We conclude the work week with a happy news – today from the printing house we have received Liepāja, South Kurzeme and Kuldīga joint Bid for the European Capital of Culture 2027, which we will submit to the Ministry of Culture on Monday, 4 April, for the jury’s evaluation.
Thank you to the mayors of all three municipalities – Gunārs Ansiņš, Inga Bērziņa and Aivars Priedols for their firm support and engagement in this application process and thank you for your well wishes! Together we are a great power and are strengthening the whole Kurzeme region in a very important way!
The application will be published, and everyone will be able to read the broad and diverse cultural and public participation programme once it has been evaluated by the international jury. The second round of the European Capital of Culture 2027 application consists of answers to 44 questions on long-term strategy, artistic programme and overall concept, public participation, marketing activities, audience research and financial offer, amounting to about 100 pages.
“I would like to express my sincere and profound gratitude to everyone in Liepāja and the region for their overwhelming response and genuine desire to be part of the process and the application, demonstrating the vast and versatile opportunities that Liepāja, together with the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga regions, has to offer. Now the team has already started the preparation for the jury’s visit and the presentation of the application to the Ministry of Culture, which is expected in early May,” said Inta Šoriņa, the project manager of the Liepāja Bid.
The international jury will visit Liepāja on 3 May to assess the team’s work and the capacity of the city and the regions, and on 9 May all three cities will present their Bids in person at the Ministry of Culture.Nine Latvian cities took part in the first round of the competition, while three cities – Liepāja, Valmiera and Daugavpils – are competing for the title in the second round.
Photos available here
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.