VIRTUAL: Prague Heritages

Abstract

Heritage of Coal, Steel and Culture. The European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010. In the past the region was dominated by heavy industry with collieries, machine rooms, furnaces, canals, railroads, mining communities. Now there are numerous reuses of industrial areas to cultural and leisure places. As part of the programme for the European capital of culture RUHR.2010 the following objectives were created: to build upon the mining heritage and establish the area as a new cultural region; to demonstrate the cultural wealth and artistic quality of the Ruhr Area; to draw the world’s attention to the region’s identity, culture, openness; to achieve urban redefinition through the vehicles of art and culture
to combine 52 municipalities under this umbrella as a metropolitan area; to combine and spotlight high and everyday culture; to use the transformation process and identity building to enhance self-confidence of this area; to communicate this new kind of metropolis at the international level. The programme fulfilled the following key attributes: Creation of strong, striking images; Narrating the history of the Ruhr Area; Activation of citizens to join in and take part in events
Feeling of community within the population; Enabling experiences that span across the entire region; Establishment of the brand Ruhr Metropolis; Showcasing the cultural richness of the region; Initiation of an image change; The stories of the great events will long remain in the collective memory and it can be linked into again in the future.