For three days, the city of Chemnitz hosted international guests from former, current, and future European Capitals of Culture (ECoC).
At the knowledge-sharing seminar organized by the ECoC Echo project, approximately 50 representatives from the fields of politics, culture, business, and administration—including those from Chemnitz as well as Leeuwarden 2018, Novi Sad 2022, Veszprém 2023, Tartu 2024, Oulu 2026, Liepāja 2027, Évora 2027, and Bourges 2028 to discuss Chemnitz’s legacy as the European Capital of Culture 2025.
The conference brings together key voices and creates an international forum that connects diverse experiences, current developments, and future perspectives.
The three-day conference program combined strategic insights with discussions. In addition, participants visited the “Stadtwirtschaft” and “Hartmannfabrik” intervention sites, as well as the Ore Mountains region, with stops in Oelsnitz and Leukersdorf. This helped them gain an understanding of the legacy process of Chemnitz 2025. The seminar served as a platform to analyze the transition from the title year, through the bridge year, to long-term urban and regional development.
During the conference, participants exchanged views on what had worked well during their respective Capital of Culture years and what lessons future Capitals of Culture could learn from the challenges encountered.
One crucial part was the evaluation of the research conducted by Chemnitz University of Technology before, during, and after the title year, about how the data was collected and how the surveys were conducted in order to produce scientific findings and identify correlations.
While getting to know the Capital of Culture region, the stakeholders discussed what measures could be taken to connect the many municipalities through tourism while simultaneously highlighting their unique selling points. A particular insight was about the development of the Maker Hubs in Chemnitz, starting from the initial idea through implementation to future use. This example demonstrated that political, personal, emotional, and financial aspects all have a major influence on the implementation process.
Strategies were shared for ensuring these projects remain sustainable in the future, for example, by establishing new structures.
ECoC Echo Lead Coordinator Sille Talvet-Unt from foundation Tartu 2024 said: “By bringing together ECoC cities and regional and local authorities at different stages of their ECoC journey, the project facilitates the exchange of knowledge and good practices, supports the creation of policy instruments and knowledge sharing toolbox, also strengthens European cultural and regional cooperation.”
Background:
In this way, the ECoC Echo Interreg Europe project provides financial support for the strategic development of Chemnitz and all other project partners.
The project began in May 2025 and will run through July 2029. The goal is to maintain and further expand the momentum generated during the Capital of Culture
