Leuven aims for the title of “European Capital of Culture 2030”

Leuven as a city and its cultural sector in particular are in full swing. To emphasize and strengthen this dynamism, the city has decided to apply for the title of 'European Capital of Culture 2030'.

Leuven: a city on the move

One hundred thousand residents, fifty thousand students, over 150 nationalities and more than 25,000 non-native speakers. These figures show that Leuven is a fascinating city. A city on the move. The impact of an innovative top university over the centuries, the unique demographics (young, highly educated, international), the proximity of Brussels-Capital and the manageable scale of both the city and the cultural sector are the most important factors in this and make Leuven one of the most promising regions.

Leuven: one of the most ideal cultural and creative cities in Europe

It is therefore no coincidence that a study by the European Commission in May 2017 declared Leuven to be one of the most ideal cultural and creative cities in Europe. From the jury report: “The ideal cultural and creative city in Europe is an amalgamation of cities that score best on various indicators. An ideal city has, roughly speaking, the cultural facilities of Cork, the cultural participation and appeal as well as the creativity and knowledge jobs of Paris, the intellectual innovation of Eindhoven, the new jobs in the creative sector of Umeå, the human capital and education of Leuven, the openness, tolerance and trust of Glasgow, the local and international connections of Utrecht and the high-quality policy of Copenhagen. What was also striking in this report was the clear positive link between cultural and creative cities on the one hand and economic prosperity and social well-being on the other.

Rich and diverse cultural Leuven

If you take a closer look at the cultural dynamics that have emerged in this city over the past 10 years, you will see that in addition to a very rich community life, there are also many cultural organizations that are reaching new heights and that a number of major to very major ambitions have recently been set.

Urban cultural centers such as 30CC, the Leuven Library and of course M - Museum Leuven have developed into established institutions. Arts center STUK is known for its cutting edge programming with international allure, Het Depot has been putting Leuven firmly on the map as a music city for years, and nieuwstedelijk and fABULEUS are rightly acclaimed both at the Flemish level and internationally.

Far-reaching collaborations between partners

Of course, Leuven's Alma Mater also plays a special role here. The bond between the city and the university forms the DNA of Leuven, which is permeated by innovation, knowledge and science and results in partnerships such as Leuven MindGate and, on a cultural level, KUNST Leuven, which has been organizing successful city festivals for years, such as the recent “500 years of Utopia”.

All of this is further strengthened by the famous 'Leuven Model'. The cultural landscape in Leuven is renowned for the far-reaching way in which the various cultural institutions, organizations, companies, associations, etc. collaborate and coordinate with each other. They are not competitors, but partners who together shape the Cultural Space of Leuven. This is the case in the arts, but also in the heritage sector, as evidenced by the Heritage Lab that will be launched this fall, in which the 13 most important heritage players in Leuven, including those affiliated with the city and KU Leuven, are committed to achieving common goals.

Ambitious projects for the future

In recent years, even more ambitious projects have taken shape. Consider the unique performing arts site project, which could give Leuven a strong cultural icon by 2023. Then there is the Vaartopia project, which, building on the dynamics of the OPEK arts center and De Hoorn creative hub, among others, will develop the Vaartkom into the creative heart of the city and region. Now we have this additional European ambition for 2030.

Is this ambition in line with the size of Leuven?

Cultural alderwoman Denise Vandevoort: "Absolutely! The days when it was mainly capital cities that won the title of European Capital of Culture are over. Cities such as Mons (2015), Leeuwarden (2018), Matera (2019) and Rijeka (2020) also rightly bear this title. As for Leuven, the city recently registered its 100,000th resident. If you include the 50,000 students, Leuven is the third largest city in Flanders, after Antwerp and Ghent. It is now time for Leuven to claim its place with confidence and a broader view of the world.”

Leuven, European Capital of Culture. It's a mouthful, but what does such a title actually mean? Will the cultural structure be expanded? Is it a city marketing story?

Piet Forger, director of culture for the city of Leuven: “Whereas in the early years the title of European Capital of Culture often coincided with city marketing, tourism and major infrastructure works, a clear turnaround is noticeable and in recent years the title has been much more associated with the potential of culture - and by extension the creative sectors - to be a catalyst for change in the fields of culture and social and economic development. To put it somewhat caricaturedly: European Capital of Culture is not a circus that takes over the city for a year, it is a springboard to a better future for the city. In that sense, winning the title of European Capital of Culture 2030 for Leuven is not so much an end goal in itself, but rather a catalyst on the road to a (better) Leuven of the future.”

Is this whole story being driven solely by the city? Or will it be more of a story of participation? A project that both the cultural and creative sectors and citizens can work on?

Denise Vandevoort: “Of course, it is not yet clear exactly what the plans will entail. However, it is essential that we do not realize this from the city alone in a top-down manner. We want to sketch and co-create the new Leuven from the city, with citizens' initiatives, associations, companies and knowledge institutions. The entire process starts from a project group, led by the city's director of culture, Piet Forger, with three crucial partners to give shape to this ambition, namely the Leuven cultural sector itself, vzw KUNST Leuven and vzw Leuven MindGate. Their representatives are certainly enthusiastic about helping to write this story. How things will progress from there will be revealed in the future, but it is important that the people of Leuven have a say in this as well. Naturally, we will also look into how other governments, from regional to national, can join in this ambition.”

Geert Robberechts, chairman of the Leuven Cultural Council: “Leuven has a strong and vibrant community life, with the city as a steady and loyal coalition partner. Naturally, we applaud this initiative. We already see numerous opportunities to be involved and to strengthen each other. We are eager to support the candidacy for the title through a participatory process.”

Gilbert Declerck and Mohamed Ridouani, chairmen of Leuven MindGate: “This ambition to become European Capital of Culture in 2030 fits in perfectly with Leuven MindGate's ambition, both in terms of Leuven's desire to put itself more firmly on the international map in three key sectors: health, high-tech and creativity, and in terms of its desire to strengthen each of these sectors in Leuven and facilitate their collaboration. Being a European Capital of Culture will boost cultural, social and economic life. We are also convinced that the Leuven MindGate And& summit & festival, which will take place for the first time in Leuven in early May 2018, and this Capital of Culture ambition can reinforce each other very well.”

Bart Raymaekers, vice-rector of Culture, Art and Heritage at KU Leuven and co-chairman of KUnST Leuven: “Leuven is a university city. In that sense, we at KU Leuven have been working very closely with the city for years, including through KUnST Leuven, organizer of the major city festivals such as the recent ‘500 years of Utopia’. We wholeheartedly applaud this ambition on the part of the city – also expressly in the person of our rector Luc Sels, given that the university is not only locally anchored in Leuven, but has also been internationally networked for centuries. We are very open to working with the city on this exciting ambition.”

We are now on the eve of 2018. If Leuven becomes European Capital of Culture in 2030, we will be 12 years down the line. Isn't that a bit far away to start now?

Denise Vandevoort: "Cities interested in holding the title must submit their candidacy six years in advance. That means in 2024, with the decision being made in 2025. Based on the experiences of other European Capitals of Culture, it appears that preparations start more than 10 years in advance. In that respect, 2030 is not that far away from us anymore.”

“We think it is important that Leuven is already expressing its interest. It is a powerful signal to the rest of the country about the potential of our city. The interest also reflects the ambition and dynamism that has characterized Leuven's cultural field for a number of years. Moreover, this horizon is an important anchor point for other cultural projects to relate to.”

European context

What is a European Capital of Culture?

A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union to organize a year of cultural events with a strong European dimension.

Preparing for this title is an opportunity for the city to capitalize on significant cultural, social and economic benefits. It supports urban renewal, changes the image and increases visibility on an international scale.

The idea was launched in 1985 by Melina Mercouri (actress and former Greek minister of culture) and Jack Lang (former French minister of culture). They wanted to bring Europeans closer together by emphasizing cultural richness and diversity and making European citizens more aware of their common history.

The title is managed by the European Union Commission. Each year, the European Council designates a number of cities. More than 40 cities have now held the title. An international panel of cultural experts prepares the groundwork for the cities that will be awarded the title.

In 2004, the European Commission commissioned a study, now known as the 'Palmer Report'. This study shows that the title of European Capital of Culture acts as a catalyst for the cultural development and renewal of a city. As a result, today, in choosing a city, the favorable socio-economic impact that the title entails is also taken into account.

The basic premise of this initiative is to place cities at the heart of European cultural life. Culture and art improve the quality of life in these cities and strengthen community cohesion. Citizens play an important role in the whole process and are actively involved in urban development and cultural life.

Being a cultural capital boosts cultural, social and economic life. Lille, Glasgow, Essen ... have shown that the title is also a powerful driving force for urban renewal, with creativity, extra visitors and international recognition providing a firm foundation.

And of course all Europeans benefit, because these cultural capitals demonstrate European cultural diversity. They bring new perspectives on our shared history and allow us to look at our common heritage with fresh eyes. They show how the universal language of creativity opens a window to the world.