Project team Košice – European Capital of Culture 2013 has been pleased to find out that Marseille has become its French counterpart following the final decision of the international jury in Paris earlier today.

“Košice congratulates Marseille’s team to winning the ECC title. We had followed the selection procedure in France with an equal amount of interest as the Slovak one. In the meantime, we have succeeded in exceeding formal relations with members of the winning team. We are very glad to have developed collaboration with Marseille, which will be using the title in 2013, as well as networking opportunities and agreements, which, in many cases, have already transformed into specific projects,“ said Marek Kolárčik, head of the Slovak project team. Košice ECC project team is planning to meet with its French counterpart shortly to coordinate plans for the upcoming period.

Marseille won the national round of selection for the ECC title over Lyon, Toulouse, and Bordeaux.

Marseille

Košice ECC 2013 project team has teamed up with Marseille’s Lieux Public, which focuses on art in public spaces, and came up with a joint project with Divadlo na peróne. The project will produce results as early as this year. “The association has offered us exchange residential stays. Next year, a street art festival in Rožňave should be organized with Divadlo Actores and Tatiana Masníková who is a member of the French association,“ said Roman Sorger, drama advisor for Košice ECC team.

Artists with Artonic association dedicated to experimental performance art in public spaces might come to Košice as early as this year.

“We have started collaborating with the International Center of Poetry in Marseille. Next year, three Slovak authors will take part in a residential stay in the center, where their book will have been published and introduced into its system of circulation, which also serves as an international commercial network of poetry. The books are published under a title Import-Export dedicated to presenting 100 poets of different countries. Peter Milčák and Silvester Lavrík have been currently working on this project, “divulged Sorger on another project.

In the Museum of European Civilizations in the Mediterranean in Marseille, Košice ECC team has decided to present common Turkish and Slovak cultural manifestations in a joint effort with our partner city Bursa in Turkey in 2009-2010. Marseille is a suitable example of tolerance and coexistence, with 60 nationalities living here as a result of immigration.

France and are the two EU member states with a city each to use the ECC title in 2013. The EU Council of Ministers will have officially nominated the selected cities in May 2009. Slovak final round of selection took place on September 8th -9th  in Bratislava, with Nitra, Martin and Prešov contesting the title along the winning city of Košice.

Košice’s Interface project unfolds long-term transformation of the city through cultural channels and seeks to create stimulating environment for culture and creativity. The project revolves around the transformation of industrial and former military zones into an environment of creative industry. It aims to bring culture into city peripheries, to stimulate dialogue between eastern and western Europe, and to align the demands of man with the environment. The city estimates an increased investment of about 2.4 billion crowns (80 million euro) in regard with project’s implementation, with structural funds accounting for 53%.

European Capital of Culture was created to promote the process of bringing European nations closer together. Melida Mercouri‘s initiative was launched by the Council of Ministers in June 1985. The notion has been enjoying growing popularity with Europeans ever since. Its cultural, social and economical impacts are noteworthy. Since 1985, thirty-two cities, including Stockholm, Genoa, Athens, Glasgow, Krakow, and Porto won the title. In the course of time, the original initiative has developed without losing its initial intent – to highlight the richness and diversity of European cultures, as well as their common features; to contribute to better     mutual acquaintance of Europeans; and to promote general consciousness of belonging to a     single European community. (Source: Ministry of Culture of SR)


Zuzana Lehotská,
Media spokesperson, project team Košice - European Capital of Culture 2013