czech pavilion at 2010 expo - MZV ÄŒR

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WE ARE INTRODUCING
Plzeň Wants to Open Its Arms to Europe
Thanks to its history and tradition,
the West Bohemian metropolis
can be associated with various
attributes. They do not have to be
just the engineering industry, the
world-famous beer, or business
development. In addition, there is
now a real chance that in five years‘
time the city may be graced with
the title of European Capital of Culture
for 12 months. Plzeň (Pilsen)
is one of the Czech candidate cities
(the other is Ostrava) which want
to open their imaginary arms to the
European public within the broadly
conceived event.
This is precisely the purpose of the
project: to bring the Europeans closer together
through culture. The question whether the
title will be awarded to Plzeň or Ostrava will be
decided by the international committee this
September. “Becoming a European culture
centre in fi ve years‘ time means great prestige,
and for Plzeň it is a challenge which will not be
repeated for a long time. It is really worth to
fi ght for“, says Petr Dvořák, the PR and Marketing
Manager of the Plzeň 2015 project.
� VISION IS IMPORTANT
The European Capital of Culture event (ECoC)
was launched by a decision of the EEC Council
of Ministers in June 1985 and the title is
awarded to European cities for a period of
one year. Among Czech cities, Prague was the
proud holder of the designation in 2000. The
cultural and socio-economic dimension of the
event surpasses the present common simplifi
ed conception of culture in all respects.
The Art Director of the Plzeň 2015 project
Yvona Kreuzmannová confi rms this: “This European
project is not designed to acknowledge
the reputation of the given city as a city of culture.
There is much more to it – what vision the
city has for a period of fi ve to ten years, what
its concept of all-round development is“.
Milan Svoboda, the Plzeň 2015 Project
Director, who worked in the development
branch of the municipal government of the
West Bohemian metropolis from the 1990s,
speaks in a similar tone. “I saw the city of Plzeň
as an area with immense potential already
then. Therefore, after the completion of the
fi rst stage of the city’s transformation focused
mainly on the economic base, the vision was
born in 2003 to develop Plzeň especially in the
area of innovative enterprise, tourism, and culture.
And this is precisely where the Plzeň 2015
project off ers a unique chance .“
� PILSEN-OPEN UP!
Although Plzeň presents itself rather as
a conservative city, this does not mean that
it is not opening to new trends. The Plzeň
2015 project and its motto – Pilsen-open
up! – is a strong impulse for this place, which
has an indisputably tremendous creative
potential in the area of art and technologies.
And the important thing is that in the preparation
of the strategic document The City
of Plzeň Culture Development Programme
2009–2019, its inhabitants have made it
clear that they defi nitely desire a change in
quality, expect new impulses, and are ready
to participate in this change and revival.
� USEFUL INSPIRATION
The best example in this respect can be the
results achieved by Glasgow as the European
Capital of Culture in 1990. It was probably the
fi rst breakthrough in the understanding of culture
– not as a consumer area, but as a motor
for kick-starting a healthy development of society.
This was the reason why the socio-economic
factors in Glasgow greatly improved after
1990, and the level of the region as well as the
gross domestic product rose by 20%.
At present, the European Capital of Culture
event is gradually moving from large metropolises
to medium-sized cities which can greatly
boost their development, provided they have
the courage and enlightened town halls. Inspiration
can be drawn from the experience of
Lille in 2004 or Liverpool four years later. Their
economic studies showed that every euro invested
in culture brought 8 euros of profi t in
parallel eff ects. Indeed, if the event attracts
tourists, the level of accommodation and restaurant
services, transport infrastructure, etc.
in the city rises. It is thus clear proof why the EU
is to support not only business, employment,
and the environment, but also culture.
Of course, there are many other inspiring
examples from previous years for the candidate
city of Plzeň. They include Linz and Graz,
where the organisers succeeded in building
the necessary infrastructure, off ering an excellent
programme and creating a generally
Photo: The City of Plzeň archives