etc. We consider this period of preparation as a good stimulus for the development of the city in general, since Liepāja’s ambition has never been just a competition for its own sake. Our goal with the European Capital of Culture 2027 competition was and is not to let ourselves to slip into a provincial dormancy, but to look more broadly and freshly at the overall development and growth potential of Liepaja. Our aim is to search and find answers on how we can do more and better with the existing resources and how we can attract new resources to turn Liepāja in a new direction – 21st century thinking and doing,” said Gunārs Ansiņš, Chairman of the Liepāja City Council, at the opening of the Culture Breakfast.
The Working Group team presented the preparation process and the outlines activities. Liepāja will participate in 2nd round with the South Kurzeme Region and the town of Kuldīga, thus strengthening not only the cultural life of the both towns and their surroundings, but the whole Kurzeme Region and its overall development.
A wide and diverse range of public participation activities are also planned – master classes with the best professionals in Latvia, various discussion platforms, public engagement campaigns, the Liepāja neighbourhood ambassadors programme, etc. to increase the involvement and participation of the local residents themselves in this process.
A new website will be launched in the next few weeks, which is currently being developed by local creative industry representatives – members of the Liepāja Digital Innovation Park.
The European Capital of Culture 2027 application for the 2nd round is being developed and supervised by the working group team led by the Project General Manager Inta Šoriņa, Deputy Head of the Liepāja Municipality Culture Department Nauris Lazdāns, Artistic Director of the Concert Hall “Great amber” Baiba Bartkeviča, Project Manager, environmental sustainability specialist and researcher Nora Sudmale, artist, Head of the Art Research Laboratory at the University of Liepāja, Anna Priedola, Director and Lecturer of the bachelor programme “New Media Art”, Kristīne Niedre – Lathere, Head of the Liepāja City Education Department, Zita Lazdāne, Head of the Public Relations and Marketing Department of the Liepāja Municipality Administration, Kristīne Zvirbule, Project Manager for the South Kurzeme Region and Kuldīga.
The responsible institution for the development of the application is the Liepāja City Municipality institution “Culture Department”.
After the presentation, the Culture Breakfast attendees continued to discuss various issues related to the European Capital of Culture 2027 in an informal atmosphere.
The deadline for submitting the 2nd application is beginning April 2022. It consists of answers to 44 questions on long-term strategy, artistic programme and overall concept, public participation, marketing activities, target group research, financial offer and is approximately 100 pages thick.
As it was already announced, 9 Latvian cities applied for the 1st round, while four cities – Liepāja, Jūrmala, Valmiera and Daugavpils – made it to the 2nd round.
The Supervisory Board’s purpose is to oversee the project’s content, financial utilization, and achieved results, as well as to facilitate cooperation between municipalities, state institutions, and other stakeholders.
Launching the month of Liepāja’s 400th anniversary celebration, the Liepāja Holy Trinity Cathedral on Saturday, 1 March 2025, at 17:00 will host a sacred music concert, “Caur gaismu nāk un sudrabs top” (Through Light Cometh Silver Shine). This event brings under single musical umbrella newly composed works by Liepāja-spirited composers Ēriks Ešenvalds, Jānis Lūsēns, and Andris Kontauts, paired with samples from the cathedral’s historical sheet music collection, creating a harmonious bridge between past and present.
This competition was launched to inspire the creation of an innovative and artistically refined environmental object that integrates seamlessly into Liepaja’s urban landscape.