What they‘re saying about the Capital of Culture

The Capital of Culture has the potential to focus existing forces in the cultural sector and to identify and integrate blind spots – both in regard to players and content. The vai will gladly and enthusiastically to accompany and support focal points in the areas of urban development and building culture.

Dornbirn Plus: Visionary? Check. Team? The Best. Doing things right? Oh yeah. Good networks? Yes indeed. Courageous? 100% and then some.

With its bid to become European Capital of Culture, the initiative Dornbirn plus has sparked a process that invites us in Vorarlberg to think about Europe in a delightfully new way. Being able to develop and – thanks to financial support – actually realize cultural projects, some of them experimental like the Europe Class, is a valuable impulse and an exciting collaboration with the Dornbirn plus team.

Your work and of course your enthusiasm and joy have rubbed off on us. We’re planning to move in new directions in research, expert advice, Citizen Science and more. What you add to the mix is soothing and encouraging at once!

The application process for European Capital of Culture is a multi-layered and quite fascinating process, which we are following and accompanying with a constructively critical eye. It is and remains important to make sure that the needs of local artists and cultural workers are always part of the conversation. In fact, they are the ones who must be at the centre of attention in a Capital of Culture, even in the larger context of Europe. Fair pay, good working conditions and a good framework are key. We’ve still got a lot of work to do in Vorarlberg in this regard.

The European Capital of Culture and our application journey can and should be used as a chance to highlight these issues and to begin a process of change towards placing the financial and social value on culture that it deserves.

The meaning of culture is of greater relevance than ever before. Culture influences our ideas and perceptions of space and our relationship to nature. Migration and globalization continuously reshape and recreate culture – and it deserves our special attention. VILLA MÜLLER is proud to contribute to the European Capital of Culture 2024 by providing space for art and culture – for a wide range of events, seminars and workshops, as well as accommodation.

Dornbirn plus is a region with such rich cultural heritage, we should make sure to continue on this path.

Dornbirn, Hohenems, Feldkirch and Bregenz and Bregenzerwald form a truly unique region: They have managed to preserve their culture without getting stuck in nostalgia, to make a living with tourism without selling out and to not only preserve, but actually find an appropriate way to upgrade traditions into the 21st century. There is yet much to improve and the framework of the European Capital of Culture is a great way to support this process. 

Seehr cool! You rock!