Minds behind the bid
Behind Dresden's bid was a network of committed minds who, in various committees, were pursuing the common goal of making Dresden the "European Capital of Culture 2025". Here we present some important players within the application process.
Board of Trustees
At the Mayor's invitation, around 30 personalities from the fields of art, culture, teaching and research, as well as science and business, had joined the Board of Trustees. It advised the Mayor and the curator for the duration of the application process on all fundamental questions relating to the title "European Capital of Culture". Each member of the Board of Trustees was entitled to put topics or concerns on the agenda of the meetings of the Board of Trustees that are relevant to the application process. The members saw themselves as ambassadors for Dresden's bid.
Appointed members of the Board of Trustees
Appointment of Michael Schindhelm as Curator
I am very pleased that we were able to win Michael Schindhelm as curator for the bid for the "European Capital of Culture". His international experience and his expertise in many cultural projects will be an asset for the application process in the coming months. In all my conversations with him, I felt that he was on fire for this bid and for the opportunities it offers. At the same time, his great open-mindedness towards the themes that move Dresden is an important prerequisite for inspiring as many people as possible in Dresden. With the appointment of the Board of Trustees and a curator, we have taken an important step towards becoming a "European Capital of Culture".
Michael Schindhelm, born 1960 in Eisenach, is a writer, filmmaker and lecturer. His work as General Director of the Berlin Opera Foundation, as Director of the Theater Basel and as Founding Director of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority led him to Dubai in 2001. Schindhelm has been working internationally as a cultural consultant for public institutions since summer 2009. Among other things, he collaborates with the Dutch architecture firm OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) on the master plan for the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong. Together with the think tank AMO, he developed the training and research profile for the Strelka Institute in Moscow in 2010 and headed the public space research department there until 2012. In 2011/2012 he developed a concept for culture and sport as part of the planning of the innovation city Skolkovo (Russia).
Being the curator for Dresden's bid for the "European Capital of Culture" is a great but also very fascinating challenge. My aim in this bid is to define Dresden as a laboratory for a new concept of culture. A concept that puts culture back at the centre of society and social discourses. First and foremost, I want to listen to the people in Dresden what motivates them and, together with many others, develop an application concept that can also develop significance for Germany and the whole of Europe.
Bid Office Team
Team Bid Book
Find all people invoved
Delegation
On 10 December 2019, a top-class delegation presented the application of the state capital Dresden for the title "European Capital of Culture 2025" to an international jury. Numerous committed Dresden citizens, cultural institutions, initiatives and companies have been working hard for more than three years to apply for the European Capital of Culture 2025. Representing their outstanding commitment, the following personalities competed as a Dresden delegation for the jury presentation at the Kulturstiftung der Länder in Berlin:
