Local Heroes
52 Weeks - 52 Cities
Graphic: Kniel Synnatzschke / KNSYphotographie.de
From the town of Alpen to the ancient Roman camp at Xanten, from Sunday to Saturday, from Dachsberg to the Reinberger Heath - the call has rung out, starting on January 10, 2010: "Behold this town!" The Local Heroes programme is spotlighting every municipality within the Ruhr Metropolis. For one full week one town will be the centre of attention for the European Capital of Culture. The towns and cities will themselves draft the schedule of events for their Local Heroes weeks - presenting a very personal cultural calling card that reflects local traditions, urban challenges and European dimensions.
Thus the 52 towns in the Ruhr Metropolis - and Essen as the official bearer of the title "European Capital of Culture" - will be showing how the lofty ideas associated with the Capital of Culture can be implemented at the local level. Projects have been developed jointly by citizens and artists in the individual towns, each depicting the town's cultural profile. The events might include a town fair or concerts, exhibits, readings, dramatic or cabaret performances, or artists' happenings. All the efforts will be aimed at highlighting special aspects within the larger picture. Right in the midst of a conurbation of millions, visitors will find the charm of homey small towns and will discover traces of local history embedded in the promises for the future.
Dinslaken premiered as Local Hero No. 1 in the week starting on January 10, 2010, right after the official opening ceremonies for RUHR.2010. The year of the Capital of Culture will be closed out with considerable aplomb by the town of Hünxe on December 31, 2010. Essen, as the fifty-third municipality in the Ruhr Metropolis and Local Hero for the entire year, will be organising a programme including its individual boroughs and spanning the entire year. What's more, the town of Heiligenhaus, in a special guest appearance as Local Hero - since it is not officially a part of the Ruhr Metropolis - will stage its own Local Heroes events, running parallel to those in the town of Oer-Erkenschwick, in the week of December 12 to 18, 2010.
Be prepared to be surprised by the towns in the Ruhr Metropolis. You'll see art exhibits in automobile showrooms; you'll see sagas from the realm of the water nymphs. Talent shows and multi-generation orchestras promise to turn Local Heroes into the most widely diversified project to be found in the Capital of Culture. In any case, of all the RUHR.2010 projects, it will be offering by far the largest number of individual events.
We hope you'll enjoy yourself during your journeys of discovery - as you travel every which way through the highly varied landscape of towns along the River Ruhr. That’s the invitation we extend to you.
Fritz Pleitgen and Oliver Scheytt