Four entered the short list: Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Kołobrzeg and Lublin. Attached is the report of the pre-selection evaluation panel.

After Bielsko-Biała  Ecocnews interviewed the Kołobrzeg team, using the same format that was used for all candidate cities. We are also waiting for the other two short-listed cities to respond.

Why did your city decide to apply for the European Capital of Culture?
The initiative to apply for the ECoC title was a bottom-up initiative. The proposal to apply for the ECoC title came from local activists, artists and animators, with Kołobrzeg residents playing a key role in preparing the idea and content of the application. There are many reasons for applying, but we will cite only the most important ones. One of them is that the inhabitants of Kołobrzeg, like the inhabitants of other European tourist towns, are torn between the world of the tourist industry and the world of a small coastal town demanding a focus on its inhabitants. Another challenge is the inability to develop industry so that our town does not lose its spa qualities. Therefore, with an intensively growing hotel and tourism industry and a lack of alternative development opportunities, young people are emigrating to larger urban centres. Thus, the number of senior citizens is increasing. Kolobrzeg's coastal location, in turn, makes us sensitive to the problems of sustainable development and the subjective treatment of nature, especially our greatest resource - the Baltic Sea. Problems associated with overfishing of the Baltic, excessive maritime transport, and littering with plastic and chemical weapons sunk in 1945, complete the vision of a dying sea and mark another reason for our participation in the competition.

The European Capital of Culture is a look at Europe as a common and colorful cultural heritage, in which Kołobrzeg has had its share for over a thousand years. It is an attempt to diagnose, name and solve the most important difficulties facing our community - local, Baltic and European.

What do you think are the keywords of your application?
I SEE YOU is encompassed in the triad I, SEA, YOU. “I see you” means: I have noticed how special you are and I’m happy to have your company; I am ready to hear your story first, before I tell you mine; I give you my attention and I don’t expect anything in return.

But ‘I SEA YOU’ means so much more. It is our attitude towards the nature that surrounds us, the understanding that the world of people is only one part of the natural world, and the future is based on balance and harmony – it is rooted in the sea. The need to see and be seen might seem to be a mere drop in the ocean of problems Europe faces today, connected as they are to safety, the climate, economic collapse, and a crisis of trust.

I SEA YOU is the leading thought and the motto of the European Capital of Culture for 2029 in Kołobrzeg.

How are you involving citizens in this competition?
The involvement of local people and civil society, both in the preparation of the proposal and in the implementation of activities during the ECoC year, has been a top priority for us from the very beginning. Only the personal involvement of the local community at every stage of the project can result in genuine social change and an increase in cultural and civic awareness.

We aim to involve all groups of Kolobrzeg's inhabitants - from primary and secondary school pupils, civil servants, and employees in the creative and business sectors, to socially engaged senior citizens. We are planning several projects aimed at age groups as well as the general public while allowing for any grassroots initiatives that aim to build awareness of the ECoC and involve the local community. 

What are the next steps on your journey?
In the first weeks since the announcement of the Polish finalists of the ECoC competition, we have focused primarily on activities aimed at building awareness of ECoC among the local community, as well as planning some short-term and long-term activities in our educational institutions. In addition, we are continuing open meetings with residents as part of a series entitled ECoC Kolobrzeg 2029 - questions, challenges, opinions. We are developing pilot programmes dedicated to cooperation between the cultural and creative sectors and the private sector and NGOs. In the coming months, we also intend to take steps to strengthen our existing partnerships in Europe, as well as to establish new ones.

What are your thoughts on the European Capital of Culture competition?
This is a huge challenge for any city, and one that brings with it many valuable experiences. The competition is an impulse to look at the city anew, to scan it and find what was previously less visible or less prioritised, or perhaps even ignored, and then to tackle it by finding the best solution themselves or by drawing on the good practices of other European cities that have faced or are facing similar problems. It is also a chance to look at the needs of the inhabitants from a different perspective - from a socio-cultural perspective. The social, cultural, infrastructural, or other processes launched thanks to the competition are the most valuable, which is why entering the competition is never about losing, but always about winning.

In Poland, 12 cities entered the competition, and four made it to the finals; one of the finalists was our city - Kołobrzeg. Thanks to the involvement of all residents - social activists, cultural animators, entrepreneurs, senior citizens, teachers, children, young people, and the city authorities, we have already embarked on a path of social change that will usher our community into a new era of cooperation and development, and above all a new outlook on our mutual needs and relationships. An era that we want to start by saying 'I sea you' to each other to express our common need to see and be seen.

More information at www.k2029.eu