Jihlava will not be applying for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2028

Jihlava – Jihlava will not apply for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2028. The city has concluded the matter by stating that it will not submit an application, said Mayor Karolína Koubová (Forum Jihlava) to ČTK today. The possible candidacy of Jihlava was discussed in one of the introductory debates of this year's Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival. The mayor stated that a decision would need to be made this year because there is only one year left to prepare the application.

"The conclusion from last week is that we will ultimately not submit the application. Primarily for capacity reasons, as we truly do not have the resources, the people, to ensure it in a way that we would be satisfied with," Koubová said today. According to her, the city leadership decided that it would rather focus its efforts on specific projects it plans to undertake. The largest project is the construction of a multipurpose arena for over a billion crowns, which is set to replace the aging Horácký Winter Stadium.

The title of European Capital of Culture is granted annually by the European Union to usually two European cities, which then have the entire year to present their cultural life and development to Europe. Of the Czech cities, Prague held this title in 2000 and Plzeň in 2015. According to participants in the October debate at the Horácké Theatre in Jihlava, the cities of Liberec, České Budějovice, Broumov, and Brno would like to apply for the candidacy for 2028.

"When we first started talking about it, we initially took it as a kind of joke... As we discussed it more and more, we realized everything we have prepared," Koubová said in the theatre. At that time, regional governor Vítězslav Schrek (ODS and STO), who is also a Jihlava councilor, and Jihlava's councilor for culture Silvie Čermáková (Žijeme Jihlavou!) were more skeptical about Jihlava's potential candidacy. According to the governor, such an intention would need strong political support. According to Čermáková, the effort would only make sense if it also connected other towns in the region.