The European Capital of Culture initiative is one of the essential instruments for promoting cultural creation and strengthening international cooperation based on the culture in the European Union. Every year, one or more cities take on the European Capital of Culture title and carry out many recognisable projects based on it. In 2025, the prestigious title will be shared between German Chemnitz and Nova Gorica, which based its candidacy on cross-border cooperation with Italian Gorica (GO! 2025). In the years leading up to 2025, the cultural echo will spread throughout the entire region, so we expect a high-quality program in Idrija.
Next Weekend, Kajzer Will Be in the Spotlight
The first major event organised as part of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025 will be a series of presentations, workshops and concerts organised by the Municipality of Idrija and ID20 Institute in Kajzer Park in the former Jožef Shaft. The goal of the two-day event between September 30 and October 1, 2022, will be to find alternatives for the future development of the newly created "KajzerPARK" with the help of experienced mentors. Throughout the event, you will be able to make acquaintances and socialise with visiting and local artists in the authentic industrial environment of a former mine shaft.
On Friday and Saturday, a pop-up studio will be on display in Kajzer, where painter Monika Slemc Klavžar, winner of the award for outstanding academic achievements in the field of contemporary landscape (ALUO), will create new art pieces under the title "No Time To Lose" and present her existing ones. The light and sound installation "Idrijski prepih" will also be on display, where the music of the creator Leon Pajer (KUD Birštat) will be played, accompanied by the light installation of the industrial designer Jože Carli. On Friday, after the open musical rehearsal of the Godbeno društvo rudarjev Idrija, the film Natura Urbana directed by Matthew Ghandy, will be screened, which talks about "wild nature" in post-war Berlin. On Saturday, model makers will present themselves at the location, displaying their models and demonstrating driving around the modelling range. The final act will take place on Saturday at 7 p.m. when it will be possible to see the results of the previous projects and the plans for the renovation of the complex, prepared by the Arrea d.o.o. architectural bureau. A concert by local bands SOR, Hakattak and Billhillies will follow this.
The Activities Will Continue until 2025
The European Capital of Culture initiative enables organisations in the region in the follow-up years before the main event to apply for exciting projects. ID20 Institute is an official partner of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025, and we are actively working on various projects. We held the first workshop in the summer months when we restored old, hand-made furniture with a team of international volunteers at the Giser miners’ house. Recently, at the invitation of the future European Capital of Culture organisers, we were guests at the Day of Technical Culture in Nova Gorica and paid extra attention to the presentation of the all-Slovenian heritage portal Duri. At ID20 Institute, we will continue to build primarily on the organisation and upgrading of the Festival of Industrial Culture Betrib and developing content related to the residential heritage in Idrija. The description of all planned projects is in a special publication, which is available here: https://issuu.com/go2025/docs/go2025eng.
* Events in KajzerPARK are held as part of the Climate Action and Alpine Towns projects, which supports the objectives of the Territorial Agenda 2030, and as part of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025. The implementation of the project is supported by the Municipality of Idrija, the Institute for Innovation in Heritage ID20 and Film Theatre Idrija.
