Unanimous resolution of the City Council

During the March meeting of the City Council in Bielsko-Biała a resolution was unanimously adopted authorising the President to begin the process of bidding for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2029 for the city.

Although the date seemed distant at the time, affirmation of joining the competition was to be submitted by 14 August and the 60-page bid by 15 September 2023. In late autumn there would also be a meeting with the selection committee, which will choose which cities go through to the second round of the competition in 2024.

As underlined by Jarosław Klimaszewski, President of Bielsko-Biała, this was an opportunity for a city that comes about only once in every ten to twenty years. In Poland only two cities have had the honour of holding this title - Kraków in 2000 and Wrocław in 2016.

The President also emphasised that there had been two significant industrial revolutions in the history of the city - one relating to the textile industry and the other to the automotive industry. With the culture of our city being so robust, it was high time to get ready and engage the flywheel to move with a new revolution in the creative industries. Jarosław Klimaszewski also stressed the importance of our cultural heritage, developed over the centuries owing to the intersecting trade routes through our city.

The councillors expressed great interest in the proposal and demonstrated much enthusiasm for the adoption of the resolution. Chairwoman of the Culture Committee, Małgorzata Zarębska, stressed that spending on culture is in reality an investment that brings benefits on many levels, and everything forged in the course of preparing the bid would stay in our city and would bear fruit regardless of the selection result.