Press releases

VITEBSK, 24 August (BelTA) – Vitebsk is developing cultural cooperation with Germany’s Nuremberg, European Culture Capital 2025, Valentina Kirillova, Director of the Vitebsk Center for Applied Urban Studies UNOVIS-FORUM told the media as she visited the Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local History in the agrotown of Oktyabrskaya on 24 August, BelTA has learned.

“Nuremberg is going to become European Culture Capital 2025. Numerous events are due to take place, but for the time being Vitebsk and Nuremberg are working out the program of cooperation. We need to identify the opportunities for unlocking the cultural potential of our city at the European level. We are also strengthening cooperation with other cities associated with names important for Vitebsk. Among them is Berlin, the place where painter El Lissitzky brought the first exhibition that presented UNOVIS to Europe. There were some large exhibitions in Dusseldorf and other cities. All our future projects will be themed around a series of anniversaries of this art group,” Valentina Kirillova remarked.

Vitebsk is hosting Wolfgang Oppelt, an expert at the Council of Senior Experts of Germany, Doctor of Arts. He is studying the culture, history, and museums of Vitebsk and surroundings to help make a large strategic program to develop Vitebsk’s visual culture. At the end of the three-week visit, he is expected to bring forward proposals on two large programs that are currently in the works at the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee. Local officials are now busy working out a concept and a project plan for the programs. They are also exploring the sources to finance the project. There are plans to raise funds from the European Union. “The first program is related to the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of UNOVIS in 2020. It will include study tours, conferences, the development of design projects and the entire visual code of Vitebsk. The second is focused on a more distant prospect, namely 2025, and will be dedicated to the presentation of Vitebsk in Nuremberg,” explained Valentina Kirillova.