By a vote of 20 to 5, a majority of the Helsingør City Council decided last night that 10 million kroner for an application to become the European Capital of Culture in 2032 should be included on the wish list for this fall’s budget negotiations. Aslak Gottlieb, chair of Elsinore 2032, provides an update.
This is the second time this year that the Capital of Culture project has been officially considered as a political matter by the City of Helsingør. On both occasions, a solid majority has moved the project forward. When it is considered for the third time this fall, it will be in the final round that will determine the future of the vision. We in the association are, of course, very excited about this.
In order to compete for the title of European Capital of Culture, the local city council must support the application and demonstrate that the project is part of a long-term cultural strategy. That is why we at Elsinore 2032 would not be able to carry out the project on our own. Nor was that ever the intention.
The association’s mission statement states that its work consists of a forward-looking, focused effort that, by 2026 at the latest, must result in a political decision to apply for the title, and that a formal partnership between the business community, the municipality, civic organizations, and cultural institutions must be established beforehand.
When, hopefully this fall, it is finally decided that the budget will include funding for this visionary investment in culture, the association will have fulfilled that part of its mission. We will then be able to continue working with renewed energy on our contribution to realizing this vision.
The partnership between the business community, civic organizations, and cultural institutions has, in a sense, already been established through memberships. The partnership with the municipality has been established through collaboration on the preliminary study that forms the basis for the city council’s deliberations on the matter. The association has contributed financially to the study and participated in its steering committee.
This somewhat dry assessment of the state of affairs may seem both technocratic and self-absorbed. As an association, we have just won an important battle and qualified for the final round. Time for toasts and celebration! Yet we keep our arms close to our sides because, ever since the association was founded in 2021, we have already been working tirelessly. Not just through our activities, but also in word and deed, as expressed, for example, in our core narrative.
When a small town like Helsingør hopes to earn a title as prestigious as European Capital of Culture, that dream is rooted in the town’s strong historical self-awareness and the local community’s ability, over the centuries, to reconcile its inherent contradictions: aristocracy and working class. Market town and suburb. Local and international. Danish and multiethnic. Provincial and cosmopolitan. Elitist and populist.
From the association’s core narrative
The point of revisiting these points is that the Capital of Culture project will never be a success if we, as an association, fail to pass the ball so that it can be played around the field. The association’s primary task is to ensure that the project opens up and includes as many qualified participants as possible.
The strong majority in the city council in favor of investing in the project naturally speaks for itself. That said, it is important that we use the public debate to refine the project. This includes our politicians fully committing to the effort by stating what results they expect from the project.
In the Lokalavisen Nordsjælland newspaper, theater director Jens Frimann issues this clear call:
Politicians, speak up and tell us where you stand. What is your vision? Don’t wait for reports and bureaucrats. That only leads to decline and budget cuts. Commit to the City of Culture (the Capital of Culture project, ed.) or put an end to it once and for all. If you commit to the vision, you must put your bureaucracy (and all the rest of us) to work on securing funding. These are precisely the large and ambitious projects that foundations and others are eager to invest in. Here, Elsinore has a huge advantage thanks to its maritime history, its cultural heritage, and its vibrant cultural life.
Jens Frimann Hansen, director of Helsingør Theater. Local newspaper Nordsjælland, June 19, 2024
Municipal officials appear to agree with the theater director’s views. In their comments on the policy brief presented at the city council meeting on Monday, June 24, they write, among other things:
The title of European Capital of Culture is also a massive and resource-intensive undertaking. It is therefore crucial that any decision be backed by broad political support, and that the municipality be prepared to prioritize this initiative across all departments and make the necessary investments. If the City Council wishes to pursue this, it must do so wholeheartedly.
Excerpt from comments to the Helsingør City Council from the Department of Culture, Business, and Tourism
At the association, we’re getting a head start on the festivities and are already hard at work organizing Culture Night for September. It’s a major undertaking of volunteer work that was previously handled professionally—in fact, by Helsingør Theater itself. This year, the preparations are all the more significant because we must simultaneously engage in a conversation about the direction Helsingør should take as a cultural capital.
Setting ambitious goals and collaborating widely is the association’s overarching strategy. We do not exist solely for ourselves, but for cultural stakeholders and all those who benefit from culture—citizens, associations, the municipality, and the business community. That is why it is important to emphasize the principles that remind us of why we exist.
It’s a good investment, not only financially but also in terms of intangible assets.
Michael Mathiesen (K), Chair of the Culture and Tourism Committee.
