The mayor of Rzeszów, Konrad Fijołek, and the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadowy, have decided to support each other and carry out joint activities on the road to the European Capital of Culture title. Rzeszów will apply for this title in 2029, while Lviv, despite the fact that Ukraine is not yet part of the European Union, is being considered for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2026 by virtue of a special decision.

- The direction that Rzeszów is taking in its candidature is naturally linked to the geopolitical situation in Europe. We all know that we have become home to thousands of war refugees, but also a city hosting people from all over the world committed to helping our neighbours in need in Ukraine. This dimension of empathy, combined with hope and the creation of new ideas, becomes the axis of our project, a kind of frame,' said Konrad Fijołek, mayor of the city of Rzeszów.

The two cities therefore decided to enter into a declaration of cooperation and reciprocal support. This cooperation will include study visits by artists and organisers of cultural events, the provision and display of exhibitions from the resources of cultural institutions under the curatorship of local authorities and their partners, the presentation of artists' activities, the creation of an artist residency programme and the mutual promotion of cultural enterprises.

One of the ideas of Rzeszów is to propose a joint presentation of works from the Dąmbski Collection. One part of the collection is located in the Rzeszów Regional Museum and the other in the Lviv Art Gallery.

The exchange of experience and cooperation between the two local authorities in the field of the protection of cultural heritage, especially architectural monuments, and in the field of education is extremely important. They want to initiate and implement joint educational programmes, workshops and conferences to develop the knowledge and skills of artists and cultural researchers.

The third area of cooperation will be the tourism market. "Together we will create tourism products, exploiting the heritage and cultural attractions of our cities, with a focus on creating links between residents."

In addition to Lviv, other Ukrainian cities - Truskavets, Konotop, Trostyanets, Ternopil, Rivne, Lutsk, Chernihiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Uzhgorod - have expressed their support for Rzeszow in this area. Six of these are partner cities of Rzeszów.