Hidden Places - revealed by Görlitz
Untermarkt Görlitz / Foto: GörlitzZgorzelec GmbH
March 3, 2010
Following the transfer of the European City Charter from its initiator Karlsruhe to Essen on the opening of RUHR.2010, this document has now begun its travels through Germany. The first chapter has been written by Görlitz, the city which, competing with Essen and the Ruhr, fought out the German final for the title of European Capital of Culture 2010.
Görlitz’s Mayor Dr. Michael Wieler handed over the Charter to Kassel, represented by Ruth Wagner, head of cultural development, and Henner Koch, Cultural Office, who had travelled to Görlitz to participate in the ceremony. Wieler, who originally comes from Essen, was heavily involved in the candidacy phase and can still vividly remember the atmosphere, the enthusiasm and the support that came from the city’s people. The task now is to add a chapter in the European City Charter, a joint project being supported by RUHR.2010 and eleven former candidate cities that make up the network “National Heroes - German Cultural Cities”.
Görlitz has adopted a theme that had already been developed during the candidacy phase, the Via Regia, once a trade route of major importance, which – extending from Kiev in Russia to Santiago de Compostela in Spain - is today officially recognised as Europe’s premier cultural highway. Young artists living along the Via Regia have been invited to travel to Görlitz in order to discover the “Hidden Places” there. “The artists have revealed places that are never seen on the magazine covers, providing the inhabitants with a new picture of their city,” reports Wieler. The resultant exhibition is now travelling along the Via Regia and is also scheduled for a stay in Essen.
Now the European City Charter is in Kassel. Ruth Wagner has already indicated the theme to which the city will be dedicating its efforts in this regard, namely Children’s Culture. The activities within the city in relation to cultural education are aligned in particular to the fact that around 30 per cent of its population is made up of immigrants representing 143 nations. Wagner explains the approach adopted by her city: “In contrast to many municipalities, we see our situation as a case of hidden resources rather than a hidden deficit. This ethnic diversity represents enormous potential and makes a huge contribution to our cultural life.”
On March 27, 2010, representatives are due to travel from Münster to Kassel in order to collect the European City Charter for their city.