Cultural clash of cities reaches final days

One can almost feel the tension between two cities - the west Bohemian city of Plzeň, known internationally for brewing Pilsner Urquell beer, and the north Moravian city of Ostrava, a former industrial powerhouse in the process of a post-industrial transformation.

On Sept. 8, one will join the Belgian city of Mons in being named a European Capital of Culture for the year 2015.

In the final days of the competition's second round (Hradec Králové was eliminated after the first round), both cities are pulling out all the stops in a final push.

Symbolism is heavy in both cities. In Ostrava, city residents are literally running to the finish line. More than 500 people have signed up to participate in a relay run Sept. 3 and 4 with segments of 2,015 meters, through every neighborhood and past major cultural landmarks.

In Plzeň Sept. 6, the Techmania technology museum unveils David Černý's notorious Entropa sculpture, which will become part of an interactive installation about the European Union.

"This shows that a dialogue between conservative and progressive arts is very healthy and exciting, and that Pilseners aren't afraid of controversy," says Yvona Kreuzmannová, the artistic director of the Plzeň 2015 project.

In the final two days of the competition, a delegation of selection committee members - a panel of 13 distinguished cultural professionals from the Czech Republic and Europe - are visiting both cities: Plzeň Sept. 6 and Ostrava Sept. 7. On Sept. 8, both cities give final presentations at the Culture Ministry in Prague.

Officials from both projects have put on their game faces and won't discuss details of what's on the agenda during the committee's final visits. Both are eager to showcase what they can offer Europe, though with only one day to do this, it will necessarily be an abridged version.

Like a bid to host the Olympics or World Cup, preparations to be a Capital of Culture start several years before a winner is named. Plzeň decided to compete for the title in 2006, and Ostrava followed suit in 2007. Both cities have developed grand strategies along with ambitious plans for new cultural buildings and events.

The stakes are high. For the north Moravian metropolis, "It is about nothing less than finding a new identity to successfully transition from a former center of heavy industry into a post-industrial city of the 21st century," says Ostrava 2015 Director Čestmír Kopecký.

For its west Bohemian rival, it's a chance to get people to accept something new and sense it as their own, says Plzeň 2015 PR and Marketing Manager Kateřina Chábová. "It's an opportunity to get the city to open up to itself."

The delegates' visit is not the main deciding factor: At the end of June, both cities submitted updated applications for the competition's second round, detailing their strategies through 2016.

Plzeň's primary infrastructure project is conversion of the 100-year-old Světovar brewery into a multipurpose culture complex.

"Světovar has been resuscitated to become the new center of the art world," Kreuzmannová says. "Plzeň also plans to build a new gallery, a theater and to revitalize the riverbanks hugging its four rivers."

Ostrava's key building project, near the city center and bordered by the Ostravice River, is the Černá louka (Black Meadow) cluster, a new quarter that will blend cultural buildings (a concert hall, a municipal arts gallery, a music pavilion, etc.), schools (from preschool to a university-level school of arts management), housing and public green space.

"What's exceptional is the harmonic interconnection of housing, schools and culture in one quarter," Kopecký says. "It has no parallel in Europe."

Another major development project in Ostrava is the transformation of the former Vítkovice ironworks into a multiuse complex. Among its projects are the World of Technology museum and a convention center in a converted gas holder by renowned architect Josef Pleskot.

The competition has galvanized not only city officials but also residents.

Spontaneous shows of support in Ostrava demonstrate the candidacy's grass-roots appeal. For example, two high-school students recently filled the main square with several thousand sheets of paper to create an "Ostrava 2015" sign. Another citizens' initiative is organizing a concert and party with a large projection screen on Ostrava's main square Sept. 8 so that Ostravans can hear the decision together.

"Ostravans have really identified with this project," Kopecký says.

Chábová says many people have contacted the Plzeň project asking how they can offer support. A notable example of public involvement, she says, is a day of outdoor performances by Pilseners on Melina Mercouri Day (June 14, marking the 25th anniversary of the ECOC program, initiated by the Greek actress and politician). That evening at a symbolic 20:15, some 10,000 people raised a toast to the candidacy project.

"In the last two weeks, before the jury visit and the final presentation, we have harnessed an enormous creative storm," said Kreuzmannová.

Support from the respective city governments has been tremendous.

Kreuzmannová says: "Just before the first selection round, the city council voted unanimously for the Plzeň Cultural Development Program 2009-2019. It includes key investments in cultural infrastructure as well as a commitment of a minimum of 9 percent from the city budget each year to be dedicated to culture."

Ostrava has a similar cultural development strategy, extending to the year 2020, and it currently devotes 9 percent of its annual budget to culture. In comparison, Prague designates around 5 percent of its annual budget for culture. Also, 2 billion Kč was recently passed for key buildings within the Černá louka cluster.

While the fight for the European Capital of Culture 2015 title may seem a winner-takes-all contest, bringing the 1.5 million euro Melina Mercouri Prize and a year in the European limelight, there will be no real loser.

Both projects have already started yielding long-term benefits for their residents and the wider regions. The competition has triggered a groundswell of cultural activity and civic involvement in the third and fourth most populous Czech cities. Building projects set in motion by the candidacy projects are set to continue, though perhaps scaled back over a longer term for the unsuccessful candidate.

"I think that mainly Europe needs Ostrava," Kopecký said. "Ostrava has come up with a new vision for a European cultural city."

Mimi Fronczak Rogers can be reached at
Features@praguepost.com