The Guide, first programme Córdoba 2016

Acknowledgements

CÓRDOBA CULTURAL CITY FOUNDATION FOUNDING INSTITUTIONS

Board members representing

Manager

Córdoba City Council

Founding Institutions

Carlota Álvarez Basso

Córdoba Provincial Council

Representing the City Council

Andalusian Regional Council

Rafael Blanco Perea

University of Córdoba

Rosa Candelario Ruiz

Collaborating Bodies

Juan José Primo Jurado

ABC Córdoba

EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS

Representing Córdoba Provincial Council

Comercial Piedra Trujillo

Chairman

Elena Cortés Jiménez

Diario Córdoba

Andrés Ocaña Rabadán,

José Mariscal Campos

El Día de Córdoba

Mayor of Córdoba

Mª José Montes Pedrosa

Formación e Innovación Rural (FIR)

Vice-Chairman

Representing the Andalusian Regional Council

Fundación Bodegas Campos

Francisco Pulido Muñoz,

Joaquín Dobladez Soriano

Instituto de Estudios Sociales

President, Córdoba Provincial Council

Juan Torres Aguilar

Avanzados de Andalucía (IESA-CSIC)

Rafaela Valenzuela Jiménez

Montealto

Ex officio Board Members

Representing the University of Córdoba

Real Círculo de la Amistad

Isabel Ambrosio Palos,

Angelina Costa Palacios

Andalusian Regional Council

Ramón Montes Ruiz

Representative in Córdoba.

Manuel Torres Aguilar

José Manuel Roldán Nogueras, Chancellor, University of Córdoba

Board member as Chairman of the Advisory Committee Manuel Pérez Pérez Advisory Committee María Dolores Baena Alcántara Carmen Fátima Blanco Valdés Juan Carlos Limia Mateo David Luque Peso Javier Martín Fernández Alfonso Muñoz Fernández Manuel Pimentel Siles Diego Ruiz Alcubilla Octavio Salazar Benítez María Serrano García

The Córdoba Cultural City Foundation would like to express its sincere thanks to all the people and institutions involved in drafting and producing this cultural programme in support of Córdoba’s bid to be European Capital of Culture in 2016. Special thanks are due to the authors, readers, editors, translators, designers and photographers without whose valuable work this undertaking would not have been possible.

We should also like to express our gratitude to the citizens of Córdoba, who have shared the long journey towards 2016, and to all the people – both local and from outside the city – who have endorsed this bid.

This publication is dedicated to them, as our raison d’être.

Córdoba, June 2010

Preface 6

VI Córdoba’s cultural ecosystem

The city

1 2 3 4

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved 1 2 3 4

11

Córdoba: a cultural crossroads 14 A chance to explore the land: the city, the province and Andalusia 17 The current socio-economic situation 27 The ECoC project as a strategic opportunity for socioeconomic regeneration: culture and tourism.

The economic aspects of culture · The cultural aspects of tourism 32 Chapter I summary 40

II Córdoba: its distinctive features and its European dimension 1 2 3 4

43

Córdoba: the capital of Roman Baetica, and later the capital of al-Ándalus, now aspires to be the 2016 European Capital of Culture 47 The River Guadalquivir, the natural and cultural raison d’être of the city 53 Córdoba: an inclusive and supportive city 55 The European dimension of Córdoba. Córdoba, Europe and the cultural legacy · Córdoba networking · The ECoC, a resizing project for Córdoba 71 Chapter II summary 86

1 2

3

3

Theme I: Córdoba in the World. ‘The Córdoba Paradigm’ · Córdoba routes · Córdoba-Poland 244 Theme II: Culture, the European common denominator. The word · Art and the Senses · Science and Conscience · Mixed Cultures 259 Theme III: The City and the Days. Revolutionising the Everyday · Rivers of participation 279 Chapter VII summary 292

VIII Strategy for citizen involvement and communication 1

295

Citizen involvement strategy and participatory cultural projects. Cultural projects for young people · Sport and the European Capital of Culture · The Córdoba 2016 Endorsement Programme · The Córdoba 2016 Volunteer Programme 298 Communication strategy 311 Chapter VIII summary 328

IX Convergence of the city’s political agendas

105

3

X

Conclusions

2

145

Strategic alliances as a ‘modus operandi’ for the European Capital of Culture 151 The Córdoba-Poland connection. Cultural exchanges between Córdoba and candidate cities for 2010-2011 156 The Impact ECoC 2016 project (PIC16). Laboratory on Cultural Trends and Impacts (LATIC16) 163 Chapter V summary 170

331

The Córdoba Cultural City Foundation. Founding institutions · Partnerships in the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation · Social and economic support for the project 334 Organisational and financial structure for 2016. The body responsible for implementing the project · Organisational chart · Staff structure: overview and functions 344 Financing and European Capital of Culture budget. Investment in cultural infrastructure 354 Chapter IX summary 364

1

Interculturalism as a means and an end. Equality as the acknowledgement of difference 108 Córdoba’s participatory tradition. Culture for all, culture for one 113 From the heritage city to the city of innovation. New creators, new audiences 123 Culture as a pillar of sustainability. Education and training as a raison d’être 133 Chapter IV summary 142

V A participatory, continuously-monitored, European-scale project 1 2

1 2

240

91

The slogan ‘Córdoba, Europe: The future has roots’ 94 The objectives 96 Chapter III summary 102

IV Grounds: interculturalism, involvement, innovation and sustainability 1 2 3 4

Cultural agents: creators, groups and enterprises. Creators · Cultural groups · Culture companies 175 Córdoba’s cultural programme 180 Public space: between the patio, the street and the square 199 Infrastructure: Culture as a driving force for urban regeneration. The humanisation of the Old Town · The Cultural Bank: Córdoba’s new skyline · The districts: cities within the city · Greater Córdoba: links with the surrounding area 202 Programmes and facilities in the province: progress and modernisation 230 Chapter VI summary 234

VII Main themes and programme of cultural activities 237

The constellations of Córdoba: the future activated by the past

2

The programme III The slogan and the objectives

5

173

367

Annexes

Córdoba – Basic Data 374

How to get to Córdoba 375

Bibliography 380

Credits 384

6

Preface

In bidding to be designated European Capital of Culture (ECoC) in 2016, Córdoba stands before you as a historical city currently undergoing urban, social and economic change. The Cultural Programme and the bid itself form part of a broader strategy that seeks to transform the city by exploring its full potential, to enhance its links with the rest of the world, and to foster development and employment.

Córdoba is a crucial historical landmark. Its people are proud to have inherited a legacy stretching back 3000 years to the first native settlement; a legacy that reflects the influence of Mediterranean migrations since the founding, at the start of the first millennium BC, of the city that was eventually to become the Colonia Patricia of Corduba as part of the Roman Empire, and later the capital of al-Ándalus, both exponents of the peaceful existence of civilisations. This is a material heritage: it has shaped the city, and produced some of the finest buildings in the world, including the Mezquita (MosqueCathedral) and the Madinat al-Zahra complex, symbols of the joint contribution of several cultures.

Yet we are aware that this historical heritage, though vital, is not everything. Córdoba also enjoys an intangible legacy, through its past as a city where culture, philosophy and the arts all flourished thanks to the harmonious coexistence of different civilisations; this was particularly so in the tenth century during the Caliphate of Córdoba, which marked the city’s period of greatest splendour. We are aware, too, that this hallmark symbolic asset can be projected outwards in just two words, which hold the key to Europe’s future: dialogue and coexistence.

But we have no intention of becoming stranded in History. The city hopes to learn from its history, to draw conclusions that will help Córdoba play a major role in Europe and beyond, in the course of the twenty-first century.

We have sought to capture the essence of that legacy, and to infuse it into a creative, innovative city, a city fully equipped to take part in the great debates facing Europe today. We believe, and indeed our slogan proclaims, that the future has roots. The achievements of our ancestors must shape our reflections concerning our own legacy to our children. Today, Europe plans to build an identity based on respect for others, on protection of the environment, and on sustainable methods of production.

Córdoba is looking forward to sharing this adventure with Europe, but always on the strength of the input received from every single citizen. Córdoba has a long tradition of citizen participation in public affairs. If this bid is successful, that deep-rooted potential will be recognised in the activities organised for the European Capital of Culture in 2016. Even the drafting of this dossier, as will become apparent, was the fruit of public dialogue.

The journey has been a long one. Córdoba presented a bid to become ECoC in 1992, and was the first Spanish city to register – back in 2002 – a formal bid for 2016, at the behest of local organisations. Since then, all the city’s efforts have been directed towards that goal.

More and better facilities and infrastructure have been installed, new cultural initiatives have been created with the involvement of local people, and the ability of culture to generate added value in the tourism and services sectors has been enhanced. The European Capital of Culture has provided local people with a shared mission, and with an opportunity to improve the situation of the local economy, which for years has been eroded by unemployment and the closing of businesses. In that sense, 2016 is more than just a date: it is chance to improve future prospects for our young people.

We are prepared. The journey, the immense effort, has been worthwhile. Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in Córdoba are eager to face this challenge together, regardless of age, background or political views. We have worked a great deal, and well.

Structures in communications, education and science have been strengthened. Platforms for artistic expression have been created. Formal shape has been given to a whole range of activities which, together, entitle Córdoba’s cultural scene to be ranked among the best in Spain.

Córdoba offers visitors from Europe and beyond a vital, unique experience, to which everyone is entitled: a chance to enjoy a Baroque Cathedral nestling within an ancient Mosque, a chance to wander through the Jewish Quarter, and cross a Roman bridge to visit the new centre of contemporary art. A ten-minute stroll takes in two thousand years of common European history. Only Córdoba can provide this trip through time and space.

In designating Córdoba the European Capital of Culture, Europe will be acknowledging its own ability to create and communicate, its own determination to grow and adapt to today’s rapid changes. Córdoba is a medium-sized European city which has sought to nurture, protect and respect its heritage in order to bequeath it to the rest of the world; at the same time it has endeavoured to reflect the values and objectives of today’s Europe. This common undertaking deserves to be recognised, so that the citizens of Europe can identify and rediscover themselves here, in this welcoming city that is also theirs.

A full account of that undertaking is provided here. This is the moment.

Welcome to Córdoba.

Andrés Ocaña Rabadán

Now the time has come to share with Europe and the rest of the world our historical legacy; a cultural, human and symbolic heritage that, in turn, forms part of the European memory. The citizens of Europe must be given the chance to discover that legacy, that part of its history that – though it shapes our collective outlook– has not yet had the chance to receive the attention it deserves.

Mayor of Córdoba.

Francisco Pulido Muñoz President, Córdoba Provincial Council.

José Manuel Roldán Nogueras Chancellor, University of Córdoba.

María Isabel Ambrosio Palos Andalusian Regional Council Representative in Córdoba.

The city

I The arguments for C贸rdoba, and the challenges involved

12

13

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges

involved

“It is culture that gives man the ability to reflect upon himself. It is culture that makes us specifically human, rational beings, endowed with a critical judgement and a sense of moral commitment. It is through culture that we discern values and make choices. It is through culture that man expresses himself, becomes aware of himself, recognizes his incompleteness, questions his own achievements, seeks untiringly for new meanings and creates works through which he transcends his limitations”.

UNESCO. Mexico City Declaration. World Conference on Cultural Policies.

Mexico City, 26 July - 6 August 1982

I

talo Calvino1 argued that every city has its own “implicit programme” which must be continually rediscovered if it is not to disappear. This implicit programme is what has guaranteed, or what can guarantee, the permanence of the city’s image over time, what allows it to be recognised as unique, with its particular appearance and specific social structure.

For Córdoba, being European Capital of Culture means going in search of this “implicit programme” in order to revitalise it and offer it to Europe as the emblem of a model of social understanding and the vision of a shared and sustainable culture. Córdoba is the result of a long process, stretching from classical antiquity to the present day. This long journey, has gradually bequeathed a vast and valuable cultural heritage. Our bid fully reflects the importance of this heritage. Yet it is by no means everything; it is just the beginning.

1

Invisible cities. Picador Books, 1979.

The unique features which make Córdoba an ideal choice for the title of European Capital of Culture also draw on a different type of legacy, an intangible legacy to be found in the ideas and attitudes of its people.

In the past, Córdoba was a major political and cultural centre. Today, the city seeks to regain that position, but this time on the basis of a shared, multi-centred role, as part of a network of cities, reflecting the real European situation. In developing this bid, the city has had the opportunity to further explore this legacy at once material and intangible – a task and an aim hugely valuable in themselves – and to reflect on this central position, this emblematic, symbolic quality of representation that Córdoba can bring to Europe.

Our approach depends on linking heritage with creativity; community and land assets with development; the city’s identity and values with those services that foster a fuller integration of the city’s cultural diversity. Thus we aspire to create a balance between the undoubted quality of its historical legacy and its viable potential for generating a twenty-first century city and culture, for the people and institutions of today’s Europe.

This means finding a balance between the common cultural values of the past, the present and, most important, the future. History provides some of the elements required; but they need to be updated. The European Capital of Culture has to interpret the city and its history in a way that allows it to move with the times, and to play a cultural role at both European and international level. Córdoba, with its specific characteristics, seeks to be a space for both the universal and the individual.

The city is firmly committed to this bid, and enjoys the strong support of the people, and of society in general.

Indeed, Córdoba was the first Spanish city to show an interest in bidding again, having originally entered as a candidate for the European City of Culture in 1992.

The idea of presenting a new bid for 2016 was first put forward in 2001, by one of the city’s leading social institutions, the Córdoba Business Confederation (CECO).

A year later, the City Council adopted the project as its own and created the Cultural Capital Office entrusted with developing the proposal. In 2003, the Second Strategic Plan for Córdoba (Third Millennium Córdoba), created by a team of local experts with a view to shaping an integrated strategy involving all sectors of society, included this candidacy as a central element in its programme.

By that time, the main areas of action for the city – with the ECoC at their heart – had been clearly defined, and divided into three broad aims:

1 To develop an integrated city system based on the triple pillars of historical heritage, culture and economic activity, a system designed to recognise and foster the close relationship between culture and the service sector, and to exploit these pillars fully in order to ensure sustainable activity. At the same time, there is a clear need to give added value to the city’s assets, through new readings of the city and a new approach to its heritage, moving away from the traditionally exclusive insistence on monuments, history and conservation. We are aware that heritage now embraces landscapes, research, and cultural routes. Today’s heritage, in short, is the sum of the tangible and the intangible. Heritage is essentially knowledge, and to achieve added value we must ensure a creative approach to knowledge management and transfer, blending respect for tradition with a search for new uses.

2 To improve Córdoba’s image as an inclusive, participatory, educating and welcoming city, thus reinforcing the principles of European identity. What sets Europe apart from other communities is its ability to reconcile the differences between member countries by creating a common bond: the defence of cultural diversity. It is this balancing of diversity that provides scope for a clear and valuable understanding of what makes Europe different: the awareness and inclusion of otherness.

3 Córdoba needs to be the European Capital of Culture. Over long periods, the city has played little part in the development taking place around it.

Given this isolation – also being addressed by the significant urban regeneration to which the city is committed – the ECoC project provides a welcome opportunity to improve people’s lives, enhance their access to culture and better their future prospects.

As will be clear throughout this document, over the last eight years the city has achieved considerable success in meeting the first two of these aims; this, in turn, will ensure the achievement of the third.

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

14

1

Córdoba: a cultural crossroads

15

1 Córdoba: a cultural crossroads

T

he city of Córdoba covers an area which has been home to human settlements since the dawn of history.

The special features of its geographical location quickly turned it into a crossroads, a place through which people and ideas had to pass. This is the role to which the city aspires in the twenty-first century.

Greeks, Tartessians, Phoenicians, Romans. The opportunity for different human groups and civilisations to live together in the same place has been a distinctive feature of the city from the outset. Throughout its history, Córdoba has fostered dialogue, the transfer of cultural heritage, productive exchanges, the generation of new culture, as well as the growth and maturing of societies made up of both common and dissimilar elements.

In short, over the centuries Córdoba has become a mosaic, a place where different people, religions, and cultures have met and interacted, giving rise to a synthesis involving them all. This is an essential feature of all modern societies; in Córdoba it has become a hallmark, based on respect and diversity.

Córdoba, then, is a crossroads in history, in both time and space. Thanks to its geographical location, it enjoys close, constant and dynamic links not just with Europe and the Mediterranean, but also with the Atlantic, with Asia and with Africa. Córdoba is the perfect bridge between East and West, between the traditional and the modern, between folk culture and the avant-garde.

Its position at the geographical edge of the Roman Empire did not prevent the ideas of its scholars, such as the philosopher Seneca and the poet Lucanus, from penetrating to the still core of imperial culture. These ideas lived on to enrich European culture over many centuries, and have survived down to the present day. Seneca was a leading figure; together with Plato, Aristotle and Socrates he was one of the main founders of European thought.

Despite its geographically peripheral location, from the eighth to the thirteenth centuries – as the capital of alÁndalus – Córdoba became a dazzling centre of learning, the source of new ideas which then spread to the rest of Europe. Indeed, the city became a crucial axis of the Medieval world, particularly during the Caliphate of Córdoba or Western Caliphate (tenth century).

Two of the key figures in this process of cultural enrichment and transfer were the local doctor and philosopher Averroes, who transmitted Aristotle’s ideas to later generations, and Maimonides, the most important Jewish thinker of his day, who struggled to reconcile faith and reason.

The city´s powerful position, and the cultural activity to which it gave rise, turned out to be hugely important for the history of Europe, since it was Córdoba that helped to preserve and spread to the West much of the knowledge handed down by Greek and Roman scholars, which survived only through Arabic translations and retranslations.

At this period, the intellectual influence of Córdoba’s philosophers and scientists was both acknowledged and unchallenged. Europe had in those days no other means of learning about Classical philosophy. The Latin translations of Plato and Aristotle used at that time were themselves translations of Arabic texts.

Córdoba is among the select group of cities that have left their mark on history. The prestigious magazine National Geographic2 named Alexandria, Córdoba and New York as the three cities that marked crucial moments in the history of mankind, in the years 0, 1000 and 2000, respectively. Amongst other things, the article notes that: “The arts flourished when Córdoba became a centre for the translation of ancient religious, scientific, and philosophical works. Through Islamic Córdoba, learning made its way into a Europe that still lagged behind, thus laying the foundations for the Renaissance”.

It is no coincidence that the celebrated British historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee, in his book Cities of Destiny3, included Córdoba as the only Spanish city worthy of that title, of the 17 cities selected worldwide. This ancient city has been successively quickened by diverse cultures, making it – from the outset – a channel for cultural communication.

Córdoba is more than a city – it is an ideal, a concept endowed with considerable symbolic significance. A place founded by the Romans, where Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together in harmony; a place enriched by the customs of the Gypsy people. Nowhere is this tolerant attitude better embodied than in the city’s major monument, the former Aljama Mosque, now the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral), originally a Visigothic basilica shared by Christians and Muslims.

2 3

“Tales of Three Cities : Alexandria, Córdoba and New York”.

That symbolic significance remains intact today. It is no coincidence that the US President, Barack Obama, should cite Córdoba as an example of tolerance in a speech to the Muslim world4. Nor is it coincidence that a mosque to be built close to ground zero in New York should be called the Córdoba House, or that the American Jewish film director Jacob Bender should travel the world stressing the contemporary relevance of Averroes and Maimonides in his documentary Out of Córdoba.

Over time, further cultural achievements would consolidate the influence of Córdoba’s culture on collective European ideas and values. Thus we can readily discern, for example, the influence of Luis de Góngora on the French Symbolist poets Charles Baudelaire and Paul Verlaine, who hailed Góngora as the father of modern poetry. But he was also the inspiration for the most intensely cosmopolitan movement in twentiethcentury Spanish poetry, the Generation of ’27, whose very name is a tribute to the Córdoba poet, who died in 1627.

Other influences have purer roots, such as the myth of the free romantic spirit embodied by Don Álvaro in Giuseppe Verdi’s La forza del destino, an opera based on the novel Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino by the Córdoba author Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas.

Córdoba has also shaped maps. A sign of its importance and influence worldwide is the large number of places that share its name: 47 towns and 16 landforms in Europe, the Americas and Asia, bear the name Córdoba.

4 Speech by US President Barack Obama at Cairo University (Egypt),

National Geographic magazine. Pages 34-61, August 1999.

4 June 2009: “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. We see it in

Cities of Destiny. Thames & Hudson, 1967.

the history of Andalusia and Cordoba”.

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved 16

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Córdoba: a cultural crossroads

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2 A chance to explore the land: the city, the province and Andalusia

The city

All this highlights the city’s ability to create a symbolic set of values which readily crosses local boundaries to penetrate into Europe. Córdoba has provided many of the ingredients for the building of a common European legacy, ingredients which are now fully woven into the ideas and customs of neighbouring countries. This is every bit as important as political union; given the social, ideological, ethnic, religious differences between the highly-diverse elements that make up Europe, there is still a clear need for shared values and ideas.

In this context, Córdoba’s ability to embody and advocate tolerance, constructive intercultural dialogue, and peaceful co-existence, will serve – both in 2016 and beyond – to provide the European ideal with a tangible content and, by extension, with a set of values and ideals that transcend national and cultural boundaries, whilst respecting distinctive local characteristics. The creation and fostering of these values will give rise to a parallel blueprint for a common culture, a culture that is inclusive, open to dialogue, and always respectful of individual local and regional characteristics.

In short, Córdoba is a crossroads for migratory movements from south to north, and from east to west and a symbolic place for its historical harmonious coexistence, that provides a Mediterranean alternative of enormous geostrategic scope, and a historical background that can exert a profound influence on the fledgling cultures of peace and tolerance emerging in Europe and all over the world.

Córdoba is a medium-sized city preparing to take its rightful place in Europe. Its determination to be named European Capital of Culture in 2016 implies a challenge that has been taken up by local society as a whole: to reveal itself to the world in terms that fully reflect its history and its symbolic value.

Over the last 30 years, Córdoba has ceased to be the placid – perhaps over-placid – city it once was, and has instead become a lively, intellectually-restless city. This transformation can be charted in the way Córdoba works and in its new infrastructure, but also in its ambitions and projects. An examination of some of the obstacles suggests that now is the time to undertake a radical rethinking of its standing and its influence on society as a whole, especially since it is the third largest city in Andalusia, with a population of 328,428 inhabitants.5 The city’s institutions, its social organisations and its people have together embarked upon an initiative aimed at regaining a more central role; this will involve reviewing the whole urban and suburban fabric of the city, and addressing the endemic lack of infrastructure.

The city is currently enjoying something of a boom, in that improved communications and a wider awareness of its heritage – intact yet lived-in – have led to an increase in the number of visitors. This process will be intensified if Córdoba is named European Capital of Culture; and there is no going back.

5

Andalusian Institute of Statistics; data for 2009

Córdoba should be seen as part of a whole network of European cities. Rather than thinking in terms of physical proximity or centrality, the city must focus on finding its role within the physical and virtual network of a Europe of cities.

Geographically, Córdoba forms part of a major European thoroughfare, in a real rather than imaginary sense; a route linking the two Peninsular capitals. Lisbon and Madrid, with Barcelona and Marseille. It is a way in and out of Europe, and thus goes beyond the continental.

From this perspective, the city seeks to reassume the historical role dictated by its geographical and cultural characteristics: that of a place where all roads meet.

This crossroads must find the tools appropriate for the times. In its aspiration to become better known in Europe, the city has opted to focus on all four points of the compass, and more particularly on Europe, the Near East, North Africa and the Americas.

This is evident in the two major town planning schemes approved since the transition from dictatorship to democracy in Spain, drafted in 1986 and 2001-2003, and in the two editions of the Strategic Plan for the city.

These initiatives share a common denominator: involvement. Their creation was the result of intensive input by the whole of local society.

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

SPAIN

A chance to explore the land: the city, the province and Andalusia

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In recent years, Córdoba has made great progress in areas such as education and medical research. The University of Córdoba, with 15,000 students, has been awarded Ministry of Education recognition as a Campus of International Excellence for its “Ceia3” agrofood project. The University is also a leading centre of research in the fields of biotechnology and nanotechnolHuelva ogy.

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The new corridors created by the motorway and by high-speed train connections with the southern coast of Andalusia, coupled with Government plans to improve links with Extremadura and Portugal, have made the city much more accessible; Europe has ceased to be a distant land, and has become a network of emerging relationships. (see Fig. 2)

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Improved communications in recent years – a new motorway linking Córdoba to Madrid and Seville, and a high-speed train (AVE) – have meant that Córdoba’s area of influence has grown. Distances are no longer measured in miles, but in time: the most accessible places are not those which are nearest, but those which can be reached most rapidly. Thanks to the new motorway network, Córdoba is just over an hour away from other large Andalusian cities, including Málaga and Seville. One can travel by high-speed train to Seville in 35 minutes, Málaga in 55 minutes and Madrid in 1 hour 35 minutes. Córdoba could thus be said to have a hinterland of over 4 million people, who may benefit directly from the city being named European Capital of Culture. (see Fig. 1)

This unbeatable location as a hub for land-based transport will shortly be matched by improved access by air. Córdoba is served by Seville and Málaga airports, both of which can be reached by high-speed train. The Spanish Government and the Córdoba City Council are currently working on a €100m. project to modernise the city’s own airport. The work involves enlarging the present runway, building a new terminal, and creating the infrastructure required for international flights.

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Córdoba used these documents as a basis for the strategic planning of key projects from the 1980s onwards, a time when successive town planning policies concentrated on improving rail connections and on making more of the River Guadalquivir, which has become a focus of current and future development resources. This new city emerged thanks to the European Union, which financed some of the main public projects, in terms of both infrastructure and urban regeneration based on improved communications, the refurbishment of the banks of the River Guadalquivir and the planning and restoration of the Old Town. Town planning is governed to a great extent by Córdoba’s location on the Guadalquivir – Andalusia’s longest and widest river – and the fact that it forms part of the Guadalquivir valley system.

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Córdoba

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Córdoba-Jaén

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AVE and airport accesibility

AVE train: train stops and travellling time

1h 46

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Có rd

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evilla

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Algeciras

fig.2

Time map for the connections Córdoba-Europa

Time map for the connections Córdoba-Andalusia

Source: Foundation Contemporary Architecture

Source: Foundation Contemporary Architecture

Warszawa Córdoba Amsterdam

Jaén

Sevilla

Wien

Granada

Paris

Warszawa

Córdoba

Sevilla

Málaga

Milan

Madrid Huelva

Barcelona Cádiz

Cádiz Frankfurt

London Granada Roma

Paris

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Madrid Córdoba

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I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

1

2

Córdoba: a cultural crossroads

Another leading local higher-education institution is the Institución Universitaria de la Compañía de Jesús, which enjoys a burgeoning reputation for the training of future businessmen with a solid international outlook.

It is promoting the creation of the Universidad Loyola, Andalusia’s first private university. The University is expected to have 6,000 students, 15% from overseas, and will work closely with the private sector.

In terms of healthcare services, a Master Plan is being developed for the Reina Sofía Teaching Hospital, the city’s most important hospital, which enjoys an international reputation as a centre for organ transplants. In this context, mention should also be made of the newly-established Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute, backed by the Andalusian Regional Council, the Córdoba Biomedical Research Foundation and the University of Córdoba. The Institute, which specialises in the application of scientific and technological innovations to major health problems, has a markedly international outlook; it seeks to work closely with like-minded research centres and networks both in Spain and abroad.

In addition, efforts are being made to provide the city with further business-related resources, including the creation of the Science and Technology Park known as Parque Científico Tecnológico Rabanales 21 and the development of 12 million square metres of land for public and private logistical activities.

The need to train and retain human resources capable of sustaining these new economic and research activities is linked to the University’s rapid development in the areas of overall interest noted above, with a view to balancing population dynamics and fostering the creation of skilled employment in order to enhance competitiveness.

Another of the development areas in which Córdoba has reached the highest level of achievement is environmental sustainability. The current urban waste-management programme, has attracted attention at regional level. In addition, over the last few years the city has incorporated the complete water cycle (supply, drainage and sewage treatment).

Perhaps the greatest area of local endeavour over recent years has been the protection and conservation of the cultural heritage and the landscape, due to the growing awareness of the enormous cultural importance of the city and its role as part of the network of the Europe’s leading heritage cities. Córdoba is the only city that can boast a Natural Monument right in the heart of the Old Town, the “Sotos de la Albolafia” area which is home to more than 120 species of birds.

A special plan is also being developed for the Sierra, aimed at enhancing the protection of the countryside whilst ensuring that commercial uses can be made compatible with the preservation of areas of outstanding natural interest.

A chance to explore the land: the city, the province and Andalusia

In a different field, the city is a leading national example of outstanding management of the archaeological heritage, in terms both of the scope of the work being done and the challenges faced by a city like Córdoba, with huge development potential. A Special Protection Plan has been developed for the Old Town, which seeks to reconcile its status as a living historical city with the need to protect its distinctive features and archaeological remains.

At district level, structural work is under way for the creation of a Metropolitan Area, plans for which are currently in the drafting stage. Córdoba has one of the largest municipal areas in Spain (1,215 square kilometres), so the metropolitan model has to meet the demands of an urban agglomeration which in order to function requires input from surrounding villages.

The initial Metropolitan Area comprises the city itself and eight municipalities located approximately 20 kilometres away; it covers a total area of 1,333 square kilometres. The aim of the project is not to focus on town planning issues but rather to provide a viable structure by means of efficient transport networks and shared services; the River Guadalquivir will play a key role in this scheme. The recently-created Metropolitan Transport Consortium will be the body responsible for establishing the new transport layout in the Córdoba Metropolitan Area.

21

Córdoba, like Andalusia in general, is in the process of changing to a new productive model. In contrast to traditional agriculture, new intensive farming systems are based on taking full advantage of existing water resources. In contrast to the energy model used in the twentieth century, new natural energy sources such as wind and water are increasingly being exploited. In contrast to mass tourism, specialist and high-quality cultural activities are being developed. In contrast to the ageold backwardness in matters of technology, new initiatives are being launched in the context of an information society. Even traditional activities such as jewellery are gradually being modernised, as evident in the development of the Jewellery Park, the world’s largest facility for start-to-finish jewellery manufacturing, financed through European Union Regional Incentives for industrial development. There is only one precedent for this in Europe, the Il Tari park in Naples, Italy, which is smaller and boasts fewer facilities.

Within the new socioeconomic structure of the twenty-first century, culture is seen as part of a radical and far-reaching change. Córdoba’s new status as a modern and innovative regional centre – with a University, a Science and Technology park, an airport, consultancy and advanced cultural and heritage services – is linked to the chance of becoming European Capital of Culture in 2016. This project has brought together advances in all fields, in order to provide the greatest possible added value to the cultural activities available.

In addition to all the potential that exists in terms of the sustainable management of tourism in this World Heritage city, now the sixth most important cultural destination in Spain, a series of other interesting initiatives have arisen around particular business sectors such as IT software, environmental services, a sustainable agrofood sector, bio-medicine and transplants.

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved 2

22

A chance to explore the land: the city, the province and Andalusia fig.3

Municipalities and metropolitan area of Córdoba Source: Personal compilation.

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8

34

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The province 11

The name Córdoba applies both to the city and to the surrounding province of which it is the capital. Córdoba city is centrally located within the province, and enjoys a strategic position in the communications network, making it easy to travel between the city and the 74 towns and villages in the province, with a total population of 800,0006. (see Fig. 3) In terms of the Córdoba 2016 project, the province should be seen not simply as a geographical area, but rather as the backdrop against which the city’s activities take place, as an extension of its outgoing approach. The province can offer the visitor a whole network of paths and roads used by travellers down the ages, an ancient culture based on the cultivation of olive groves and vineyards, which shaped a unique landscape abounding in natural beauty spots, linked to each other by the Guadalquivir, and a whole constellation of cultural projects scattered amongst its villages.

Aware that the European Capital of Culture scheme is primarily intended to benefit cities, and that it is within this framework that the main activities must take place, the province will also form part of the initiative in all its breadth and diversity. A city and a province sharing a single name: Córdoba.

An area uniquely rich in terms of popular festivals and traditions, the province offers a wide range of cultural and tourist-related attractions, including areas of outstanding natural beauty, archaeological sites, superb landscapes and abundant agrofood resources. All this has prompted a growing service industry. Joint participation in the ECoC project would provide the province with an opportunity to consolidate this burgeoning business and link it to cultural management, whilst encouraging visitors to the Capital of Culture to discover the delights of the surrounding towns.

The original olive-tree species probably originated somewhere in the Near East and crossed with other species. From there, it spread throughout the Mediterranean, thanks largely to the Phoenicians. Since then, it has featured constantly in the legends and iconography of Mediterranean cultures. It was, for example, the origin of myths such as that involving the Greek goddess Pallas Athena. Today, Córdoba is a byword for highquality olive oil, produced in the province’s four “designation of origin” areas: Baena, Priego de Córdoba, Montoro-Adamuz and Lucena. (see Fig. 4) Wine is a delicacy, the drink of the gods in a wide range of cultures; it has been part of religious rites involved in the worship of Shiva, Osiris, Bacchus, and Dionysus, as well as part of the Christian mass. Even under Muslim rule, its virtues were sung by poets7 and it was prescribed as a medicine so it could be drunk under Qur’anic law, and was only occasionally the object of prohibition and punishment. Its beneficial properties have been highlighted by writers such as Prosper Mérimée (Carmen) and Edgar Allan Poe (The Cask of Amontillado).

The influence of the designation of origin MontillaMoriles extends throughout the south of the province, in lands with a Mediterranean climate and a continental influence, producing full-bodied young wines: fino, amontillado, oloroso and Pedro Ximénez dessert wine.

All these wines are made in the traditional way, from the Pedro Ximénez grape variety apparently brought to Córdoba from Germany’s Rhine Valley in the knapsack of one Pedro Ximén, a soldier in the élite Spanish overseas regiment. (see Fig. 4)

803.998 inhabitants. Andalusian Institute of Statistics, 2009.

Under the rule of the Ummayad dynasty (736-1031 AD), winedrinking was tolerated in al-Ándalus.

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68

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A

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1 Adamuz 2. Aguilar de la Frontera 3. Alcaracejos 4. Almedinilla 5. Almodóvar del Río 6. Añora

53

7. Baena 8. Belalcázar 9. Belmez 10. Benamejí 11. Blázquez (Los) 12. Bujalance

C

13. Cabra 14. Cañete de las Torres 15. Carcabuey 16. Cardeña 17. Carlota (La) 18. Carpio (El) 19. Castro del Río 20. Conquista 21. Córdoba

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22. Doña Mencía 23. Dos Torres

E

24. Encinas Reales 25. Espejo 26. Espiel

F

27. Fernán Núñez 28. Fuente la Lancha 29. Fuente Obejuna 30. Fuente Palmera 31. Fuente-Tójar 32. Granjuela (La) 33. Guadalcázar 34. Guijo (El)

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35. Hinojosa del Duque 36. Hornachuelos

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59. San Sebastián de los Ballesteros 60. Santa Eufemia 61. Santaella

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46. Nueva Carteya

O

47. Obejo

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48. Palenciana 49. Palma del Río 50. Pedro Abad 51. Pedroche 52. Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo 53. Posadas 54. Pozoblanco 55. Priego de Córdoba 56. Puente Genil

39

22 44

75

13

15 38

R

57. Rambla (La) 58. Rute

40. Montalbán de Córdoba 41. Montemayor 42. Montilla 43. Montoro 44. Monturque 45. Moriles

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45 56

L

38. Lucena 39. Luque

19 46

42

40

H

25

41

48 10

31 55

58 24

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S

T

62. Torrecampo

V

63. Valenzuela 64. Valsequillo 65. Victoria (La) 66. Villa del Río 67. Villafranca de Córdoba 68. Villaharta 69. Villanueva de Córdoba 70. Villanueva del Duque 71. Villanueva del Rey 72. Villaralto 73. Villaviciosa de Córdoba 74. Viso (El)

Z

75. Zuheros

Metropolitan area of Cordoba

4

24

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

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2

A chance to explore the land: the city, the province and Andalusia

A chance to explore the land: the city, the province and Andalusia

25

Andalusia fig.4

Designation of origin and natural parks Source: Personal compilation.

1

Córdoba 2 3

4

Designation of origin olive oil.

1. D.O. Montoro-Adamuz 2. D.O. Baena 3. D.O. Priego de Córdoba 4. D.O. Lucena

Designation of origin wine.

Córdoba

1. D.O. Montilla-Moriles 1

2 1

Córdoba

3

Natural parks 1. N.P. Hornachuelos 2. N.P. Cardeña-Montoro 3. N.P. Subbética

The “Vinos de la Tierra de Córdoba” certificate covers red and rosé wines produced in the province since just over ten years ago from several grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, and Tintilla de Rota.

Natural parks are areas barely transformed by human occupation. Due to the beauty of their landscapes, the representativeness of their ecosystems or the uniqueness of their flora, fauna or geology, their conservation deserves preferential treatment. Three areas of the province contain natural parks with unique ecosystems: Hornachuelos, the Sierras Subbéticas and the Sierra de Cardeña-Montoro, all of which are part of the European Natura 2000 network of ecological sites. Córdoba is also home to the “Dehesas de Sierra Morena”, recognised as a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 2002. (see Fig. 4) Migration and extensive trading gave rise to the founding of many small towns and villages in the province, highlighting certain features shared by Córdoba and Europe. Fine examples are the eighteenth-century settlements founded under the enlightened monarch Charles III, mainly by German, Italian, French and Flemish immigrants.

In this respect, the ECoC scheme offers a real opportunity to extend the project to the small neighbouring towns which are to a large degree dependent on the primary sector, exploiting to the full and enhancing their potential as the living history of Europe. It will provide many citizens with access to cultural activities and at the same time will help to break down barriers and create new ways of seeing the world.

The towns and villages of the province have recently been striving to broaden the range of cultural activities available. The ECoC project will do much to enhance the permeability of the social system, encouraging the inhabitants of smaller towns to play a more active role in consolidating the fledgling services industry.

Córdoba is located in Western Andalusia, Spain’s largest Autonomous Region with a surface area of 87,000 square kilometres and a total of 8.2 million inhabitants.

It shares common links and distinctive features with the rest of Andalusia, its central position making it a crossroads from north to south and from east to west (in relation to the provinces of Granada, Jaén and Seville), between the Atlantic (provinces of Cádiz and Huelva) and the Mediterranean (provinces of Almería and Málaga).

At regional level, a number of modernising initiatives are in place aimed at improving road and rail communications, both for travellers and for goods transport.

These initiatives are part of the Infrastructure Plan for Sustainable Transport, which will be in force until 2013.

The Plan seeks to improve links and in doing so achieve enhanced integration of the towns and villages of Andalusia. These aims are shared by the Andalusia Land Planning Scheme, which in addition to improving links within the region aims to strengthen the Euro-Mediterranean influence of the region.

Other policies being implemented by the Andalusian Regional Government (Junta de Andalucía) have led to improved services in Córdoba in the fields of education, healthcare, culture, and science, among others.

In contrast to the urban and metropolitan development pursued by other Spanish regions, less respectful of the way of life and the environment, the city-region profile in Andalusia, represented by Córdoba, manages to link the land with development, and nature with the city, without a high cost to the environment and with towns located in compact nuclei offering a high quality of life and good services.

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved 26

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I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

A chance to explore the land: the city, the province and Andalusia

27

3 The current socio-economic situation

In addition to its general identity as part of Andalusia, Córdoba has many distinctive individual features, including its location by the Guadalquivir, and its function as a hub for the main lines of communication between the Iberian Peninsula and Africa. It is also a member of the Network of Medium-Sized Cities of Inland Andalusia, a powerful system of cities with a vast and varied urban and metropolitan background. Córdoba, moreover, displays a number of features deriving from its history as an agricultural society which underwent a radical transformation in the second half of the twentieth century, as the result of a modernising project which needs to be constantly updated if the city is not to miss out on the opportunities offered by the twenty-first century.

At the same time, it is also essential to stress a common Andalusian heritage to be found in Córdoba, evident in an alternative approach to urban productivity and competitiveness, characterised by less aggressive marketing of the city, and a more plural approach to decision making; in that respect, Córdoba is more of a polis than a city in the English or American sense. This is very important when it comes to understanding what the city has to offer, which can be extrapolated to the regional level, in terms of features which until now have been underappreciated or undervalued. These include oral culture, the use of public space, the constant dialogue between private and public spaces, leisure, festivals, daily life in the open air and regular cultural events throughout Andalusia, which are both more frequent and more deeply rooted than elsewhere in Europe.

As a result, the cultural wealth that Andalusia can offer Europe is vast, because it readily extends to the whole region, with its special climate, its landscapes and its cities which – though very different – share a common heritage in terms of settlements, invasions, cultures, and a close connection to the great movements of Southern European culture.

For all these reasons, the Córdoba ECoC project seeks to formulate a proposal that will have an impact on the whole of Andalusia. Córdoba’s central location in Andalusia, and good communications are an incentive to use 2016 as the basis for a future network of cultural cooperation between these cities, optimising the use of the region’s varied infrastructure as if it were a single project. This central role means that, through Córdoba, Andalusia’s position in European culture can be rendered more universal in terms of a cultural programme that includes a proposal for a European intercultural dialogue; at its core, a city that has become a symbol of rapprochement, participation, creative innovation and sustainability.

T

he history of Córdoba has not been one of smooth upward progress. After two splendid periods in which the city wielded enormous influence, and developed in both social and economic terms as the capital of Baetica and Al-Ándalus, it spent several centuries in a contemplative, often lethargic, mood; like Narcissus gazing at his reflection, enraptured by his own beauty, wholly detached from worldly concerns. Despite that, and despite its distancing from the structures of political power on the peninsula and in the Americas, Córdoba continued to retain its cultural importance for the rest of the country and the wider world. It has produced many of the most influential authors and creators of the last thousand years.

The city took no part in the nascent Spanish pre-industrial development of the nineteenth century, and therefore drew little advantage from the growth of a stable industrial sector in the early twentieth century. As a result, in the 1960s it was one of the Spanish provinces with the highest number of emigrants, a reaction to the continued existence of obsolete production facilities and an essentially agricultural economy. The inequalities to which this gave rise are still apparent: even today, the illiteracy rate in Córdoba is almost twice the national average (5.8% in Córdoba compared to 2.8% in Spain).

These factors meant that, for good and bad, Córdoba remained at the margin of the rapid development seen in the 1970s, a historic era that left its negative mark on the appearance and urban profile of most Spanish cities. This isolation spared it from the worst excesses of what came to be termed “architectural ugly-ism” and today means that Córdoba has one of the largest and best-preserved historical Old Towns in Europe.

Nowadays, from a town-planning point of view, Córdoba is a reasonably well-organised city (the outskirts are currently being regenerated). From a social standpoint, it has also performed well, having achieved a good balance between its various districts thanks to the evenhanded provision of resources and facilities. But above all, it has sought to encourage an entrepreneurial culture, particularly among the younger generations, as a way of guaranteeing the future. Underlying this issue are the origins for the poor economic growth of Córdoba relative to that of other Andalusian cities, as evident in the graph showing the Annual Mean Unemployment Rate for the period 2001-2009. (see Fig. 6) Although the area is still heavily dependent on the primary sector, it is developing a cutting-edge agrofood industry. Little has yet been done in terms of brand consolidation and the strengthening of the processing industry, but Córdoba is now home to a number of leading companies, top producers and well-known brands.

Córdoba’s industrial sector is also steadily expanding, even though it is still not a major contributor to the local economy. It is ceasing to be dependent on property development, and boasts a number of traditional manufacturing industries where craftsmanship is still important, such as jewellery, pottery and woodwork. At the same time, other activities are expanding thanks to the input of economically-emerging areas. These include the copper processing industry, the manufacture of fridges and freezers and the graphic arts.

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I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

3

3

The current socio-economic situation

However, the service sector is the largest sector in Córdoba and its surrounding area, accounting for 59% of the workforce. Its hefty contribution to the local economy is largely due to tourism, the hotel and catering trade, and retail activities; all these stand to benefit under the Córdoba 2016 project. These activities provide 17.5% of Córdoba’s GDP. The services sector has undergone profound changes as traditional activities have gradually been challenged by a growing need to compete.

In this context, the link between business and the University is essential; it is progressively enabling the innovations developed by the Technological Innovation Centres to be implemented by local production companies.

Various institutional reports on economic planning have focused on the idea of increasing economic activity in the city by moving into new areas, adopting new technologies, boosting cultural tourism, sustainable development and renewable energy. The aim is to narrow the difference between Andalusia – specifically Córdoba – and the rest of Europe in terms of economic production and social welfare. The ECoC project, which involves multiple events, infrastructural enhancement and extensive worker training, will do much to provide greater opportunities for development.

The economic development of the city has run in parallel to the evolution of Andalusia. In general, the last thirty years have witnessed considerable industrial modernisation, an improvement in infrastructure, enhanced economic activity and a surprising increase in per capita income. Andalusians have a better standard of living now than thirty years ago, thanks mainly to the development of a powerful tertiary sector.

Over the last ten years, public opinion has become more sensitive to the economic and social role of companies. The public has a more modern image of the entrepreneur, probably as a result of the growing use of management models in which social benefits are seen as part and parcel of any economic activity. This is evident in the fact that a prolonged period of economic growth was achieved in an environment of peaceful labour relations, thanks largely to agreements reached between management associations and trades unions.

This was a truly vital era for the Andalusian economy, with strong economic growth and new activities, not only emerging professions, but activities hitherto unknown in the Region. Córdoba has undergone a profound transformation over the last few years, achieving growth rates similar to those recorded in Andalusia and in Spain as a whole. The contribution of the towns and villages of the province has been essential in this respect: in some areas of the province, more companies have been created than in the city of Córdoba itself.

This is clearly a province of contrasts; the booming industry of the south contrasts strongly with the predominantly agricultural and livestock.based activities of the north.

However, this long cycle of growth was interrupted (as it was the world over) by the crisis that began between 2007 and 2008, and has since prompted some alarming statistics: unemployment has reached record highs; consumption has slumped; companies are closing down daily; thousands of self-employed people are out of work; there has been a marked fall in National Insurance contributions. These and countless other negative indicators have been more marked in Córdoba than elsewhere.

The current socio-economic situation

The year 2009 was a very bad year for the world economy. Had it not been for European aid, Córdoba would have been particularly vulnerable. Between 2007 and 2013, Andalusia will receive €14,024 m. in European funding; this money will be used to improve agricultural productivity, to strengthen existing infrastructure and to foster research. From 2013 onwards, this financing will diminish, since Andalusia will cease to be classed as an Objective 1 area.

In 2009, the Spanish economy experienced a harsh recession in terms of economic activity in general, but above all in terms of unemployment, which has now gone above 20%; a total of 4.6 million people are now out of work in Spain.8 Although the problem of unemployment in Córdoba is a structural rather than temporary one, the international economic crisis hit Andalusia and Córdoba particularly hard; the unemployment rate in Andalusia by the end of 2009 was 26.33%,while that of Córdoba stood at 25.92%9. (see Fig. 5) Yet despite the economic boom of earlier years, unemployment has remained high in Córdoba compared to the rest of Spain and the European Union. In 2007, for example, the unemployment rate in Córdoba was at its lowest in ten years, down to around 14%; even so, this was virtually twice the average both for Spain (8.3%) and for the European Union (7.1%)10. (see Fig. 6)

8

The working population of the province has risen considerably in recent years, largely due to the growing number of women entering the labour market. There is an urgent need for alternative employment. The ECoC, and cultural and creative industries in a broader sense, provide an opportunity of alleviating long-standing structural problems in the city and the province of Córdoba.

In the search for jobs, many local people are hindered by a poor level of education. The percentage of inhabitants who are either illiterate or have had no schooling (20.57%) is higher than the Andalusian average (16.96%) and also twice the national average (11.65% ); the highest figures are recorded for women in remote areas, and for immigrants from countries with fewer resources, who have not lived long in Spain11.

Any attempt to quantify the potential effect of being named 2016 ECoC on the economy of Córdoba during this period of economic instability would be subject to a huge margin of error. However, it is safe to suggest that it would enable the city to create a brand for itself, and that this in turn would involve defining strategies, reviewing needs and seeing the bid as a project involving the city and all its people. Aware of this, the Córdoba Business Confederation, which has played an active part in the ECoC project from the outset (it was the first social institution to propose the bid in 2001), established a specific culture commission aimed at supporting the initiative, drawing inspiration from the positive examples of urban regeneration and sustainable development that have grown out of ECoC candidacy in other cities facing similar challenges and difficulties, and with similar potential.

Data from the Employment Survey for the first quarter of 2010.

Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE).

9

Data from the Employment Survey for the fourth quarter of 2009.

Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE).

10 Data from the Employment Survey for the fourth quarter of 2007.

Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE).

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11 Data at 31 March 2009. Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE)

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved 3

30

The current socio-economic situation

fig.5

Average quarterly unemployment rate 2008 (4Q) - 2009 Source: data taken from the Active Population Survey, National Institute of Statistics (INE 2009)

Cordoba Andalusia Spain EU27

2008 - 4Q

2009 - 1Q

2009 - 2Q

2009 - 3Q

2009 - 4Q

20,16 21,78 13,91 6,7

23,3 24,04 17,36 7,4

27,25 25,41 17,92 8,2

27,88 25,64 17,93 8,6

25,92 26,33 18,83 8,8

2009 - 1Q

2009 - 2Q

2009 - 3Q

2009 - 4Q

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fig.6

Average yearly unemployment rate 2001-2009 Source: data taken from the Active Population Survey, National Institute of Statistics (INE 2009)

Cordoba Andalusia Spain EU27

2001

2002

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2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

20,78 10,55 10,3 8,5

21,36 11,47 11,1 8,9

21,22 11,47 11,1 9

20,75 10,97 10,6 9,1

14,78 13,84 9,2 8,9

14,38 12,68 8,5 8,2

13,9 12,75 8,3 7,1

16,48 17,8 11,3 7

26,08 25,35 18 8,9

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Whilst the economic aspect is not the foremost concern of the ECoC, there is clearly a feeling that a joint, wideranging project, backed by all the city’s social institutions, could well lead to new opportunities, some as yet unexplored.

The major local businesses support this project, and have signed a manifesto declaring their unwavering commitment to the promotion and encouragement of activities during, and in the run-up to, 2016. Representative organisations have already drawn up their own calendar of activities intended to contribute to the cultural agenda, and are enthusiastically involved in preparing the bid. To reflect this keenness, the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation has adopted the notion of “collaborating bodies”, not only as a form of sponsorship, but in order to enable a whole range of organisations to play an active part in the challenge (see Chapter 9).

If Córdoba’s bid is finally successful, new initiatives will be required in order to enhance the range of activities generated by an event on this scale; this will undoubtedly attract outside investment in the city.

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I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved

I The arguments for Córdoba, and the challenges involved 4

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The ECoC project as a strategic opportunity for socioeconomic

33

regeneration: culture and tourism

4 The ECoC project as a strategic opportunity for socioeconomic regeneration: culture and tourism

T

he negative socioeconomic data examined above, which have worsened during the current world economic downturn, highlight some of the structural problems faced by the city and the province of Córdoba, problems deriving from the lingering vestiges of a land tenure system which concentrated large amounts of arable land in the hands of a small number of owners, and from a rural exodus which led to the depopulation of certain areas. Although these factors are declining in importance today, their effects are still discernible in large parts of the province.

We firmly believe that culture in all its forms offers a strategic opportunity to address these problems, mainly through its far-reaching impact both on society and on the economy.

The ECoC project is seen as a key instrument for urban transformation and regeneration, through the implementation of an economic development model aimed at expanding the service sector, whilst avoiding the collateral damage that this can entail. Córdoba has the potential to set an example for urban development in a medium-sized city, by expanding cultural and creative industries and linking them to a superb historical heritage; in doing so, care must be taken to respect that heritage as a living entity, rather than treating it as a stage set.

The economic aspects of culture

Given the city’s socioeconomic situation, any future growth will depend upon the development of the cultural and creative industries and of cultural tourism. Culture must thus become a strategic sector for Córdoba, in the broadest sense of the term. Among other things, this will mean: fostering the arts; expanding the cultural alternatives available; empowering managers, programme designers, tourist agents, and suppliers; and improving cultural infrastructure and resources, specialised press and designers.

Although even the earliest economists were aware of the economic implications and the commercial importance of culture, that awareness only assumed tangible form in the mid- 1960s, and then again in the 1980s, when culture was increasingly regarded as a key component of urban regeneration and development programmes. Cities are now seeking new areas of economic growth; indeed, given the dramatic decline of traditional manufacturing industries all over Europe, culture has in some cases been seen as a basis for restructuring the economy.

However, it was not until 2005 that culture was formally recognised as a valuable tool for development. In that year, a UNESCO Convention “emphasizing the need to incorporate culture as a strategic element in national and international development policies, as well as in international development cooperation” in order to “reaffirm the importance of the link between culture and development for all countries, particularly for developing countries, and support actions undertaken nationally and internationally to secure recognition of the true value of this link”12.

Two years later, a Communication from the European Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions recognised that “Europe’s cultural richness based on its diversity is also, and increasingly so, an important asset in an immaterial and knowledge-based world. The European cultural sector is already a very dynamic trigger of economic activities and jobs throughout the EU territory. Cultural activities also help promoting an inclusive society and contribute to preventing and reducing poverty and social exclusion. As was recognised by the conclusions of the 2007 Spring European Council, creative entrepreneurs and a vibrant cultural industry are a unique source of innovation for the future. This potential must be recognised even more and fully tapped”13 (Brussels, 10/5/2007).

The importance of cultural and creative industries to the Spanish and EU economies is highlighted in a study produced by the European Commission DirectorateGeneral for Education and Culture14, which stresses the potential of this sector for creating employment, in terms of both quantity (around 5.8 million jobs in 2004) and quality. The study also notes that culture accounts for around 3% of the EU’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and has a considerable impact on economic and social development, innovation and cohesion.

In Spain, a number of studies15 have examined economic aspects of the cultural and creative industries, concluding that these industries account for around 4% of the country’s GDP and provide 7.8% of its employment; this sector is also much more vibrant than the Spanish economy as a whole.

One of five studies on future employment challenges carried out by the Andalusia Business Confederation (CEA) and the Andalusian Employment Service (SAE) focuses specifically on Córdoba16. It explores the scope for creating new enterprises and new jobs in the cultural and creative sector, pinpointing the weaknesses and the potential of the sector in Córdoba.

One negative finding was an over-dependence of cultural activities on institutional subsidies, giving rise to concern regarding its ability to survive unaided, and thus its viability as an emerging sector. Attention was also drawn to the lack of training and of specific programmes, to the fragmentary nature of the sector and to an incipient “brain drain”. Positive findings included an increase in cultural tourism, a high rate of public investment, the city’s favourable image, and considerable institutional support.

Official regional schemes aimed at fostering the arts include two outstanding projects: the Initiative to Support the Creation and Dissemination of Contemporary Art (Inciarte), a scheme launched in 2006, which reached Córdoba in 2010; and the Lunar Project, which has been running in Córdoba since 2007.

The Lunar Project is an innovative scheme designed to support creative and cultural entrepreneurs all over Andalusia by exploring and exploiting their potential with a view to making them better known at international level. In doing so, the project aims to help revitalize and consolidate the creative and cultural industries, forging new links between entrepreneurs, public institutions and the private sector in all spheres of the industry.

12 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. UNESCO. Paris, 20 October 2005.

13 Communication on a European Agenda for Culture in a Globalising World, Brussels, 10 May 2007 14 The Economy of Culture in Europe. Brussels, 13 November 2006.

15 García Gracia, M. et al. La dimensión económica de la Industria de la Cultura y el Ocio en España. Madrid, 2007.

16 Desafío del Empleo. Políticas Activas de Empleo en Andalucía: Análisis, evolución y perspectivas. Seville, 2009.

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fig.7

Cultural value production chain Source: Personal compilation

1. CREATION AND EDUCATION

The Córdoba 2016 project – aware of the potential offered by the cultural and creative industries, and of the difficulties they may currently be facing – has sought to put together a bid which fosters, defends and protects the whole cultural value chain, from creation through production and distribution, to promotion and consumption.

We aim to organise schemes that will generate their own research, encourage innovative approaches and decisive implementation, and make full use of the latest developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), reflecting new creative visions of the world, and new ways of disseminating cultural assets.

We are aware that these days creative work crosses borders at lightning speed, and that traditional cultural channels and rules are fast becoming obsolete; new approaches have to be adopted to the production, consumption and distribution of culture, approaches that foster the development of cultural value production chains. Our aim is to think outside the traditional framework of cultural production and consumption, with a view to identifying new targets.

The cultural value production chain: (see Fig. 7) 1 Creation and Training. Create a socioeconomic framework designed to encourage creative cultural input, through improved education and training, improved infrastructure and improved financial support. Foster a creative and educational environment, with a view to ensuring that culture and creation form part of people’s daily lives.

2 Production and Reproduction. Provide the conditions required to ensure that any good cultural project can rapidly be carried out with the appropriate funding. It is essential to guarantee an audience for projects and productions that might not otherwise have one, and to ensure that works closely linked to the city’s historical heritage are given a contemporary cultural resonance. In short, seek new ways of experiencing, using, reviewing, producing and reproducing cultural creations.

3 Promotion and Marketing. Work with creators and producers to establish a balance between production and promotion. Provide the tools and the knowledge required to ensure effective promotion and marketing of cultural products, using digital as well as physical media.

4 Distribution and Commercialisation. The aim of any cultural industry is to reach as many people as possible, in the community and on the street. This requires a commercial stimulus (without necessarily creating commercial works) and effective distribution. Whilst this can evidently be achieved through purely commercial transactions, it can also be encouraged through other types of negotiation which might enhance circulation, including the co-production of projects, financing for tours, backing for travelling exhibitions, and support for project exchanges.

5 Consumption and Accessibility. The forms and habits of cultural consumption are constantly changing; culture is no longer limited to attending concerts, visiting exhibitions or reading. We must adapt to recent developments prompted by the speed of technological innovation, by new and varying approaches to the creative experience. As we are increasingly reminded by the latest-generation mobile phones, or PC Tablets, we are entering a new world, in which – it has to be acknowledged – culture is being consumed at the same time as it is being produced.

5. CONSUMPTION AND ACCESSIBILITY

Cultural value production chain

4. DISTRIBUTION AND COMMERCIALISATION

2. PRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTION

3. PROMOTION AND MARKETING

The cultural aspects of tourism

In this respect, Córdoba’s bid has every intention of observing and learning from the use of social networks and other virtual communities in the entertainment industry, taking advantage of their experience in bringing people together as a way of building loyalty, of fostering emulation, interaction, dissemination and proliferation, of promoting cultural initiatives, of disseminating cultural experiences and events, and of encouraging popular exchange, cooperation and involvement. (see Fig. 7) Córdoba’s project will also work to improve people’s access to culture. A number of measures are envisaged to ensure equal access to cultural events, and access for all to programmes and facilities. It is estimated that these measures will have an indirect impact of 40% of the population, who will thus become active cultural agents.

By the end of the last century, tourism was the world’s main form of human migration: 550 million people travelling to a vast range of destinations. According to the World Tourism Organisation’s Tourism, 2020 Vision, this figure trebled in the early years of the third millennium (rising to 1,500 million arrivals per year). The Euro-Mediterranean area was among the most popular tourist destinations, accounting for 25% of arrivals.

These synergies must be fully exploited in the search for a new, sustainable and progress-building approach to tourism.

The challenge of becoming European Capital of Culture undoubtedly implies the development of cultural tourism in Córdoba, and the city is more than willing to take on the challenges posed by the changing habits of the twenty-first-century traveller. Fortunately, the city has a long tradition of cultural, heritage-based tourism, and this has encouraged the growth of the local service industry, the training of staff in the sector, and a clearly-focussed joint approach to tourism by public and private institutions, as evident in Córdoba’s Plan for Excellence in Tourism.

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Córdoba is Spain’s fifth largest tourist destination in terms of the number of overnight visitors per thousand inhabitants. It is estimated that one third of visitors are from abroad. According to data from the 2009 Hotel Occupancy Survey (published by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics), the province boasts 181 hotels with a range of ratings, offering accommodation for around 10,000 people; the hotel sector employs an average of 1,200 staff.

In addition to larger hotels ranging from 3-star to 5-star ratings, visitors may also choose to stay in smaller family hotels classified as intermediate or upper intermediate in terms of the facilities available. Cheaper options include guesthouses, campsites and youth hostels.

The hotel sector – both in the city and in the province – has undergone considerable regeneration and expansion in recent years; this trend is expected to continue over the next few years, with new hotels coming into service. Perhaps the most striking development has been the impact of the so-called “hotels with charm” – converted houses in the Old Town which have retained their period setting, and have helped to ensure the survival of local architectural styles.

The city and the province boast a high-quality catering sector, with some of the best-regarded restaurants in Andalusia. The total number of restaurants and cafés is estimated at 660. All official surveys indicate that visitors are highly satisfied with the city in terms of safety, hospitality, facilities and options available.

Córdoba is constantly improving the services on offer.

The city was one of the first national tourist destinations to implement the Integrated Tourist Destination Quality System (“Sicted”), a Government-run scheme.

Visitor services have been awarded the “Q certificate” for Quality Tourism, by the Institute for Spanish Tourism Quality.

Córdoba has been approved as the host for the first Andalusian Regional Office of the Institute for Spanish Tourism Quality, which will be run by the Tourism Consortium, a joint enterprise involving the City Council and a number of private-sector entrepreneurs, which seeks to ensure the participatory management of existing resources.

The Congress Section of the Tourism Consortium operates the Convention Bureau Programme, a scheme to promote Córdoba as a venue for congresses and conventions. Córdoba has a Congress and Exhibition Palace, a sixteenth-century building beside the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral) and an ancient Alcázar (now the Episcopal Palace). A new Congress Centre is also being built for all kinds of professional events which have become increasingly frequent in Córdoba over the last few years. Nine per cent of the tourists visiting Córdoba do so with this purpose.

A number of measures have been implemented, under the Plan for Excellence in Tourism, to ensure that the city is fully ready to become European Capital of Culture in 2016: signposting has been improved throughout the city, permanent visitor information facilities have been refurbished, buildings in the World Heritage area have been rehabilitated, and steps have been taken to expand and diversify the tourist attractions on offer.

All these measures have sought to comply with current sustainability criteria – as set out in 2004 at the Universal Forum of Cultures – and to ensure respect for the city; the aim is to enhance tourism by improving mobility and by opening previously-inaccessible monuments to the public.

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Heritage-based tourism

Intercultural tourism

One of Córdoba’s main strengths is its vast historical heritage, which brings tourists to the city all the year round. It is the sixth most popular tourist destination among Spanish cultural cities, and the most-visited World Heritage city in Spain, largely because it provides first-hand experience of a city bearing the traces of four historical cultures – Roman, Muslim, Jewish and Christian – as well as the influence of the Gypsy people.

Beyond these evident achievements in the context of cultural and heritage tourism, Córdoba is striving to diversify its tourism options by addressing new niche areas including intercultural, religious and linguistic tourism.

Tourism is something more than the traditional visit to the best-known monuments. The city’s potential is being enhanced by a rethinking of cultural icons such as the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral), with night-time son et lumière events using cutting-edge technology. Specific routes now focus on the Fernandine churches (built following the conquest of Córdoba by Christian troops under Ferdinand III of Castile), on key elements of the Roman legacy, and on the city’s most famous inhabitants.

The Mezquita receives around 1.2 million visitors per year. Figures for other local monuments are equally impressive: the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos receives an average of around 300,000 visitors, the Synagogue roughly 450,000, and Madinat al-Zahra around 200,000. Improvements have aimed at increasing the visitor’s understanding of the heritage, by providing more information using new technology, and by investing in the museum network. The new Madinat al-Zahra Museum is a splendid example of this strategy, in that it seeks to reveal the secrets of the site through video screenings and a permanent exhibition.

Córdoba’s high season is undoubtedly the spring, because the city itself is one of the monuments. The Córdoba Courtyards Festival – like other popular festivals – is a unique celebration of beauty.

The Council of Europe White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue gives a clear idea of strategic processes in this area, and provides a broad range of conceptual ideas and practical resources regarding the design, implementation, leadership and planning of intercultural policy for cities.

This process seeks to promote action, debate and reflection about citizenship and the European democracies, about common history and common cultures, through cooperation within Europe’s social organisations. This encourages interaction between the people and social organisations of different countries, contributing to intercultural dialogue and emphasising European diversity and unity.

The history of Córdoba as a meeting point for great civilisations has turned the city into something of a palimpsest, freighted with symbolic meaning; but it has also shaped its tolerant, cosmopolitan personality. These two properties alone make Córdoba the ideal destination for a new type of traveller: the visitor who seeks not only heritage, relaxation and leisure, but also a chance to interact with the local people, to become immersed in, and compare, their traditions and customs.

In order to get local people involved, training strategies will be designed to set up an intercultural dialogue with a view to ensuring sustainable results in public spaces, at school, in labour and trade relations. We strongly support European-scale projects aimed at identifying and sharing the best practices from different cities, and at implementing specific measures and actions intended to enable young people from different countries to meet each other and talk.

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Tourism and religion

Since ancient times, religious devotion has prompted men and women – regardless of their beliefs or their social status – to undertake journeys. Tourism linked to religious belief provides considerable scope for the development of cultural activities. In Poland alone, between five and seven million people regularly take part in pilgrimages.

Córdoba attracts this type of tourism, and not just because of its monuments. The quantitative and qualitative importance of Holy Week (Easter) in Córdoba should not be underestimated as an attraction for travellers drawn by their religious faith or simply by the excitement generated by the event. According to a recent report by Analistas Económicos de Andalucía, Holy Week brings in around €42 m. a year and creates 1,700 jobs. Estimates suggest that it accounts for 0.35% of the provincial GDP. A total of thirty-seven “brotherhoods” carry valuable religious images in procession around the city during Holy Week. These are lay Christian groups, which contribute to the city’s social organisation. Membership of religious and lay organisations of this sort is estimated at 34,000, while the processions are watched by an estimated 750,000 people, of whom 75,000 are tourists.

Total private expenditure during Holy Week amounts to almost €25 m.

The religious attractions of the city and province of Córdoba are increasingly more varied and better known: from the countless colourful pilgrimages to local shrines to the architectural and gastronomic wealth of the convents.

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Tourism and languages

The city and its surrounds also boast heritage features which could attract the interest of Jewish and Muslim tourists. The Córdoban and Andalusian institutions involved in promoting tourism have introduced specific measures to cater for the varying requirements of travellers with different religious beliefs.

Information is being generated and the intention is to access a potential market of 13 m. people, according to data published by the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX). To do this, the service sector must pay particular attention to services dedicated to the Jewish population who observe the Kashrut laws: Kosher food and logistics, advice about festivals and dates on which restrictions are in place, and information on sites of religious, cultural and historical interest.

Similarly, work is under way to ensure the provision of appropriate services to tourists following Qur’anic precepts, including the application of the Halal guarantee for food and information on festivals and visits of specific interest. Córdoba has a Halal Institute which manages the certificates issued by the Islamic Board to food businesses of all kinds which offer such services or plan to export to Muslim consumer markets.

The city of Córdoba has begun to focus on a third line of tourism, which is intended to encourage projects aimed at developing packages for people wanting to come to Córdoba to learn and/or improve their Spanish, through University-recognised language training courses. These educational activities include cultural routes around Córdoba. The work done to date in this area has been highly successful: the University of Córdoba is now the Spanish University with the most European Union Erasmus students in relation to its size.

In the context of this language programme, the University is making direct contact with foreign Universities and their Spanish departments, with a twofold purpose: to inform them about Córdoba’s bid to become ECoC in 2016, and to make Córdoba the entry point into Spain for these universities. Some of these projects are already operating and offer a range of services: ·

·

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Hosting Polish university students on internships.

This programme, run in collaboration with the Student Trainee Exchange Programme, involves students or recent graduates from Polish universities who are on internships. This exchange will serve to encourage joint projects between Spain and Poland.

European Voluntary Service. Through the exchange project entitled Córdoba, Cultural Melting-Pot, Fundecor (Foundation for the Development of Córdoba, linked to the University) will promote visits to Córdoba by young foreigners and send young students from Córdoba to other countries. The aim is to encourage intercultural dialogue and social relationships.

Language and Culture as a link between European people. The aim of this project is to encourage cooperation between participating higher-education establishments. The project will foster interuniversity meetings to share experiences and new teaching methods; meetings will be run in Spanish and full use will be made of information and communication technologies.

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Chapter I summary

1. In bidding to become the European Capital of Culture in 2016, Córdoba is convinced that its history as a place of peaceful dialogue between civilisations can contribute to the forging of a truly European citizenry, and that Europe is facing challenges in which the role of the city provides added value in terms of image. Córdoba is not just a place; it is the embodiment of the harmonious coexistence of cultures.

2. The city’s bid for 2016 is founded on a broad, participatory social consensus.

Córdoba was the first Spanish city to apply as a candidate, as early as 2001, thanks to the initiative of a social institution which by 2002 had received backing from public institutions.

3. Córdoba’s bid to be named European Capital of Culture is part of a comprehensive modernisation strategy involving the city and the whole metropolitan area. Since the 1980s, the city has gradually been breaking down urban barriers, most recently through the development of a Special Plan for the River Guadalquivir, aimed at developing the riverbanks through the creation of public spaces, the building of new bridges and the provision of cultural facilities.

4. Córdoba faces a number of structural economic problems, which it seeks to address through a series of measures inspired by the city’s geographical location, its links with Europe and its membership of various networks, building on the benefits brought to our area by Spain’s entry into the European Union. Culture is part of this strategy, which also involves enhancing Córdoba’s position in certain subsectors of the economy, such as logistics, health, and new technologies.

5. The city’s major problem is its high unemployment rate. One strategy aimed at addressing this involves creating jobs by making better use of the city’s culture and its heritage, by expanding the service sector, and more specifically by increasing tourism.

6. The ECoC project will contribute greatly to the transformation and regeneration of the city which is already under way, based on a model of economic development which gives priority to the expansion of the services sector.

Córdoba is keen to become an exemplary medium-sized city, by developing its cultural and creative industries in relation to its superb historic heritage. The ECoC project, by supporting the development of every stage of the cultural value production chain, will do much to improve this process.

7. Córdoba’s tourism sector is prepared for the challenge; it is already the sixth most important cultural destination in Spain. The city and its businesses have actively sought to implement quality systems and programmes aimed at improving and expanding the services available, based on the city’s heritage, and on its cultural, religious, and linguistic appeal.

II C贸rdoba: its distinctive features and its European dimension

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II Córdoba: its distinctive features and its European dimension “Córdoba, ornament of the world, new and magnificent city, proud of its strength, famed for its delights, dazzling in the possession of all its goods “.

Roswitha von Gandersheim (10th Century) “I should like to return to the experience of Córdoba, the birthplace of Maimónides, a philosopher so dear to the Jewish tradition and of Ibn Rushd (Averroes), a great Muslim rationalist. Both often unjustly forgotten in European education, European culture owes much of its present knowledge in science and in philosophy to these men.

They both defined rules for co-existence, which they called the “right measure”. Maimónides sought to propose a theory of moderation and harmony that distanced human existence from the dangerous risk of extremist oppositions. As for Ibn Rushd, he believed that the only way to get to have a sense of reality was through increased rational knowledge”.

Ramin Jahanbegloo, Elogio de la diversidad “An inclusive city is a place where everyone, regardless of wealth, gender, age, race or religion participates productively and positively in the opportunities that the city has to offer”

Habitat II, 2000. Istanbul (Turkey), 3-14 June 1996

C

órdoba’s distinctive features are the result of a history of cultural dialogue stretching back across the centuries, a specific geographical framework, a system of governance based on participation and a concern to implement inclusive political initiatives. These identifying features lie at the root of Córdoba’s bid to be ECoC in 2016, and form the foundation from which to confront contemporary cultural, political and social issues and challenges.

At the same time, Córdoba has a marked European dimension, shaped by the men and women who throughout history have created an image of the city, a symbolic place produced by the overlapping and coexistence of the different faiths and ideas that have resided there: Romans, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Gypsies. Perhaps the single feature that best identifies the city is the idea of a cultural crossroads, a place where a single culture – fed by different races and religions – has left the imprint of a civilisation that is at once the past, the thrilling present and the potential future.

The brief outline of the city’s history provided below seeks both to understand it and to update it. Córdoba’s history is irrevocably shaped by the river Guadalquivir, the longest in Andalusia, that has for centuries been the vehicle for the passage of cultures; in terms of the ECoC bid, the river is being promoted as a framework for reflection within a city that seeks to offer itself as a model city, a city for coexistence.

II Señas de identidad de Córdoba y su dimensión europea

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1 Córdoba: the capital of Roman Baetica, and later the capital of al-Ándalus, now aspires to be the 2016 European Capital of Culture

T

he geographical area within which the different cultures successively settled in Córdoba corresponds to the eastern point of the triangle where the River Guadalquivir begins to open up into a large valley which progressively widens until it meets the sea; the city lies around three hundred kilometres from the end of the river’s course. At this point in the river, there were a series of socio-geographical features which enabled it to be easily crossed and sailed by small vessels, thus becoming a starting point for the roads and paths that radiated out from the peninsular plateau to the rest of Europe.

This location, together with the existence of mineral deposits in the area, made it a particularly suitable site for urban settlements. Long before Roman colonisation, there was already a flourishing settlement dating back to the third millennium BC.

Roman Temple, Calle Claudio Marcelo Lucius Anneus Séneca

Phoenicians and Greeks had been attracted by the rich resources of this area, for trading with Tartessos and the Iberian world, thus contributing to that mixture of Mediterranean peoples so characteristic of these lands.

Subsequently, the Carthaginians understood the importance of turning natural routes into proper roads, which the Romans, whose military settlement was to be the origin of today’s city in the second century BC, transformed into a well-structured network that integrated and controlled this rich area.

Corduba, whose name first appears on a coin minted in the year 80 BC, had by 43 BC become the capital of the Roman province of Hispania Ulterior (as distinct from Hispania Citerior), and later became the capital of the province known as Hispania Ulterior Baetica, one of the most thriving and Romanised territories of the Empire.

Promoted to maximum administrative rank in the first century BC, with the status of Colonia Patricia, Corduba soon became a reflection of Rome itself. The city spread out well beyond the primitive walled precincts. Roads, aqueducts and cisterns were built in order to provide an infrastructure and to supply the population of the capital. Its worldwide importance as capital of Baetica – one of the most highly-developed province of the Roman Empire – is evident in its splendid urban progress, and in the flourishing of intellectual activities and knowledge that lasted for centuries.

Corduba was an active part of the Roman culture that embraced a primitive form of European integration, establishing common cultural patterns that still form part of our shared identity today. With the river as its main communications route, the city continued to receive Visigoths and civilisations from the north, at a time when special relations with the East, and particularly with Byzantium (now Turkey) prevailed.

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After the decline of the Roman Empire, the city’s potential was developed to its maximum splendour under Muslim rule. The name al-Ándalus, used to refer to that part of the Iberian Peninsula ruled by the Islamic Empire, first appears on a coin dating from the year 716, now in the National Archaeological Museum. Al-Ándalus survived into the fifteenth century as the name of those areas of the peninsula ruled by Islam It was in that year that al-Hurr ben abd-Ramán al-Tha Qafi, the walid or governor of al-Ándalus – a territory then ruled from Ifriquiya (North Africa), moved the provincial capital from Seville to Córdoba, prompting the rapid development of the city in all its aspects.

Córdoba was made administrative capital because it already boasted all the necessary infrastructure (communications, administrative system, territorial control structures, organisation). But also because it had attained the necessary degree of urban and material development (e.g. building), and because it enjoyed a vital strategic location.

Córdoba’s selection as capital of al-Ándalus in 716 is due, in large measure, to the fact that it had been a provincial capital in Roman times, and survived as an administrative centre throughout the Late Roman and Visigothic periods.

In this respect, – according to Moorish sources – the last Visigoth king may have lived in the city, thus highlighting its importance in the final years of Visigothic rule.

Thus, the establishment of the city as a capital in 716 reflected to a considerable extent its constant role as administrative centre over earlier centuries. The new rulers were therefore able to trace the roots of this provincial capital well back into an important past.

Under the rule of Abd al-Rahman I, al-Ándalus broke away from the Abbasid Islamic Empire, and in 756 became an independent Emirate of Damascus; in 929 it became the Caliphate of Córdoba. During this period, the city became the most advanced centre of finance, trade, social dealings, knowledge and culture in the Western world, dominated to the north by the Holy Roman Empire, from the east by the Byzantine Empire, and to the South by the Islamic territories of North Africa.

As the capital of al-Ándalus, the city – which had prospered under the Romans and the Visigoths – enjoyed a period of spectacular growth and unparalleled influence. The layout of the city was completely overhauled, it expanded enormously, and the walled Medina became the centre of political, religious and economic administration. At the same time, residential building projects flourished: vast palaces were constructed in the foothills of the Sierra, along with numerous gardens along the banks of the river whose waters threaded through them; other medinas were built that were perfectly supplied by the existing aqueducts and by new ones that were also erected.

West façade of the Mosque-Cathedral Forest of columns in the Mosque-Cathedral

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Qurtuba, the mythical city that assumed the central role and capital status of the kingdom of al-Ándalus from the early eighth century onwards, was the most highly developed city in Europe during the Early Middle Ages. By the late tenth century, the city covered a huge surface area, far larger than today. In appearance and lifestyle, and albeit on a smaller scale, it was somewhat reminiscent of a present-day megalopolis: noisy, lively, cosmopolitan, tolerant… a place where minorities could flourish undisturbed. It was one of the world’s great cities, on a par with Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), Baghdad (Irak) and Cairo (Egypt). Back in the tenth century, Qurtuba boasted one of the world’s largest libraries, belonging to Caliph Al-Hakam II, with over 400,000 volumes brought from all over the world. To fully grasp the enormity of the library, one only has to consider that the shelves of church libraries in the Medieval west had no more than a few dozen, or at best a hundred or so, books.

During the five centuries of its greatest splendour, Córdoba forged an Andalusian culture shaped by Christian, Jews and Muslims, using Arabic as the common language; it formed a palimpsest of thought and development that has since impregnated the whole of universal history and has been inherited in the collective imagination as a hallmark of cultural coexistence. Undoubtedly, al-Ándalus was the vehicle through which much ancient knowledge was preserved, transmitted and eventually restored in the heyday of Renaissance Humanism.

Orange-Tree Courtyard, Mosque-Cathedral

Urban splendour and social refinement prevailed; the development and transfer of the knowledge of Moorish Córdoba throughout the world was made possible by intellectuals and scientists who left a universal mark on history. Their ability to foster dialogue shaped a model highly characteristic of a place where encounters were encouraged. And like a footprint that has survived over time, the Aljama Mosque, a unique building, remains standing and today houses the Cathedral of the diocese of Córdoba, a symbol of the city recognised throughout the world.

The decline of Córdoba started when it ceased to be the capital of al-Ándalus. Later, when it was conquered by the Catholic King Ferdinand III of Castile in 1236, the Muslims living in the city were expelled, and the splendour of Muslim Qurtuba drew to its close.

Despite the decline that started in the late tenth century, the city has remained in the collective imagination as a byword for a Golden Age of interculturalism, tolerance and pluralist thought, a distinction it also enjoyed under Roman and Islamic rule. Córdoba maintained its central presence in Spanish history as the residence of the Catholic Monarchs during the various border campaigns that were fought prior to the eventual conquest of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. This was where Christopher Columbus’ voyage – that would lead to the discovery of America – was planned and approved, and thus where the Spanish Empire was born. Columbus’ son Hernando was born here, his mother being a local woman. He became a cosmographer and a prominent Spanish bibliophile, creating a library of over 15,000 volumes.

In later periods the city did not lose this mythical dimension of cultural coexistence which once again became relevant in the twentieth century, with the fluid, open-ended movement of citizen participation and the forming of local associations. Córdoba’s marked and continuous presence in history is an asset that is daily projected into the future, taking culture as a vehicle for integration and as a way of structuring greater participation; this highlights, once again, the confluence of diversity and shared values within today’s Europe. Included in this future outlook is the aspiration of being ECoC, with a city project for the twenty-first century in which dialogue, culture and thought from a southern city contribute to a greater understanding between European citizens.

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2 The River Guadalquivir, the natural and cultural raison d’être of the city

T

he presence of this great southern river is a key element in the history of the city, as the witness to the evolution of a living culture: Tharsis the river of Tartessos, the Roman Betis, and the Christian Guadalquivir whose name comes from the Arabic al-wadi al-Kabir, meaning “the big river” of al-Kabir, one of the ninety-nine beautiful names of God, according to the Qur’an.

There are many cities located on the banks of a river, that interact with it in many different ways; in some cases, the river constitutes one of the raisons d’être of the city. Córdoba is a good example. (see Fig. 8) From the moment that the Romans founded the city here and built a bridge over the River Betis, until the construction of the Triana bridge in Seville in the nineteenth century (the only one until the river mouth in this section of the river), this bridge was the only point for all communications between the north and south of the Iberian peninsula, the only safe way of crossing the Guadalquivir.

If the river was one of the main reasons why Roman Corduba became the capital of Baetica, under Moorish rule the riverbanks attained an unforgettable and dazzling splendour. Key centres in the city’s daily life – such as the Aljama Mosque and the Moorish Fortress – were built beside the river. The Fortress (Alcázar), the official residence of the Emirs and later the Caliphs of al-Ándalus, was built on the ruins of an eighth-century Visigothic palace. It lay (and lies) right at the water’s edge, and its gardens were watered using huge waterwheels erected on the river bed.

Aerial view of the River Guadalquivir in Córdoba

The force of the river just before it enters the city was channelled by way of a weir and used to move a large watermill known as the Albolafia mill (12th century). After flowing under the bridge, the water was stemmed once again with a system of weirs and watermills along the width of its channel dividing it into several tributaries that formed islands and shaped its course through the city, creating the ecosystem that today has been declared a National Monument, the Sotos de la Albolafia.

The integration of the river into the city was not limited to the use of the energy. Contemplating it for pleasure was reason enough for living beside it. Many palaces and gardens were built not only close to its banks or the streams that flowed into it, but were even built on the river bed itself.

From the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when trading preferences shifted towards the Atlantic, the city became less prominent, being overtaken in importance by others such as Seville and Cádiz. In this context, the weirs, watermills, fisheries, fulling mills, tanneries and wool scouring plants became the most productive sectors of the city, and soon Spain began to transport goods via the roads of the Iberian Peninsula.

As the years went by, the progressive loss of urban vitality beside the river gave rise to a slow shift of the city’s activities towards the north, with the construction of the Plaza de La Corredera (17th century), a process that culminated in the nineteenth century with the arrival of the railway. These circumstances, together with the city’s geostrategic location in terms of road communications, led to a new resurgence of economic activity in the city, although the river was not involved.

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3 Córdoba: an inclusive and supportive city

fig. 8

The land relief of Córdoba Source: Personal compilation.

ivir

lqu

da Gua

r

Rive

This urban shift towards the north led to the abandonment of the river by the residents of Córdoba, constituting the greatest separation between the two in the course of their long shared history. In the twentieth century, two large walls were built that channelled its waters; the buildings that were still there were abandoned: and densely populated poorer neighbourhoods sprang up along the south bank.

T

he key approach, based on participation and proximity, deployed in the development of its model of governance over more than three decades enables Córdoba to proclaim itself an inclusive and supportive city; this is an approach with a history, rather than just grasping at the latest trend. The twin pillars of participation and inclusion feature in the genetic map of the city, as elements that shape its identity. Replacing hierarchies with network operations is a process that forms part of the recent history and is a first step in achieving the objective of becoming an inclusive city.

Córdoba

Over the last two decades, the city has carried out a large-scale urban restructuring programme in response to the arrival of the high speed train and the predicted unbalancing effects that this would have for the southern areas of the city. In order to offset this potential imbalance, the City Council simultaneously initiated conservation and habitability programmes in the Old Town, a global action aimed at restoring the relationship of the city with the river, in the form of the Special River Guadalquivir Plan.

The rethinking of the city as a place of meeting, mediation and social integration has given rise to a new collective urban identity. In this project culture plays an essential role, as an element capable of redefining the ways of representing groups and individuals, new symbolic and identifying universes capable of countering the trend towards exclusion. Transformation through culture is one of the pivotal elements of this bid.

It is necessary, therefore, to describe precisely how culture fits into this context. First and foremost, culture here is a plural rather than singular notion. This concept is by no means new; it arises from a critical analysis of culture which of late has tended towards convergence with new perceptions brought about by the acceptance of sustainability, solidarity and inclusiveness as decisive factors of a new urban model.

The concept of plural cultures is an integral element in Córdoba’s heritage and its identity. If our heritage and our history point to a past of tolerance based on a mixture of different cultures, today it seems more practical to refer to cultures as a way to enhance the wealth which is hidden in the acceptance of what a mixture of cultures represents: diversity, and the difference as a substance with which to fertilise cultural life, as opposed to any type of exclusion.

The term “cultures” is synonymous with flow, porosity, symbiosis, the opening of spaces for creativity and coexistence, both of cultural institutions and heterogeneous systems with different references and varying significance. Seen in this light, today culture represents a task which should be carried out by society as a whole, not just a small monolithic or homogeneous elitist group.

This is a key requirement of new technology and of the new spaces provided by the media.

In its spatial configuration, the city is also moving towards this principle of non-exclusion, through different spaces that are differentiated from each other yet connected, overlapping and fluid, in the same way as the cultural systems which they must incorporate. Marginalisation and spatial exclusion pose a vital threat to diversity.

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Inclusive city This can only be achieved through a framework of integrated action, aimed at structuring a certain model of city – in this case a southern city model of cultural diversity and citizen participation.

If citizen participation is a hallmark of Córdoba’s identity, the contribution of women to the social and cultural fabric of the city is one of its main attributes, together with the neighbourly tradition of mutual help and collective living in neighbourhoods in which organised citizens actively participate. Within this associative fabric, women’s associations and committees play a particularly prominent role, due to their deep roots and long tradition in the city and their plural approach to the diverse interests that represent and define “all” women.

Romani women throwing petals into the river on the occasion of the 2nd European Summit on Actions and Policies in favour of the Gypsy People, 8 and 9 April, 2010

The cultural programme proposed in this bid, reflecting the desire to build an inclusive and supportive city, is presented as a multi-dimensional structure, capable of integrating historical elements and established cultural formats whilst at the same time enabling culture and creation to follow a pattern of “disseminated proliferation”.

The idea is that a pop concert or a theatrical production should have the twofold aim of revealing the truth enclosed in a work, and enabling the momentary formation of a group by the very act of performing. This awareness applied to a programme of events should be compatible with the idea that the future, in terms of culture and creation, lies in diversity through encounters with new and different worlds.

The participants in these groups have learned how to build communication and relationship structures that have been highly effective in disseminating their activities. As a result of this know-how, in Córdoba many forms and platforms have emerged that operate from within the districts of the city to defend the most basic values of equality. Examples of these groups include the Córdoba Platform against Domestic Violence, the Poniente Sur District Forum for Women, the Sector Sur Women’s Coordinator, and the various Commissions for Equality operating in different districts of the city.

The Municipal Women’s Council, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary, is the participatory instrument par excellence of the women’s organisations in the city, and is a co-participant in the design and implementation of the City Council Transversal Gender Plan.

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Integration of senior citizens in the ECoC A group that deserves specific attention is that of senior citizens. According to the 2005 census, there are 48,740 senior citizens over the age of 65 residing in the city (29,292 women and 19,448 men), which represents an ageing index of 15.09%. The increase in life expectancy and the age of retirement, which is currently set at 65, has given rise to a social group of senior citizens that is increasingly important and necessary to cultural activity in our cities. Aware of this, in addition to the different social support programmes that facilitate the integration into citizen life, Córdoba has established a specific strategy aimed at ensuring that its senior citizens act as agents in the cultural life of the city, becoming what is known in sociological terms as an active elderly community.

This strategy is being implemented at a number of different levels, e.g. through a range of specific actions for promoting reading (guided tours of municipal libraries, reading clubs, home-delivery reading services for senior citizens with difficulties…), and discounts for municipal cultural events. Here it is worth highlighting the agreement that enables senior citizens to attend the events showing at the Gran Teatro with discounts of up to 80%.

A particularly interesting feature is the existence of the Inter-generational University Department for Senior Citizens, the result of an agreement between the City Council, the University of Córdoba and the Department of Equality of the Andalusian Regional Council. The training activities directed at this population segment began in 1997 at the University of Córdoba and were subsequently formalised with the creation of the “Francisco Santisteban” University Chair.

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The Chair seeks to provide an extensive and supportive range of options to add to traditional degree courses, enabling people to access its lecture theatres who, at their age, only seek enrichment and personal transformation in order to continue living with dignity. Many of them will feel the pride of being university students which was a frustrated yearning when they were young, and the University will enrich the social life of this community through providing training with the general objectives of integration, culture, education and personal development of senior citizens. The range of training, cultural and scientific activities run by the Chair includes an extensive and rich selection of practical-leisure-cultural pursuits, such as visits to parks and natural spaces, museums, exhibitions, monuments or places of artistic and cultural interest. These initiatives not only reinforce the theoretical classes but also enable elderly students to become true agents of culture or socio-cultural experts, achieving a genuine transformation in their lives by escaping the isolation of their homes and sharing with other classmates, friends and even associations and social groups, a truly transforming activity.

The specific campaigns for senior citizens organised by practically all the city’s cultural institutions, the deeprooted commitment of the University and the collaboration of a broad spectrum of associations in this field, have led to the emergence of networks and participatory habits that represent a fundamental tool to involve this section of the community in the ECoC project. In order to guarantee this involvement, there will be a whole host of specific proposals and campaigns in the 2016 programme, as well as measures to address any physical and social barriers that may exist. The current situation, which is only briefly outlined here, already represents a huge first step.

Córdoba and children The inclusive nature of the city involves a special awareness of children and young people. Children are an excellent indicator of the city’s skill in rendering it inhabitable, accessible, shared and inclusive. We should like to highlight in this report three dimensions that illustrate this inclusive character. Firstly, the actions carried out in the city itself: secondly, the municipal support provided to the educational system and to the cultural development of children; lastly, their inclusion in participation mechanisms.

This is reflected, firstly, in the city itself. The commitment of the city to establish a progressive humanisation of its physical space is being put into practice through a number of actions principally aimed at restricting motorised traffic in a large part of the old town, with a clear priority given to pedestrians in this area, and with children as the principal beneficiaries. This policy is complemented by an extensive network of urban parks, and specifically children’s play areas. According to a study carried out by the magazine Eroski Consumer in 2010, the children’s parks in Córdoba ranked among the highest in the country in terms of quality, with a good level of maintenance. An example of this commitment can be seen in The Children’s City, a large children’s park and playground with an area of 45,000 square metres and 22 rides and attractions, with leisure and educational activities. This centre, together with the Zoo, the Botanical Gardens and the Environmental Education Centre (under construction), form a large educational space in one of the best parts of the city.

Secondly, attention is drawn to the far-reaching municipal programmes aimed at supporting the education system (prevention of truancy, socio-educational support, family support, skills training), and the wide range of cultural activities designed for children. This chapter will provide two examples: the Municipal Central Library programme and facilities, and a specific children’s theatre programme, produced by the Avanti company. Córdoba boasts an innovative children’s library with a wide programme of activities for them. The theatre company runs a permanent children’s programme at its own theatre, and also takes part in many of the city’s cultural activities, thereby generating a space for children in major cultural events.

A third aspect which illustrates Córdoba’s commitment to include its children in its participatory approach is the creation of the Children’s Council. This is a City Council initiative and is a specific mechanism, in which the children in Córdoba can be involved in the decisions that affect them.

Integration of people with disabilities or limited mobility In today’s world, a city cannot be considered as inclusive if it does not take into account those citizens with disabilities or mobility problems by attempting to eliminate the “chain of obstacles” that hinder their integration, and by promoting specific actions to positively influence the circle comprising: Information-Communication-Transport-Town Planning-Architecture.

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Beyond the mandatory compliance with rules and the implementation of disability-related plans and programmes at national and regional level, the guarantee of good accessibility management in the Córdoba 2016 project will be based on the forthcoming Local Council for Disability, a participatory body that will represent associations and agents. A Work Group will be established specifically to monitor the development of the project in terms of its approach to accessibility and disabled people, strengthening coordinated action between the Municipal Areas involved and the Council experts in accessibility and disability. The aim is to ensure the specific monitoring of work carried out, and when – due to justified and understandable causes, related to the nature of the event itself or to a physical or technical impossibility – a person cannot take part unaided in an event or service, there will be a team of properlytrained voluntary workers to collaborate with the Disabled People requesting their help.

This project will also take into account the informal carers for dependent people who devote over 70% of their time to this activity and who – in practice – are usually left out. It will also focus, to a lesser extent, on parents with young children, whose dedication may be less time-consuming, because they usually only have access to child-related cultural activities. For them, in Córdoba we have considered the possibility of creating permanent time banks, within the framework of two plans that have already been developed by the city (Municipal Equality Plan and Support Plan for Carers) to help these people, if not to participate fully in the process, then at least to regularly enjoy the cultural events available in the city.

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The ECoC will stimulate the provision of access for the disabled, and the establishment of channels through which they can become active agents in the process, on the following basis:

·

·

1 With respect to access to information and communication In order to ensure that everyone can find out the “what, how, when, where and with what” of the initiatives and programmes, specific tools will include:

Old People’s Home in the Guadalquivir District Young disabled people strolling on the Riverbank

·

·

·

Digitalising cultural information and adapting it to universal design principles in order to render it useful to all users.

Providing a range of formats for presenting contents: paper or other formats with images, Braille paper, raised tactile maps with two or more levels, digital format (image version, audio version, audio version with voiceover, descriptive audio version for spatial orientation, subtitled image video version and /or image video version with Spanish Sign Language).

Designing websites, related to the different cultural resources, that comply with accessibility standards (Royal Decree 1494/2007, 12 November) regarding the basic conditions under which disabled people should be able to access technology, products and services related to the information society, and social communication media; these standards contain the relevant information in the different formats indicated above.

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At the same time, the relevant information and the corresponding links will be accessible on a specific website dealing with accessibility and disability. This will contain all the same information for the general public, together with specific information regarding spatial orientation and location of the facility or event (function, museum or monument), accessible itineraries for reaching the different parts of the city, accessible transport systems, (bus routes and stops, contact details of accessible taxis, location of parking spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility, contact details and suggestions, etc).

All the information should be compatible with screen readers and programmes used by blind people or people with impaired vision. The most relevant information, structural or otherwise, will be subtitled and have Spanish Sign Language interpretation, and will always reflect the needs expressed by representatives of Deaf People’s Associations.

In situ, at the facility or building within which the cultural activity is carried out (museum, monument, event or artistic element), there is a commitment to implement, habilitate and/or maintain the facilities and devices through which the above-mentioned formats may be accessed: information point, virtual accessible guide for museums (GVAM, a portable and interactive device that assists and guides the visitor in the museum, transmitting information about the content through text, image, video and sound information) and a multimedia stand at the information point (equipped with PC, Internet access, remote access to a Spanish Sign Language Interpreter and access to images – in real time or pre-recorded – of the spaces, elements or structures that cannot be physically accessed, together with graphical maps, raised tactile maps and models).

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FIG. 9

2 With respect to transport:

3 With respect to town planning and architecture:

Gypsy population in Spain and Andalusia Source: Fundación Secretariado General Gitano de España (estimates)

·

·

·

·

·

·

Work will continue on adapting all elements of public transport, both those already in progress and those pending implementation: adaptation of the bus fleet incorporating low platforms, adapting the sound information system at bus stops and inside the vehicles, and improving the bus stops by adapting pavements or constructing embarking platforms.

A substantial increase in the number of taxis adapted for wheelchair users. and the necessary adaptations regarding access at taxi ranks.

A management system for reserving parking spaces for vehicles belonging to people with impaired mobility.

Compliance with good practice criteria in the public events organised.

A diagnosis of accessibility, information and communication needs, with the collaboration of the different agents involved, including the essential presence of Associations of Disabled People.

Teams of trained volunteers will collaborate with those people who require assistance when, due to logical and justified circumstances, they cannot participate without assistance in a European Capital of Culture event.

· An extension of the project to eliminate barriers or obstacles from existing buildings, together with the incorporation of positive good practice measures in the design and execution of new projects. It is not necessary to underline the importance, and added difficulty, of intervening in cities such as Córdoba with an extensive and populated Old Town, part of which has been declared a World Heritage Site. · The elimination of barriers from existing town planning structures, with respect to the considerations described above. The City Council has fostered the participation of the disabled groups themselves through a specific transversal local council.

With respect to the role of people or groups of people with disabilities as active participants, having met the requirements with respect to access to information and communication and accessibility to the installations, these people may participate on equal terms by forming part of general initiatives or making specific contributions. In this light, it is worth mentioning the previous experience of people or groups with hearing (theatre and dance), visual (theatre and music) or physical disabilities (poetry recitals or installations).

100% 700.000 No. Inhab.

TOTAL 54% 375.000 No. Inhab.

GYPSY POPULATION IN SPAIN (Excluding Andalusia)

46% 325.000 No. Inhab.

GYPSY POPULATION IN ANDALUSIA

Integration of the Gypsy people One distinctive feature of Córdoba’s identity that is apparent in many aspects of local everyday life is the desire to construct a friendly city that integrates every group or minority that forms part of it. It is therefore essential to analyse one of the most representative and relevant communities in the history of Córdoba: the Gypsies, the fifth culture whose presence is added to that of the Romans, Muslims, Jews and Christians.

The central role of this ethnic group is well-known throughout Andalusia in both quantitative and qualitative terms. According to estimates by the Gypsy Secretariat Foundation, around 50% of Spanish gypsies live in Andalusia (around 700,000 of the 12,000,000 residents in the 27 states of the EU). This group represents an important element of the Andalusian identity and culture, something which is internationally identified and recognised. In fact, it is one of the places in Europe in which this group has shaped a more defined profile with a greater weight in the symbolic imagination of the community. All of this, which is true for the whole of Andalusia, is equally true for Córdoba, a province in which, according to the same source, 15,000 gypsies live; 8,000 in the city itself, essentially in the districts of Moreras, the Palmeras, the Guadalquivir district, the Fuensanta and the Old Town. (see Fig. 9)

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There are different reasons for this, including the decisive role played by the Gypsies of Andalusia in the celebration of key elements of the Andalusian identity, especially after the nineteenth century, mainly through flamenco art, and Andalusian folk culture. This has created an enriching symbiosis between the Andalusian and gypsy cultures, which is now internationally known.

The Andalusian and the Gypsy-Andalusian are inseparably bound in the popular culture of the region. The relative survival in the Gypsy community of trades and cultural forms (such as the importance of family) which have historically been defining features of the people of Andalusia, is an example of this unique connection between Andalusians and Gypsies, a type of synecdoche which even today has consequences outside Andalusian society, and in a more complex way, in its very self-identification.

2nd European Summit on Actions and Policies in favour of the Gypsy People, 8 and 9 April, 2010

However, although the presence of the Gypsy population is extensive and deep-rooted, this does not necessarily mean that its integration in the rest of the country is complete or satisfactory. In Andalusia, and in Córdoba as well, people live with this dual situation: the coexistence of the symbolic and identifying importance of Gypsies with their marginalisation, which is evident in the high rates of labour instability, unemployment or low levels of education. This situation persists despite the changes made since the mid-1970s and the normalisation of the system of coexistence. The democratic era has brought with it a boost to the integration of the Gypsy minority, which in Córdoba has been reflected in specific policies and the creation of active associations.

Through these tools, a network has been established that actively participates in the development of municipal social policies designed to improve the living conditions of this minority community.

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This initiative has been recognised by other institutions, and the Gypsy population itself invited the European Commission to hold its 2nd European Summit on Actions and Policies to favour the Roma Population in Córdoba, on 8 and 9 April 2010. At the summit, the European Commission Communication on the Social and Economic Integration of the Roma Population was approved. Within this context the Unión Romaní Española (Spanish Roma Union) organised an event to support the Córdoba ECoC bid, in the Plaza de la Corredera on 7 April. The Gypsy association that defended this proposal considers Córdoba as “a mosaic of cultures”, and is committed to organising “a series of events in the city until 2016, which will culminate in a world Gypsy congress”, according to its Secretary General, Manuel García Rondón.

This support was also endorsed by Juan de Dios Ramírez-Heredia , Secretary General of the Roma Union of Andalusia, by Judith Gimenez, High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE; and by representatives of the following bodies: · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Asociación de Desarrollo Gitano Asociación de Mujeres Gitanas Romí Upre Romnja Roma Women’s Association Consejo Estatal del Pueblo Gitano ENGUW Belgique, Fundación Secretariado Gitano Instituto de Cultura Gitana European Roma Information Office (ERIO) Board of the European Roma Information Office Network of European Foundations Roma Association Unión Romaní de Andalucía Unión Romaní en Córdoba

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FIG. 10

Foreign population of Spain (2009)

Foreign population of Andalusia (2009)

Source: Spanish National Institute of Statistics

Source: Spanish National Institute of Statistics

%

No. inhab.

%

No. inhab.

Spanish nationals

88%

41.097.136

Spanish nationals

92%

7.627.743

Foreign nationals

12%

5.648.671

Foreign nationals

8%

675.180

100%

46.745.807

100%

8.302.923

TOTAL

The Córdoba 2016 campaign will support the Romani Union in its commitment, will include and promote Gypsy cultural proposals in its programme, and will ensure, through the municipal networks, the full participation of this group in the 2016 activities.

From all the foregoing it is clear that the ECoC is a management model which seeks to include everyone, paying special attention to minorities, as part of a non-hierarchical approach designed to involve all the people and bodies that represent new channels and media for cultural dissemination A supportive city As well as its historical legacy of coexistence and cultural diversity, Córdoba is also known for its more contemporary social tradition, which is closely linked to citizen participation, collective effort and associative involvement in the life of the city This social reality, and its expression through local government, have made Córdoba a model for the rest of Spain, as a city keen to foster a Culture of Solidarity.

Córdoba has a long tradition in working towards a Culture of Peace and Solidarity, a tradition recognised in numerous external reports that cite Córdoba as an example to follow in terms of decentralised cooperation, due to the quality of the projects that it has implemented.

This dynamic cultural approach is visible in a number of projects and programmes focussing on Cooperation and Education for Development, which seek to analyse the structural causes of poverty and use them to implement changes in attitude in order to create new cultural structures. All this opens the process of educating a citizenship to be critical, and to engage with local and global issues, within the overall framework of a set of ethical values that foster personal and collective commitment with a view to bringing about significant changes in the concept of individual actions as a means of contributing to the development of mankind.

Córdoba is known throughout the whole of Spain for its charitable efforts, for contributing 0.7% of the city’s consolidated budget to charity aid, for the presence of numerous development-related NGOs organised under the Córdoba Coordinator for Solidarity Action. Programmes like this provide Córdoba with a further foundation on which to build the city and to project it as an open entity, not only promoting initiatives that affect itself but also taking account of the situation in the wider world and recognising its responsibility to address issues that affect all the inhabitants of the planet.

TOTAL

8%

12% 88%

92%

Foreign population of Córdoba province (2009)

Foreign population of the city of Córdoba (2009)

Source: Spanish National Institute of Statistics

Source: Spanish National Institute of Statistics

%

No. inhab.

%

No. inhab.

Spanish nationals

97%

779.197

Spanish nationals

97%

319.427

Foreign nationals

3%

24.801

Foreign nationals

3%

9.822

100%

803.998

100%

329.249

TOTAL

TOTAL

3% 97%

3% 97%

These social trends have given rise to a set of values which have shaped the city’s outlook: · ·

·

Education as a means of making its citizens more independent.

Creativity in the approach to citizen participation projects which are essential for promoting a new model of western culture.

A strong determination to stimulate a new European culture capable of addressing the new social, environmental and economic challenges of our world, and especially those that cause the poverty of a large part of mankind. All this is a response to the Cooperation and Development concerns of the EU which has marked 2010 as the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.

Córdoba –from a land of emigrants to a land of immigrants Córdoba has suffered the phenomenon of emigration. The grandparents of today’s young people had no choice but to emigrate – together with people from elsewhere in Andalusia, from Extremadura, Castile and the Canary Islands – in search of work; they headed for Africa and America, and later for more developed parts of Spain, including Catalonia, Madrid, the Basque Country and Valencia, or to more developed European countries, mainly Germany, Belgium, France, Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Today, Córdoba is instead starting to become a destination for immigrants forced from their countries by hunger, wars and dictatorships; they come mainly from Latin America, Africa and a large part of Asia; even so, Córdoba is still one of the Spanish provinces with fewest immigrants.

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Córdoba: an inclusive and supportive city

Social initiatives at local level in Córdoba give priority to the integration of the immigrant population: first, by improving access to the standard network of services; and second, by raising awareness among local people about the importance of intercultural coexistence, and of understanding immigration as a structural, positive, enriching and necessary phenomenon. In order to achieve these objectives, Córdoba City Council – with input from all the city’s social, trade union, business and political organisations – designed the first consensusbased Municipal Immigration Plan 2006-2010, which was unanimously approved in the Plenary Session of 1 June 2006. This Plan defines the measures and actions to be taken with respect to immigration, aimed in general terms at the full integration of immigrants through the implementation of community-based preventive intercultural initiatives that enable and encourage the open reception of foreign nationals, and their inclusion in society and in community life on equal terms with local people, both in the city and in the surrounding area.

The Plan is based on five areas of action covering sociolegal, employment, social and cultural aspects, while incorporating the gender perspective in each specific action measure. The five areas of action are: Social Issues, Health, Training and Employment; Education and Culture; Awareness–raising; Social Participation; Interculturalism, Cooperation and Co-development). A diagnosis is made and specific objectives are identified for each area, together with specific measures, as well as responsibilities, direct organisms and evaluation indicators are then defined.

It is a plan that assumes public responsibility, and incorporates the groups and associations concerned with the phenomenon of immigration, coordinating the different social initiatives and involving them in the drafting, application and development of the plan. The Plan, to be implemented in the period 2006-2010, is based on a social diagnosis of the immigrant population of Córdoba, and comprises strategic, transversal, participatory, coordinated and evaluable characteristics. The scope of the plan covers Córdoba and its suburbs, and is fundamentally linked to front-line Social Policy (the primary services of healthcare, social services, education and culture as well as general municipal development policies).

Since the approval of the first Municipal Immigration Plan 2006-2010, several projects have been implemented: ·

Municipal Immigration Office: with staff including an intercultural mediator, it has various duties based on two distinct lines of work: direct social intervention in the immigrant population; and the planning, design and scheduling of intervention projects in immigration-related issues. From its establishment in June 2006 until 1 January 2010, the Municipal Immigration Office has assisted 1212 foreign nationals.

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Project for Street Outreach Social Interventions for the Attention and Prevention of Children Begging: directed at mothers with children in their care or women in late pregnancy, mainly immigrants from Eastern European ethnic minorities, who beg on the streets of our city and who are socially vulnerable.

This project also encompasses: The Street Outreach Social Intervention Unit made up of one intercultural mediator and one translator for detecting the need for, and providing, social assistance to mothers with young children in their care who are begging on the streets; a Telephone Service and a Daytime Childcare Service located in the facilities of the Municipal Children’s Nursery for children under the age of six.

This is a bridging service, provided until the children are integrated into the standard schools, and covers the basic needs of the children, equipping families with basic childcare skills, as well as introducing a habit of school hours and daily routines (meals, bath, rest…) into the lives of these children.

The European Fundamental Rights Agency has recently commended the Córdoba City Council for this project. In its report, the Agency notes that “the project’s capacity for innovation successfully offers a model for tackling this problem based on a commitment to inclusion, whilst other local authorities tackle it through bylaws prohibiting begging”. A further highlight of this working mechanism is that it is based on street-level contacts aimed at providing information and attempting to raise awareness among mothers, in addition to the provision of a Municipal child daycare service.

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Bridge Housing Programme for the Care and Reception of Immigrant Families in Situations of Social Vulnerability aimed at families from Eastern European countries, mainly ethnic minorities, residing in Córdoba and its suburbs in substandard housing which does not meet the minimum habitability and hygiene standards, with children who are not enrolled in school, adults with unstable and irregular jobs which they combine with begging, who live in conditions of social exclusion and vulnerability, isolation and social deterioration.

Immigrants are represented in the Local Immigration Council – a consultative and advisory body of Córdoba City Council – on all issues relating to the development of functions and competences that will contribute to a higher level of social wellbeing and quality of life for the city’s immigrants. Its aim is to support and promote the group that it represents. Its composition is structured accordingly, with the participation of economic and social agents as well as the city’s immigrant and pro-immigrant organisations.

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4 The European dimension of Córdoba

Córdoba, Europe and the cultural legacy

Also worth mentioning in this field is the work carried out by other independent local bodies such as APICAndalusia Acoge (Pro-Immigrant Association of Córdoba) which assists between 40 and 50 people each day (in 2009 it assisted 2,956 people), providing legal and labour advice (Andalusia Orienta), Spanish classes, training to increase employment capacity, recreational activities, information about the social resources available in Córdoba, housing benefit Applications, procedures for carrying out professional work experience (EPES programme) and care for unaccompanied Child Immigrants (Residential Child Care Centre). They also carry out other activities in Primary and Secondary schools related to intercultural mediation; last year, they reached out to over 4,000 schoolchildren.

The Córdoba 2016 project is also seen as an opportunity for social inclusion. The bid plans to work with pioneer organisations in social innovation, such as Aprosub, Adsam, Acali, Zoveco, Acojer, Fepamic, Fundación Promi, Down Córdoba and Acandeyvo1, who are engaged in facilitating the integration of people with physical or mental disability, gambling or drug addictions or difficulties in accessing the labour market. It is neither possible nor legitimate for a part of the population to be excluded from the events that are organised for the ECoC. Regardless of the efforts already being made, specific projects are described in the chapter on programmes, that are designed to make the activities available to all sectors of the city, with special emphasis on the situation of women at risk of exclusion, immigrants, Gypsies, etc. The objective is to create a European Capital of Culture for each and every citizen.

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Acali: Association of Reformed Alcholics

Acandevyo: Córdoba Association for Assistance to Blind and Visually-Impaired Children

Acojer: Córdoba Association for Reformed Gamblers

Adsam: Association for the Social Protection of Children and Adolescents

Aprosub: Association for the Support of People with Mental Disabilities in Córdoba

Córdoba Acoge-Ong: Immigrant Assistance NGO

Down Córdoba: Córdoba Down’s Syndrome Association

Fepamic: Provincial Federation of Associations of Physically and Organically-Disabled People Fundación Promi: Foundation for the Promotion of the Disabled

Zoveco, s.l.: Córdoba Green Areas S.L.

It is not easy to define Europe. However, the distinctive features of the city over the two thousand years of its history – socially, materially, architecturally – are wholly consistent with the hallmark features of consciousness and culture that characterise Europe’s historical legacy, its current outlook and its future prospects. These features do more than characterise Córdoba; they provide the basis for its dynamic role from 2016 onwards, as a cultural landmark at local, national and international level.

Over time, the city of Córdoba has etched out very important lines in the course of Europe’s historical development. In Roman times, for example, Seneca and his world view marked a watershed in contemporary European thought. This was to become apparent later, from the Middle Ages onwards, when the undisputed founders of European thought and culture, authors such as Erasmus of Rotterdam, Michel de Montaigne, René Descartes, Denis Diderot, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas de Quincey, Dante, Petrarch, Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine, Lactantius, Chaucer, John Calvin, Baudelaire and Honoré de Balzac were unstinting in their praise for Seneca.

Other local figures during the Roman Empire left a universal mark, including the poet Lucanus, Seneca’s nephew, and Hosius, the first Christian bishop of Córdoba, who in the third century AD became one of the closest and most influential advisers to the Emperor Constantine, who was responsible for the final Christianisation of the Roman Empire. Today, both the Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Church venerate Hosius as a confessor saint, and celebrate his feast-day on 27 August.

But the most splendid passage in Córdoba’s long history was undoubtedly the period of al-Ándalus, a civilisation imbued with its own distinct personality. After its decline, Al-Ándalus – located in a land characterised by encounters and by a fertile mixing of cultures – was soon forgotten both by Europe and by the Muslim world, surviving as no more than an appealing legend shorn of links to either world. To remedy this oblivion, in 1991 the Council of Europe approved a resolution recognising the contribution of Islamic civilisation to European culture.2 Córdoba and al-Ándalus bequeathed a legacy without which the history of the West cannot be fully understood. Córdoba, in the Middle Ages, acted as a bridge over which Muslim culture, science and customs travelled towards the rest of Europe. Even so, many twentieth-century Europeans may be unaware that their way of thinking and the many and varied customs in their daily lives – now completely inbred and forming part of their cultural DNA – were introduced into Europe through Córdoba and al-Ándalus.

This legacy has two distinct dimensions: the intangible legacy of ideas and concepts, and a material legacy which is more visible and palpable.

2 Recommendation 1162 (1991), approved by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at its 43rd Ordinary Session.

Contained in the White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue “Living together as equals in dignity”, launched by the Council of Europe Ministers of Foreign Affairs at their 118th Ministerial Session (Strasbourg, 7 May 2008).

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The vast intangible heritage includes contributions in mathematics, language and literature, in medicine and philosophy. The scientific knowledge of the East came first to al-Ándalus, whence it was channelled to the rest of Europe. Much of this knowledge was clearly the fruit of scientific cooperation between a number of communities, societies and religions all spurred by the same aspiration: the desire for knowledge and the wish to apply that knowledge to the benefit of mankind.

For this reason, al-Ándalus was a leading focus of Medieval science and thought; it was a cultural bridge, over which the knowledge of classical antiquity and the science of the East flowed into the rest of Europe, largely through local Arabic-Latin translators whose work spread across the continent between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. Classical works by ancient philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, Galenus, Hippocrates, Ptolomy, Euclid and Archimedes were re-transmitted to Europe through Arabic translations.

Another key element in the dissemination of this knowledge was the introduction of paper into the Arab world in the eighth century, which facilitated the copying and proliferation of many classical works. By the tenth century, paper was in use at the court of the Caliph of Córdoba.

Thanks to trading journeys and pilgrimages by residents of al-Ándalus, the area played an active role in the development of science in the Islamic East and along the southern Mediterranean coastline. The adoption of a common language – Arabic – helped to extend the network of knowledge to the most remote confines of Europe.

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Averroes was probably the leading Muslim intellectual of his day, an authority in a whole range of fields, who transmitted the ideas of Aristotle to the rest of Europe through his translation from Greek to Arabic; those texts were later retranslated into Latin in the twelfth century, long before the original Greek versions reached Europe.

Averroes’ detailed commentaries on the work of Aristotle exerted enormous influence both on the Schoolmen and Christian philosophers of Medieval Europe and on Middle Age Jewish philosophers. It was the Italian Saint Thomas Aquinas (thirteenth century) who perhaps most admired and best understood Averroes’ work. Indeed, Averroes’ teachings served as the basis on which Thomas Aquinas developed his theory regarding the discerning of dogmas of faith through reason, thus creating an embryonic medieval intellectualism.

The Greco-Roman model was transformed in order to be absorbed in medieval Christian Europe, but its pagan elements and philosophical substrate syncretically persisted within Christian ecumenism, and emerged forcefully during the Renaissance. The fact that the flowering of this civilising movement was made possible by Muslim translators, who rescued the classics from late-Roman texts, and the scribes that re-translated them first into Latin, and then into the Romance languages should not be overlooked. Like a river, European culture has been fed by several tributaries which have maintained and enhanced its flow, from which all generations of individuals in the course of history have imbibed.

Disciplines such as astronomy, physics, mechanics, geography and medicine were enriched by countless exchanges. In the field of mathematics, al Ándalus excelled in calculus and geometry, largely through the introduction of the decimal numbering system into the West; Arabic numerals, which replaced Roman numerals and are still in use today, came to form part of the common European heritage.

Averroes Caliphal Baths

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Considerable advances were also made in astronomy, which had a number of essential applications in daily life, including for navigation. Most of the discoveries and experiments made by astronomers in al-Ándalus were collected in Latin and Romance translation by order of the king of Castile, Alfonso X (the Wise), in the thirteenth century, in a treatise that became widely known elsewhere in Europe under the title The Book of Knowledge of Astronomy.

European interest also focused on a number of treatises on medicine – a science that was highly developed in al-Ándalus thanks to scholars like Averroes, who in the twelfth century was the first scientist to define the retina – until then considered simply as a membrane – as the receptor of visual sensations. Another leading figure was the eminent ophthalmologist al-Gafequi, who invented the cataract operation; his treatise entitled A Guide for Oculists is preserved at the library of the Royal Monastery of El Escorial (Madrid). Albucasis is considered the inventor of the tracheotomy (building on work started by Avicenna) and the father of modern surgery; he developed the use of silk thread for stitches and designed countless surgical instruments.

A clear example of the way Europe received this knowledge is provided by its application, centuries later, during the so-called European Renaissance. In the fourteenth century, for example, Leonardo da Vinci drew the inspiration for his flying machine from a device designed 600 years earlier by the Córdoba scientist Abbas Ibn Firnas.

In the tenth and eleventh centuries, within the historical framework of al-Ándalus, and supported by its climate of tolerance, the Sephardim – Jews living in the Iberian Peninsula, the legendary Sepharad – attained a greater degree of wellbeing and a greater level of culture than at any time in their history in this region. The Peninsula became a thriving centre of Jewish religion and culture; rabbinical schools in Córdoba and Lucena – in the south of the province – provided guidance for Jews from all over the world.

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Mention should be made here of the unique case of Lucena (Alisana), known as The Pearl of Sepharad; few Jewish communities in al-Ándalus gained such renown or recorded such outstanding cultural development, comparable only to that of the Hispano-Hebrew circles in Córdoba and Granada during the Caliphate and the Taifas Kingdoms. Between the ninth and eleventh centuries, long before the European Renaissance, Jewish and Muslim chroniclers alike referred to Lucena as “the city of the Jews”. During the Caliphate, Lucena and Córdoba hosted the School of Talmudic Studies, a forum for the great intellectuals and poets of the time.

Outstanding Jewish intellectuals at that time included Hasday Ibn Shaprut, a scholar born in Jaén who spent most of his life in Córdoba, where he became the personal physician and Head of Protocol to the Caliph Abd al-Rahman III. He was one of the Jewish leaders who most contributed to the birth and rapid development of a truly Andalusian Sephardic culture, thanks to his widespread patronage. He was the nasí or head of the Jewish communities of al-Ándalus, and a leading force behind the propagation of Jewish culture in the Peninsula, and the revival of Hebrew as a literary language, sponsoring the work of poets, philosophers, grammarians and scientists. Among other attainments, he translated the most important medical treatise by Dioscorides from Greek to Arabic.

Jewish thought reached its most elevated expression in the work of Rabbi Moses ben Maimón – known as Maimónides or by his Hebrew initials, RAMBAM – who made Greek and Roman knowledge accessible to the Medieval world, and sought to reconcile faith and reason. Like his contemporary Averroes, this Sephardic scholar was also exiled due to the intolerant attitudes of the Almohads. He settled in Cairo, where he worked as a physician at the court of Saladin, and wrote his medical treatises. In around 1190, he completed his magnum opus, the Guide for the Perplexed, a compendium of Jewish knowledge at that time.

Maimonides Córdoba Synagogue

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Equally important was the material legacy bequeathed by al-Ándalus to Europe, comprising a whole range of elements including the development of various hydraulic systems based on devices such as waterwheels, tanks, irrigation canals and manmade ponds, which in turn favoured the introduction of new crops hitherto unknown in the West. Aubergines, artichokes, spinach and asparagus reached the tables of Europe via Córdoba, along with melons and water melons, pomegranates, figs, oranges and lemons, quinces and apricots. Other crops introduced at around that time included rice, cotton and sugar cane, all of which became popular first in Europe, and later in America.

The al-Rusafa estate, designed by Abd al-Rahman I and built to the north of the capital in the eighth century (now the Parador de La Arruzafa), was the first landscaped estate in al-Ándalus; exotic plants and trees – including palm trees and tulips – were brought here from Syria and elsewhere, later becoming popular throughout Europe. New livestock breeding methods were introduced, with the introduction of the Merino sheep (which was subsequently to prove so essential to the economy of Castile) and the silk worm.

Key gastronomic contributions included the widespread use of olive oil and the introduction of spices (cinnamon, saffron, cumin, ginger, sesame, nutmeg, aniseed), the preparation of salads, fried foods, and the use of sugar as a sweetener instead of honey.

The refined Ziryab, one of the most important musicians in al-Ándalus, brought with him from Baghdad (Irak) a number of new customs and practices, both in cooking and in personal appearance, which would eventually become common all over the continent. The customs of shaving, haircutting for men, serving meals in a strict order which has become standard today – soup for first course, followed by meat, poultry and fish, and then a sweet dessert – were introduced by Ziryab. The use of glass vessels rather than rough metal cups, and of linen tablecloths instead of leather, were other novelties. He also brought to al-Ándalus a new game which was all the rage in the East: chess.

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Another of the many terms inherited from the culture of al-Ándalus is the English word “sherbet” and its cognate “sorbet” (from the Arabic sherbet). In the long, hot summers of al-Ándalus, the effects of the burning sun were alleviated with essences of fruit and flowers, mixed with cold water or ice. According to the chronicles, embassies to the Caliph at Madinat al-Zahra were welcomed with sorbets made with ice from the Pyrenees.

Pasta – the unchallenged star of Italian cuisine – was very popular in al-Ándalus. Noodles (fideos in Spanish, fidaws or atriyya in Arabic, which gave rise to the local usage aletría in Murcia) were widely used in stews and desserts.

Local craftsmen developed the manufacture of decorated tiles and leather ware. Córdoba leather work became famous throughout Europe: even today, there is a Cordouan lighthouse in the Garonne estuary (Bordeaux, France), heir to the first lighthouse built there by Córdoba merchant sailors in the eleventh century; London still has its Cordwainer Ward, the district traditionally inhabited by craftsmen who made luxury footwear using the best leather. The French term cordonnier, derived from cordouanier, is also used by extension to refer to people who produce or repair shoes.

In the Middle Ages, when personal hygiene was relatively unknown – and even considered inadvisable – in Christian Spain, every district of al-Ándalus had a public bath. According to contemporary texts, Córdoba itself had over 600 baths. The hammams were veritable beauty salons. They provided massages, and applied moisturising oils made with almonds, roses, jasmines and daffodils. Hair was dyed with indigo leaves and henna. Depilatory products were used, along with sophisticated skin cleansing treatments, as well as perfumes such as sandalwood, musk and ambergris, all products widely used in the perfume industry today.

The “Rich Room” at Madinat al-Zahra

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It is hardly surprising, therefore, that 20% of the Spanish lexis comprises words of Arabic origin. Over three thousand words came into Spanish from Arabic: they were terms related to water (acequia, alberca, noria), to building (albañil), to botany (jazmín) and to topography (arrecife). Many words passed into other European languages and are still in constant use today. Examples include the Spanish term jazmín, which entered German and French as jasmin, and English as jasmine; espárrago became spargel in German, asparagus in English and asperge in French; almizcle became musk in English and musc in French; arrecife is now riff in German and reef in English, récif in French and recife in Portuguese; sorbete is sherbet in English and sorbet in French.

Later, and in the literary field, Luis de Góngora (sixteenth century) brought Western poetry firmly into the modern age, while Inca Garcilaso de la Vega became the world’s first mixed-race writer; his work and his personality contributed a great deal to Latin American literature.

Other leading figures in European culture who were trained and educated in Córdoba include giants of literature such as Hernán Pérez de Oliva (Chancellor of the University of Salamanca in 1529), Juan Valera (diplomat and writer), the humanist Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (sixteenth century), Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the Gran Capitán (who modernised military tactics in the fifteenth century), the Sephardic writer and philosopher Miguel de Barrios (seventeenth century), the Duke of Rivas (one of whose works was the inspiration for Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La forza del destino), the poets of the ‘27 Generation Pedro Garfias and Juan Rejano, as well as Niceto Alcalá Zamora (the first President of the Second Spanish Republic.

There were also significant contributions to architecture and the fine arts – painting, sculpture, drawing and engraving. While not comparable to the splendour of Rome or the Caliphate of Córdoba, one cannot ignore names such as the Hernán Ruiz family of architects in the Renaissance, the humanist and painter Pablo de Céspedes, the great Córdoba Baroque painter Antonio del Castillo, and the important Córdoba altarpiece makers of the eighteenth century, the Baroque and Rococo silversmiths, and in particular Damián de Castro, who paved the way for the traditional art of silver in the city, which still continues to be a major economic resource. Rafael Romero Barros was a great painter who, in 1862, became the curator of the Fine Arts Museum, and later created the current Archaeological and Ethnological Museum and the Provincial School of Fine Arts. He was a unique painter of landscapes, portraits and still-lifes, and the ideal teacher for his children, the painters Rafael, Enrique and the well-known Julio Romero de Torres.

The close relations between Europe and the province of Córdoba extend into other fields, including the production of olive oil and wine, with Denomination of Origin Montilla-Moriles. The olive variety grown in the province bears the scientific name olea europea (there are four Denominations of Origin: Baena, Lucena, Priego de Córdoba and Montoro-Adamuz). Oil from the province of Córdoba have traditionally been traded from the Guadalquivir to the Mediterranean and beyond, travelling the great rivers of Northern Europe: the Rhine, the Rhone and the Saône.

Europe was the origin of many villages in the province, which were established by German, Italian, French and Flemish settlers in the reign of Charles III. Echoes of their various origins survive today in certain dances and rites which are part of Europe’s intangible common heritage.

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This constant flux and mixture is also a hallmark of Europe’s specific nature as a continent rich in contrasts that have shaped and defined a necessarily slow historical maturing process. If the source of European civilisation can be traced back to the Greek and Roman eras, and continued through medieval Christianity, it would seem that its effective birth as a historic, cultural and political entity did not occur until the Modern Age, with the creation of political models that assumed the integration of European territories as an unswerving aspiration of national interests.

Apart from collective processes of political construction, the new reality of the twenty-first century enforces patterns of social interaction that require the individual to participate in global integration models and also to interact with the immediate environment, an overall process known in contemporary economic and sociological theory as “glocalization”. This term, coined

by Roland Robertson, essentially signifies the ability to think globally and act locally, the ability to combine a culture conducive to globalization with the distinctive and unique elements of one’s closer culture.

In any case, it seems clear that what Europe has in common, as a political, legal, administrative, economic and, above all, cultural entity, is the result of encounters (and conflicts) taking place in the course of history at the crossroads which was and still is today’s EU. Today, the challenges facing the building and legitimation of the European Union can only be overcome with a great deal of effort, dialogue, understanding and consensus in order to face the future with guaranteed success.

One of the major challenges facing twenty-first century Europe is, without a doubt, the need to preserve the distinctive features of various local and regional communities and at the same time enhance European awareness, as stated in Articles one and two of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and Article five of the constitutive Treaty of the European Community. Therefore, the concept of Europe for the twenty-first century should not only emphasise the values of its history and its common heritage, but also serve to optimise the concepts of proximity and globality in a dynamic and constructive dialogue, to enable progress towards the future horizon of institutional and cultural consolidation in Europe.

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Córdoba networking

Córdoba is a member of numerous networks that seek to shape a set of European cultural values; values that will help to foster new forms of encounter, to rediscover hitherto-neglected heritages, and to implement cooperation programmes.

Córdoba’s involvement in cultural and educational projects funded by the European Union, the Council of Europe and UNESCO has grown exponentially in recent years, reaching a total of 145 projects recorded between 2000 and 2006. Currently, between 2007-2013 (bearing in mind that we are still only halfway through this period) the number of ongoing projects amounts to 61, a number that – given recent trends – is expected to triple by the end of the period. This provides a brief indication of the importance for Córdoba – as well as for Andalusia and Spain – of membership first of the European Economic Community, and later entry into the structures of the European Union as a full member.

From 1994 to date (including projects requested for the current 2007-2013 period), Córdoba has participated in more than 245 European projects within many programmes including Culture 2000; Media Programme; Euromed Heritage; Active European Citizenship; European Year of Languages; the European Voluntary Service; Youth Exchange; Comenius; Leonardo da Vinci; Erasmus; Minerva; Life; URB-Al;, Med-Urbs; European Programme of Support for Employment Generation; Daphne; European Network for Women’s Centres, as well as numerous projects forming part of Community Initiatives, the ERDF and ESF Funds, and the Cohesion Fund, among others.

If anything characterises this non-exhaustive list it is diversity. Of all the projects implemented in the city, we can safely say that none has been independent of the European Union, which has either inspired or funded the main activities of urban regeneration, from the renovation of the arterial railway network, to the possibility of channelling the Guadalquivir River to alleviate the impact of floods.

The two Urban programmes have had an enormous impact on the city. The first was implemented in the mid-1990s, and became known as Urban Riverbank. It enabled the regeneration of a highly-deteriorated area of the Old Town by increasing community services, the repaving of streets, the design of squares as meeting places and the provision of economic incentives for the creation of service companies in the heritage area.

The European programmes in which Córdoba participates tend, for the most part, to focus on Education and Training, Structural Policies, Community Initiatives and Research and Development. A great deal of work is also being done through the many networks and organisations of which the city is a member, as well as through the cultural activities outlined elsewhere in this document.

A further plan, known as Urban Sur is currently in place – financed by the European Union and the City Council, and promoted and managed by the IMDEEC – to bring about the urban and social regeneration of three southern districts of the city: Campo de la Verdad, Sector Sur and Barrio del Guadalquivir. The aim is not strictly to physically rehabilitate the area, but rather to revitalise the cultural sector in the whole southern area. The plan – which will cost more than €14 m. – is to be implemented between 2009 and 2015. The project is based on enhancing cultural functions with a view to regenerating the districts in question.

There is intense activity in the field of education and training, especially with regard to the mobility of students and teachers as part of specific programmes such as Comenius, Erasmus and Leonardo that involve educational centres, universities and other training centres.

The various faculties and centres comprising the University of Córdoba have signed numerous cooperation agreements aimed both at fostering student mobility and at implementing projects of other kinds with other universities both in Europe and beyond.

The organisations that have been most active in European programmes are: Córdoba City Council, through the Municipal Institute for Employment and Economic Development (IMDEEC), – formerly the Department of Economic Development and Promotion of the City – and the Delegation for Tourism and World Heritage; the Córdoba Provincial Council and the University of Córdoba, through its various Departments.

Between 2005 and 2008, the city led a project entitled ∑3C (Culture, Competitiveness and Creativity), funded by the Interreg IIIC initiative. The project’s objective was to find new ways to develop the economic potential of the culture industry and enable the transfer of the developed methodology to other areas and organisations. Córdoba’s partners in this project were the University of Malta, the Greek city of Kavala, Pisa (Italy) and the Provincial Development Agency in Siena (Eurobic Toscana Sur).

The project’s objective was to find new ways to develop the economic potential of the culture industry and enable the transfer of the developed methodology to other areas and organisations). As a result of this work, the City Council is currently involved in the CREA.RE-Creative Regions project, financed by the Interreg IVC initiative, which further explores the potential contribution of creativity to local economic development. Thanks to this same programme, a mobility plan has been drawn up for the Old Town, and a pioneering document in this field has been developed that specifically focuses on schools. A Sustainable Mobility Plan is currently being drafted for the whole city, and a Transportation Consortium for the metropolitan area is being established.

Córdoba has participated twice in separate calls for proposals under the Europan programme, which seeks to foster the ordered development of city sectors by way of an ideas competition for young European architects.

In the sixth year of Europan, the architect Maria Auxiliadora Gálvez won the contest for the development of a neighbourhood in the Cordel de Écija area adjacent to the river. The project is in the planning stage. In the eighth year of Europan, Beatriz Brieva de la Orden and Jaime del Campo won with their proposal for the South Sector 2 Partial Plan, also bordering the river; their project is at the design stage.

The city is a member of 27 international networks and programmes through which a whole range of projects in a variety of fields are being implemented.

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Córdoba belongs to the Spanish World Heritage Cities Group, since the Mezquita and the Old Town were declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO in 1984 and 1994, respectively. The Courtyards Festival has applied – through the National Historical Heritage Council – to be included in UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Madinat al-Zahra has also applied for World Heritage status.

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The city is a member of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and is the permanent Regional Secretary of the Organisation of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) for Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

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It also belongs to a number of national and international networks, that cover Latin America, the Mediterranean coast and the rest of Europe: · · · · · · · · · · · · · Site of the old Posada de la Herradura, before and after the “Urban Riverbank” Plan

Latin Arch Association Ibero-Macaronesian Association of Botanic Gardens (AIMJB) International Association of Educating Cities International Association of Botanic Gardens (IABG) United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) European Cities Marketing Les Rencontres, Association of European Cities and Regions for Culture The League of Historical Cities The AN-MAR programme. Twinning network for Moroccan and Andalusian cities AVE Cities Network Network of Cathedral Cities Network of Andalusian Cinema Cities Network of Cities on the Guadalquivir

·

·

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Paths of Sepharad – Network of Spanish Jewish Quarters, itself a member of the European Asssociation for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ) Spanish Network of Healthy Cities (partner in the World Health Organisation’s Healthy Cities programme) Interlocal Network. Iberoamerican Network of Cities for Culture The Roman Baetica Route The Montilla-Moriles Wine Route Spain Convention Bureau

In March 2009, the Working Group on the Local Dimension of the Alliance of Civilisation was set up in Córdoba. On 3 and 4 May 2010, under the Spanish presidency of the EU, the city hosted a high-level meeting entitled Religious Freedom in Democratic Societies, as a preliminary to the third forum of the Alliance of Civilisations, which was held in Río de Janeiro (Brazil) on 28 and 29 May. The role of Córdoba as a territorial and cultural crossroads throughout history has been recognised at European level; the Council of Europe has included two routes – the Route of the Caliphate and the “Paths of Sepharad” Jewish Route – as European Cultural Itineraries.

These routes cross the modern city and testify to Córdoba’s central role in relationships with Europe: the Mozarabic Path as part of the Jacobean or Silver Route, the Roman Baetica Route, the Cultural Itinerary of the Almoravids and Almohads, and the Cultural Itinerary of the Umayyads (the latter two promoted by the Legado Andalusí Foundation).

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Córdoba: its distinctive features and its European dimension

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The European dimension of Córdoba

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The ECoC, a resizing project for Córdoba

From this it is clear that Córdoba is by no means alone; it is actively involved in supramunicipal networks focussing on a range of key aspects of the city’s social and political life, for example the Network of Free Municipalities against Gender Violence and the Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, in which the Equality Commission is very active.

Damascus, Havana, Nuremberg and Smara are four of the cities twinned with Córdoba

Córdoba is twinned with ten cities in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America, with which it shares historical or cultural links: 1 Bukhara, Uzbekistan 2 Córdoba and Veracruz, Mexico 3 Córdoba, Argentina 4 Damascus, Syria 5 Fez, Morocco 6 Kairouan, Tunisia 7 Old Havana, Cuba 8 Lahore, Pakistan 9 Nuremberg, Germany 10 Smara, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

Córdoba has also signed declarations of friendship and international relations with: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Amadora, Portugal Bethlehem, Palestine Bourg-en-Bresse, France Konya, Turkey La Louvière, Belgium Manchester, United Kingdom Nîmes, France

Córdoba has also ratified the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life, and is a member of the Federation of Progressive Women.

In international academic forums, the city has become a byword for the joint management of public policy, as evident in its membership of various regional, national and international networks, including the Andalusian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FAMP), as well as its Spanish parent organisation (FEMP), and is also a member of the following networks: Kaleidos.red Foundation; the Urb-Al programme, the International Observatory for Participatory Democracy (IOPD Committee on Social Inclusion and Participatory Democracy (CSIPD) of the worldwide organisation “United Cities and Local Governments” (UCLG) and the State Network for Participatory Budgeting.

In 2016, as in earlier years, meetings of the international networks and federations of which Córdoba is a member will be held that will undoubtedly enrich the project.

Designation as European Capital of Culture will provide Córdoba with a unique opportunity to regain its rightful place within the European framework. Córdoba is aware that it has to rethink the city’s position; a to go beyond the constraining walls that for years have limited its capacity for growth.

The ECoC programme will therefore address the European dimension of Córdoba at two levels. First, it will focus on the common cultural legacy, the shared heritage and the contribution of leading local figures – often neglected – to European history. These themes, and these figures, will be approached from a contemporary perspective.

Second, specific programmes will be implemented to foster international exchanges of young European creators, to encourage a closer reading of European culture, and to explore the role of Córdoba as a link between Europe and other regions.

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Chapter II summary

1. Córdoba has played a major role throughout history as the capital of Roman Baetica and of al-Ándalus, when it reached its heyday in terms of economic, intellectual and political influence. Today, the city’s ECoC bid is based on its intangible heritage and on a present rooted in its approach as a participatory, inclusive city.

2. Córdoba’s bid testifies to the city’s determination to implement a balanced system of land planning, with a view to ensuring that all local residents can enjoy the ECoC activities, and even play an active part in them.

In this respect, Córdoba’s outlook is supported by a traditional interest in citizen participation and by the involvement of a whole range of associations and organisations that guarantee the viability of this approach.

3. The bid embraces a strategy to include Gypsy culture, seen as one of the five cultures that make up the city of Córdoba. This process reflects the conclusions of the European Summit held in Córdoba in 2010, at which the 27 member States of the EU engaged to work together to support the Roma population, which has a long-rooted tradition in Córdoba. The leading Roma organisations have signed a manifesto in support of Córdoba’s bid and have suggested a number of activities including a major conference of Roma associations.

4. This bid focuses on the inclusion of people with limited mobility, with a view to providing a timely response to their needs. Their representatives in the Local Council can monitor directly the work done. No technological effort will be spared to provide the disabled with the tools they need. Much will be done to remove architectural barriers, and a team of volunteers will be available to assist disabled access to the activities scheduled.

5. No group will be left out of the ECoC. That is only fair. The work will be shared with women’s’ groups, through the opinion formers working in this field; with the elderly, who can contribute – and indeed, already contribute – their experience and their enormous vitality; with people with fewer resources. Córdoba 2016 must foster equal opportunities.

6. Córdoba has an undeniable European dimension, shaped by leading figures such as Seneca, Averroes and Maimónides, who have influenced philosophy, science and literature. The culture of al-Ándalus, formed by three great religions, has contributed greatly to the daily life of European citizens.

7. Córdoba is linked to other European cities at local-authority level, but also through the University community by encouraging student mobility, and through economic relations by investment in Poland and other countries. The city has taken part in EU programmes including Urban, Interreg and Europan, and maintains close ongoing contacts with other historical cities, or cities attracting considerable tourism.

8. The ECoC project will highlight Córdoba’s European dimensions at two levels: at symbolic level by giving a contemporary slant to its cultural legacy; and at concrete level by fostering the exchange of young creators and the links between Europe and other regions.

The programme

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III The slogan and the objectives “I recall that fantastic vision of Melina Mercouri, whom I had the honour to meet and become great friends with: “The cultural landscape”. What we are given and what we do with it, interwoven to shape the identity, the profile of every culture. Identity is the sum of the past, the roots and the present. So we need to remember the past, to learn from the past, to tend the roots so that the fruit does not wither. A culture that nurtures its roots each day is a powerful culture; a culture concerned only with the fruit and its appearance is a culture in decline. Lessons from the past as an impulse to take off into a different, brighter future, where all human beings can enjoy the global village and, at the same time, a permanent reminder of the future. The future is the only legacy, the only heritage still intact that we can offer our descendants so that they will be able to set down their own history, a different history, about this future. It is not history written by various people, but the history of the supreme heritage: humanity itself. The hugely rich and multifaceted legacy that now lives on as culture in the peoples of today. Together we must ensure that it survives and continues to enrich the existence of future generations”.

Opening speech by Federico Mayor Zaragoza, former Director General of UNESCO ICOMOS 13th General Assembly. Madrid, 2002

I

n 2002, when the city’s institutions decided that Córdoba should bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2016, they were in fact reviving a long-held aspiration originally formulated in the 1980s, at the time of Córdoba’s bid to be named ECoC for 1992, an honour that eventually went to Madrid.

The bid was seen, from the outset, as a way of helping the city to think about itself, to regenerate and modernise its identity as a model of European culture for the twenty-first century; as a springboard for bringing about the transformation of the city; and as a tool for reshaping its relationship with Europe.

This time, Córdoba’s slogan is Córdoba, Europe: The future has roots. The slogan, used throughout the preparation of this bid, reflects the effort made to capture the essence of the city, and to convey it through a series of concepts and ideas. It reflects the conviction that the city’s historical role, rediscovered and appropriately modernised, can still be a valuable contribution to the European project.

This bid marks an attempt to understand the present in terms of the past, in order to better envisage the opportunities that the future may hold in store.

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The slogan ‘Córdoba, Europe: The future has roots’

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1 The slogan ‘Córdoba, Europe: The future has roots’

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hroughout the preparation of this bid, in other words over the last eight years, we have sought to understand the present in terms of the past, in order to secure an active future. It has to be a future activated by the past, in order to ensure that, rather than overlooking past errors, we learn from them, thus keeping memory and history alive.

The major underlying concept is summed up in the slogan: Córdoba, Europe: The future has roots. This phrase, which amounts almost to a declaration of principles, offers a modern vision of past, present and future as an indissociable whole. It suggests respect for the seeds sown by every generation, and for the fruit harvested; it sees this inter-generational legacy as something to be built upon, in this case for all European citizens.

The slogan chosen does not view the future in terms of an irreversible destiny, but rather as a way of confirming plausible perspectives. Given the city’s historical uniqueness, it invites a meditation on the city in old – wise – Europe, on culture and on society.

In the light of a potentially turbulent future (in the sense suggested by Hans Magnus Enzensberger in his description of modern society), the response to the possible scenarios for Europe may vary greatly. Many European cities are in a position to anticipate that turbulent future in a responsible fashion. Córdoba offers a solid foundation, rooted in a renewed vision of history as the basis of what is contemporary; that vision is enhanced by the idea of dialogue as a civic force.

The concept of complexity, as formulated by the philosopher Daniel Innerarity, can be broken down into three components: social interdependence, inadequate or incomplete information, and lack of time; these are the causes of the immense complexity of current social processes. Córdoba provides a unique testing ground in which to try to set limits to the complexities of contemporary society and at the same time ensure its sustainability, by fostering interdependence, providing complete information about the city, and encouraging a liberal use and enjoyment of time.

The city has been a byword for respectful dialogue between different religions and communities ever since the Caliphate of Córdoba, which laid the foundations for the harmonious coexistence of the three great religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. That legacy is still to be found in the so-called Córdoba Paradigm, a term coined by the Iranian philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo1 to refer to a model of peaceful coexistence characterised by tolerance, and by religious, cultural, and linguistic diversity; a model on which to build a sustainable Europe of dialogue and mutual support.

In presenting this bid, Córdoba seeks to convey the idea that it can lay down a cultural seedbed for the future, and provide the historical sediment required to ensure that culture blooms and yields new, more readily-accessible fruits. The root is cultural identity, and the shoots are those of hope. The city of Córdoba offers a finely-tuned balance, in time and in space, for that blend of interdependence and generosity over time that is the hallmark of its identity.

Córdoba’s bid thus reflects very closely the Alliance of Civilisations,2 a new model for international relations, adopted by the United Nations on 26 April 2007 following a proposal by Spain advocating cooperation between the West and the Arabic and Muslim world, in order to combat international terrorism through nonviolence and profound mutual understanding.

US President Barack Obama, in his speech at Cairo University, highlighted the need to overcome the antagonism between the West and the Muslim world on the basis of human rights, religious tolerance and respect for the democratic rules; he cited Córdoba as an example of tolerance, leaving no doubt as to what the city will symbolise as European Capital of Culture in 2016.

1

“Beyond Orientalism and Occidentalism”, paper delivered to a conference organised by Reset-Dialogues on Civilisations, held in Cairo, 4-6 March 2006.

2

As opposed to the “Clash of Civilisations” theory formulated by Samuel Huntington (Foreign Affairs 1993).

So Córdoba is aware that it has a duty to bring Europe a message essential for the process of constructing the continent, at a time when intercultural debate is, undeniably, a matter of concern for all public authorities, both within the UE and all over the world.

The slogan Cordoba, Europe: The future has roots signals a different initiative. It is an almost literal translation of the principles of sustainable development, implemented by the city authorities with regard to specific questions such as the optimised use of water, the involvement of local people in public issues, the protection of the city’s heritage, the rational use of resources, and the best use of public and private space (through unique elements, such as the patios); always understood as part of a common approach that reflects the responsibility of every generation with respect to its successors.

These key issues are reflected in the concepts that Córdoba 2016 plans to bring to the rest of Europe: · European cultural diversity through shared identity, involving a balancing of means and ends · The concept of fair measure, developed by Averroes to refer to the dialogue between the religions, as a metaphor for a current approach to building an open, supportive and sustainable Europe. · A global culture based on a modern outlook, on peace and on interculturalism, represented by Córdoba, which embodies the cultural roots of the future which must be planted today. · The integration of words, arts, sciences, space and time in the European city, so that they may become the foundation of a future rooted in different cultures.

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The objectives

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his bid reflects our conviction that ECoC status will provide an opportunity to forge a specific identity, to reinforce long-cherished notions of an inclusive city, to modernise the mechanisms through which people can play an active role in addressing this shared challenge, to grant the city the status that its history merits and, just as important, to improve the quality of life of local people through cultural actions which will have an impact on the creation of employment and wealth. The ECoC will entail a major new approach to the world of business and to the workforce, generating investments in the service sector and in new technologies.

Córdoba’s ECoC bid has set in motion institutional, economic and social synergies. For almost a decade, we have seen a constant process of negotiations, of seeking, developing and finally executing visible urbanregeneration projects, which have quickened the city’s cultural heartbeat. This process has enabled Córdoba to make Europe fully aware of its immense cultural legacy; it has generated a new approach to the management and governance of the city’s heritage; it has drawn all the local players together in a shared project; and it has helped to generate a lively and attractive image of the city, both for visitors and for residents.

Today it is evident that the Córdoba 2016 project has already borne fruit. Over the years, the process in itself has benefited the city by fostering cultural projects, prompting the provision of new infrastructure and galvanising the people. Without the 2016 project, none of this would probably have happened. The result is that this historical southern European city has been seized by an ambition for renewal and leadership. A city that refuses to remain anchored in a splendid past, but instead seeks to breathe new life into the key values which, in their day, contributed to the forging of the ideas and values that are the hallmarks of present-day Europe.

Since Córdoba’s bid was first announced in 2002, there has been a highly-fruitful convergence of institutional and popular interests, which has not ceased to expand and develop. In December 2002, a Special Cultural Capital Committee was established, which included representatives of all the city’s institutional and social bodies: the City Council and the University, trades unions and management associations, the Royal Academy and the Al-Zahara Federation of Neighbourhood Associations. The Committee drafted the Córdoba Manifesto, which immediately prompted – and continues to prompt – thousands of statements of support from all kinds of bodies (associations, businesses, specialist groups) as well as a plethora of ideas, proposals, debates and projects.

At the same time as prompting a far-reaching process of negotiation and involvement, the Córdoba 2106 project has been a challenge, a stimulus and a channel for the urban regeneration strategy launched by the City Council, which includes the rehabilitation of the river and the riverbanks, and the planning of the facilities and infrastructure required to enhance economic and knowledge-transfer activity.

The infrastructure plan has also served as an incentive for the creation of pedestrian precincts and sustainable transport systems (there will soon be 35 kilometres of bike lanes, and a tram system is being planned) intended to improve links between the metropolitan area and the rest of the province. Details of the infrastructure plan are provided in the following chapter.

Cordoba’s ECoC bid has also fostered a rethinking of the city’s identity, and a renewed pride in belonging.

Córdoba and its projects have joined global networks, giving local people access to art movements that seek to link modern culture with traditional cultural resources. Good examples are the recent international contemporary art exhibition, in which works of art were installed in local patios, displays of public art in local heritage settings, and cultural events involving highlytraditional local arts: flamenco festivals, an international guitar festival, poetry weeks and gastronomic events.

These changes, which have become apparent over the last eight years thanks to the ECoC project, have enjoyed remarkable support from local institutions, as well as tremendous popular involvement.

Since the whole city has accepted the challenges involved in rethinking its profile, a busy programme of cultural events is in place all the year round. This activity, which would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, has been made possible thanks to the ECoC bid, and thanks also to the joint efforts of many public and private institutions and associations. In the same spirit, new galleries and art spaces have sprung up all over the city, offering permanent programmes; new cultural events and initiatives are constantly being put in place.

These new projects and cultural spaces have been put forward as shared proposals through a single publication which for the last two years has testified to the range of cultural events on offer in the city: Córdoba in 16 Mode (2009 and 2010).

The ECoC bid includes a number of strategic objectives directly linked to the city, focussing on its ability to rethink itself and on the need for regeneration; other objectives seek to involve local people, and to encourage creativity, knowledge, education and training, with a view to fostering the cultural aspirations of the city’s residents.

Additional aims focus more closely on Córdoba’s role in Europe, and on the strong links that have to be forged between Europe’s leading schools of culture and thought.

The objectives of Córdoba’s bid – the fruit of deep thought, and of the experience acquired over the last few years – are set out below. Though interrelated to form a perfectly coherent system, they have been grouped into three categories: European objectives (and rationales), city-related objectives, and objectives relating to the people of the city. There are a total of 20 objectives, that will result in a programme and a set of projects fully in keeping with our slogan: Córdoba, Europe: The future has roots.

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The Córdoba Manifesto

The third millennium holds many uncertainties for Mankind, but it also holds many

of the Ummayad Caliphate, the city where three cultures lived together, the city

opportunities.

that gave its own legacy to Renaissance and Baroque Europe, t declared a World

Before we have even managed to address the challenges of the past, we are

Heritage site in recognition of its history, cannot hide from the challenges of the

faced with new problems and concerns linked to the complex and controversial

modern world, nor refuse to face up to the future. Aware of this need to reach

phenomenon of globalisation. Yet never before have men and women contemplated

out to the future, local institutions – backed by the City Council – have agreed to

a broader horizon than at the start of the twenty-first century; never before have

embark upon an ambitious plan aimed at standing Córdoba in good stead to be

we had so many resources and opportunities to build our future and to fulfil the

named European Capital of Culture in 2016.

promise of happiness vouchsafed by poets.

We have nine years in which to prepare and launch our bid, and we are delighted

Culture and the City are two decisive factors in attaining this goal. Shorn of its

to have the unanimous support of all Córdoba’s local groups and associations, as

exclusive and reductionist trappings, the idea of culture has expanded to cover

well as backing from other cities and leading personalities.

something more than literary, artistic or intellectual output; something more than

The success of our bid will depend on devoting all our energy and creative skills to

systems of values and beliefs; something more than lifestyles.

making this initiative a project for the future, a distinctive feature of Córdoba in the

Today, when we talk about culture we are referring to a vast and varied field of

third millennium.

endeavour, in which new information and communication technologies play a vital

This project will reflect and renew Córdoba’s unique contribution to the common

role.

history of Europe – peaceful coexistence and dialogue between cultures – and

Reflecting the constant tension between tradition and innovation, between the

in doing so will help to enhance Andalusia’s role as a major forum for cultural

individual and the social, the local and the global, culture today is a creative

encounters between Europe and the rest of the world.

arena for a vast and varied range of attitudes, values, and patterns of behaviour.

A project for the future, like this one, cannot be implemented without the

Yet at the same time culture is an essential aspect of environmentally-friendly,

involvement and commitment of all the people of Córdoba. We were all proud to

sustainable development, of job creation, of gender equality and of social cohesion.

hear Córdoba being declared a World Heritage site on 15 December 1994. That

The city, as a complex network of relationships and values, is a point at which past

declaration confirmed the unquestionable value of our city’s history and its long

and future, tradition and change, memory and desire, all converge; a meeting place

memory. Now, eight years later, we have a great opportunity to broaden those

and living space in which identity and diversity have to be mutually recognised,

horizons, to commit ourselves firmly to the future, to start to fulfil Córdoba’s wish

as required by the democratic principles of citizenship. The city has always

to be European Capital of Culture in 2016.

encouraged integration whilst respecting difference; it has fostered development and progress without renouncing its roots. Culture and the City, therefore, are the two notions that inevitably underpin any discussion in which the preservation of our historical heritage is closely linked to its growth and development. Culture serves to guarantee democratic pluralism; it is a strategic goal in the city’s development and a key component in building a Europe for citizens.

At the threshold of a new century, Córdoba faces a unique and inescapable challenge. The city that was once a Roman colony and later became the capital

Córdoba, 13 December 2002.

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2

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The objectives

The objectives

European objectives

City-related objectives

Citizen-related objectives

1 To extend the Córdoba model to the rest of Europe, as an example of a cultural city keen to foster involvement and dialogue; a city which is inclusive, sustainable, peaceful and safe; a highly attractive venue for sharing clearly European values.

2 To share with the people of Europe Córdoba’s experience as a focal point for the integration of minorities and the inclusion of all generations, a city whose most distinctive feature is an intercultural dialogue which overcomes all forms of exclusion.

3 To contribute, from Southern Europe, the values inherited from the cultures that shaped our identity (Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Gypsy), as the basis for a new approach to art, science, communications, the use of space and time, and in short, to life.

4 To strengthen cultural links with Europe, by fostering cultural exchanges, joining existing networks and helping to create new sustainable networks.

5 To enhance European cooperation and solidarity with other regions, taking full advantage of the growing importance of Mediterranean Europe, and of Córdoba’s strong links with Latin America, with North Africa, with historical cities in the Arab world and with Jewish culture.

6 To contribute to a greater cohesion of the European Union through new ways of involving people, new forms of democratic urban governance, and respect for the past, present and future of the diverse individuals, groups and peoples of Europe.

7 To build an inclusive and culturally important city.

We advocate respect and support for intercultural dialogue and the mixing of cultures. The White Paper on European Intercultural Dialogue provides the basic framework for this, offering a broad range of ideas and resources regarding the design, leadership, planning, evaluation and sustainability of intercultural policy.

8 To achieve new status as European cultural city, thus improving its standing with regard to other European cities. We are focussing on projecting a new image which will help to ensure the city’s membership of global networks of all kinds, including intellectual, financial, logistical, and advanced-services networks.

9 To make the ECoC project a stimulus for sustainable socioeconomic development and urban regeneration. The central aim of the project is to encourage creative production, so that the cultural and creative industries can help to drive the local economy.

10 To expand the provision of public spaces and enhance the sustainable development of the city, using strategies compatible with the need for heritage protection and environmental conservation, and to ensure that cultural development fully reflects the city’s layout, linking venues and facilities in a single network and thus encouraging the growth of new cultural centres. The ECoC bid seeks to reach out to the whole city and all its districts, and to the entire province of Córdoba.

11 To strengthen the Heritage-Culture-Services system by fostering the dialogue between tradition and avant-garde, between history and contemporary urban culture, which will stimulate the tourism sector.

Córdoba is a World Heritage city that seeks to focus on sustainable management and development.

12 To move from being a heritage city to being a contemporary city, and to ensure that this new image contributes to strengthening local identity.

13 To extend the added values of culture, and the intrinsic social benefits of the ECoC project – including greater social and inter-generational cohesion, increased pride in the city, and a greater sense of belonging – to the whole of local society.

14 To encourage cultural activity by stimulating the extensive involvement of local people. We intend to foster the participatory aspect of culture and the use of public spaces for the creation, promotion and dissemination of cultural activities.

15 To encourage innovation, knowledge and creativity, with a view to extending them to all the city’s residents, promoting integration, equal opportunities and access for all.

16 To share Córdoba’s cultural aspirations with the people, reappraising the city’s heritage whilst retaining a clear focus on contemporary creativity and decentralisation, and encouraging people to consume culture.

17 To encourage local people to think about global challenges, to enhance the role of the city as a think tank for finding ways to meet those challenges. Córdoba seeks to become, from 2016 onwards, a permanent European forum for intercultural dialogue.

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18 To make cultural and creative industries a sustainable driving force for the local economy; this is essential for the city in the twenty-first century, which must be able to generate employment, foster the development of local cultural talent, welcome creative minds from beyond the city, and finally promote active cultural tourism. It is hoped that the ECoC project will encourage the creation of new professions linked to cultural management, and that this will in turn serve to strengthen other professions and sectors. The project must inspire, surprise, respect, celebrate and provoke the whole population.

19 To make training a basic component of cultural projects. To encourage education, training and promotion as instruments for fostering cultural habits, as a way of enlivening and transforming the city and its people, in line with the provisions of the Charter of Educating Cities, signed by Córdoba. To encourage an alliance involving training, research, development, creation and innovation.

20 The city’s final ambition as ECoC is to leave a legacy, in terms of infrastructure and cultural consumption habits, for all the people of Córdoba and of Europe.

If by the end of 2016 we have managed to contribute to a more vibrant cultural scene at metropolitan, regional, national and European level, then we shall regard the project as a success.

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Chapter III summary

1. Córdoba is presenting its bid under the slogan Córdoba, Europe: The future has roots. Our aim is to convey the idea that Córdoba can lay down a cultural seedbed for the future, and provide the historical sediment required to ensure that culture blooms and yields new fruits that are more accessible in a contemporary context.

3. The city’s bid to become ECoC has already brought tangible benefits: public institutions, social organisations and local people in general have worked together on this unique challenge; countless cultural infrastructure schemes have been implemented, and major cultural programmes have been launched under the aegis of the project.

2. In conceptual terms, the city’s bid is supported by a balanced approach to shared identity and European cultural diversity, a fine balance of means and ends. The Córdoba Paradigm and Averroes’ “fair measure” can help to build a sustainable Europe, and a global culture based on a modern outlook, on peace and on interculturalism, whilst ensuring the integration of the creative arts in a Mediterranean city providing ample space and time.

4. This shared project has been placed at the service of a city in the throes of change, with a view to overcoming economic, social and town-planning problems.

5. The ECoC is seen as a way of giving new meaning to Córdoba’s symbolic heritage, as a model of tolerance and peaceful existence that can be exported to Europe at a time when the integration of otherness features high on the European agenda.

6. The twenty objectives of Córdoba’s ECoC project are grouped into three categories: The European objectives include extending to Europe a model of non-violent coexistence based on tolerance and mutual respect.

The city-related objectives include improving the city’s status, enabling it to take its rightful place amongst Europe’s great cultural cities; this will have a positive impact in terms of sustainable development driven by strong cultural activity.

The citizen-related objectives are based on the use of existing participatory mechanisms as a means of making culture accessible to everyone, of encouraging cultural consumption habits, and of fostering social cohesion and the pride of belonging. We hope to make the city a think tank for reflecting on global problems, and use the ECoC to generate a lasting impact.

IV Grounds: interculturalism, involvement, innovation and sustainability

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IV Grounds: interculturalism, involvement, innovation and sustainability “Creativity is a fundamental dimension of human activity. It thrives where there is dialogue between cultures, in a free, open and diverse environment with social and gender equality. It requires respect and legal protection for the outcomes of creative and intellectual work. Creativity is at the heart of culture, design and innovation, but everyone has the right to utilise their creative talent. More than ever, Europe’s future depends on the imagination and creativity of its people.”

Manifesto for Creativity and Innovation in Europe.

European Union, 2009

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he dialogue between cultures and civilisations, the city’s location at the crossroads of civilisations and religions, and the extensive involvement of its people in local events are, to a large extent, the defining features of Córdoba’s past and of its potential future. They are part of the city’s cultural DNA, and may become distinctive characteristics of Europe’s identity in a whole range of fields. However, the ECoC project would not be complete without reference to two further features which also figure high on Europe’s cultural agenda: creative innovation and the sustainability of cities, and more specifically the role of innovation in fostering the creation of a real culture of sustainability.

Any overall, interrelated analysis of the historical events that shaped the city, and of the material, architectural and cultural legacy that now defines Córdoba and its people, must inevitably highlight a number of concepts which together account for the city’s current dynamic outlook, and warrant the export of that outlook to the broader horizons of Europe.

In almost 35 years of democracy, Córdoba has succeeded in overcoming many of the obstacles to the involvement of the people in medium-sized cities. The city has adopted a modern, pluralist, participatory approach, based on the traditional Mediterranean view of the city as a place for all, and of its public spaces as a natural forum for the expression and exchange of ideas, for experimentation and innovation.

These features, however, should not be seen as separate straight lines, running in infinite parallel and never meeting; rather, they are strands that have been woven together to make the unique tapestry that is Córdoba.

They have blended together over the centuries, with necessary enhancements from Europe, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and North Africa. While these qualities are characteristically and unambiguously part of Córdoba’s special culture and personality, they are also conceptual and symbolic elements that can be identified with a dynamic, universal outlook; they are the defining traits of Córdoba’s ECoC project, and a fundamental part of Europe’s identity.

In this way, the city has achieved a balance between contemporary expression – which does not always appeal to the majority – and the implementation of broadbased projects designed to forge a shared identity and a common outlook. As a result, Córdoba is seen as a hospitable city, which has preserved the best traditional forms of peaceful coexistence whilst still keen to welcome contemporary trends – partial, fragmentary, multidisciplinary and often controversial. Thanks to this twofold approach, Córdoba is a reliable city, where courtyards, squares and music are constantly recycled, in order for it to become another city whilst still remaining the same.

These four areas of action – intercultural dialogue, the active involvement of the city’s residents, creative innovation, and sustainability – are seen as the foundations for a set of values which the city seeks to build a new identity within a European framework through cultural development.

They are also the four pillars of Córdoba’s ECoC project, the fundamental concepts which have informed the three major lines of activity for 2016, comprising a total of nine operative areas. They have also informed the selection of the projects included in this dossier. In short, they are the grounds for a future spirit of celebration.

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1 Interculturalism as a means and an end

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órdoba’s aspiration to become European Capital of Culture is based on the conviction, shared by its main institutions, that the city’s residents are keen to be part of European Union efforts to create a peoples’ Europe, with a view to making Europeans in general more aware of their shared history and values, and of encouraging them to learn about the European heritage, always respecting cultural peculiarities and human rights. Given the present situation, and the potential future, we have a duty to try to understand other cultures – other religions, other lifestyles – and also to understand the millions of residents in European cities that have come from elsewhere. In that sense, interculturalism is the only possible way forward.

This is one of the greatest challenges faced by Europe in the twenty-first century: to combine respect for shared ideas, within a context of intercultural dialogue, as a way of guaranteeing diversity; to retain the distinctive identity of local communities, yet at the same time ensure their dynamic integration into an overall European identity; to balance the undoubted quality of every city’s historical legacy with its potential to generate culture, both at grass-roots level and through local institutions.

In this context, Córdoba can provide guidelines, a model, and an example. Its own history, in terms of this burning current issue, is the best argument that this southern city can provide in favour of a non-violent, prosperous future, a future in which others can feel comfortable with their difference, within a framework of common rules.

International seminar ‘Alliance of Civilisations, Alliance for Peace’, June, 2007

The coexistence of highly-diverse peoples and cultural groups within a single setting has been a distinctive feature of the city since the dawn of history. Córdoba has fostered dialogue, the transfer of cultural heritage, productive exchanges, the generation of new cultures, as well as the growth and maturing of societies made up of both common and dissimilar elements. Córdoba can offer Europe its experience as a cultural mosaic, which is an essential requirement of modern societies in the throes of change. This feature has developed in the city to the point where it has effectively become a hallmark; this can readily be appreciated by simply taking a stroll through its streets. Córdoba is a giant palimpsest, on a human scale, of the five cultures that shaped the city: Roman, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Gypsy.

The city’s historical legacy poses present and future challenges. The mixing of races is a major challenge for most European cities. Globalisation, diversity, mobility, interculturalism, immigration, and race, are all social expressions of a new reality which abhors racist ideas of ethnical purity and seeks to replace them with the mixing of the whole human race. Given its past and its potential future, Córdoba can also provide Europe with insights into various aspects of peaceful coexistence, tolerance and freedom.

These noble values, and this history, led naturally to a specific way of exercising citizenship. Córdoba is a friendly, educating, festive, participatory and intercultural city, whose bid to become ECoC reflects its deepest roots; over the last two thousand years, countless citizens of different races, creeds and ideologies, have found a meeting-place in Córdoba.

Because of the city’s history, and because of a popular refusal to accept pigeon-holing, trite stereotypes, racism and xenophobia, many of the city’s urban spaces have become landmarks of intercultural coexistence.

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Equality as the acknowledgement of difference

All European cities, and Córdoba in particular, are the sum of many cultures. To chart the influences that have gradually shaped an identity based on diversity and respect, it is enough to take a stroll through the city’s streets and squares; all the varied elements fit tightly in place, as though forming a mosaic in which every piece gives meaning not only to the piece beside it, but to the mosaic as a whole.

The history of Córdoba is a perfect example of the meeting of cultures, of an advanced civilisation, and of a space in which the universal and the particular could coexist side by side, ten centuries before UNESCO declared that “the defence of cultural diversity is an ethical imperative”1.

Whilst it would be foolhardy to claim that during the period of al- Ándalus, the three religions – Judaism, Islam and Christianity – lived together without any sort of friction, we can nonetheless use the experience of Córdoba in the tenth century as a guide to steer us through the troubled waters of diversity. The Córdoba Paradigm, a term coined by the Iranian thinker Ramin Jahanbegloo in his text Border-Crossing and the Córdoba Paradigm, is not simply a legacy; it is an attitude, a commitment to synergy, to debate, to common projects that may well help us to meet two of the major challenges facing twenty-first century Europe: the universal exercising of the right to culture and the democratic coexistence of cultural identities.

The great challenge for European societies is to combine universalism with particularism, civic assimilation with the acknowledgement of special features, the guarantee of civil, political, social and cultural rights with the creation of conditions conducive to encounter and involvement. In terms of the right of access to culture, we must all be considered equal; in terms of the right to cultural identity, we must all be considered different.

1

Article 4 of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2 November 2001

Córdoba provides an ideal setting for the creation of a civic space in which cultures form the basis of a model of coexistence designed to ensure that the potential of the individuals and groups that inhabit that space are fully realised. Moreover, Córdoba is a suitable example of a European, Mediterranean, Southern city that has hosted, and continues to host, a whole range of encounters and possibilities, a city where intercultural social and civic practices have been forged.

Over the last few years, many cities have drafted immigrant-integration policies, and City Council ha ve strived to guarantee the basic rights of immigrants. At a time when European cities are swelled by the influx of immigrants, Córdoba represents – in terms of size, sociocultural characteristics and acquired experience – a democratic model rooted in the active involvement of all its inhabitants, in the peaceful coexistence of religions and cultures, and in the guarantee of cultural rights.

Citizens from different cultures celebrating the opening of Cosmopoética 2010

Córdoba provides – and through the implementation of the plans comprising the ECoC project will continue to provide – a model of intercultural governance for Europe, in which passive intolerance is replaced by an active guarantee of human rights. A governance supported by the involvement of citizens’ associations, by the real participation of the city’s poorer districts, and by the transformation of public spaces, which will cease to be mere thoroughfares for consumers who avert their eyes from each other, and will become spaces where citizenship is built.

To face the challenges posed by a globalised world and by the need to build a social Europe, the city must become the privileged source of answers to present uncertainties, secure solutions that will render us less vulnerable with regard to the future.

The construction of Europe began in the vast libraries of medieval Córdoba, a city which made space for churches, mosques and synagogues. A Europe of peoples and cities, of bridges and seas. A Europe that looks out over both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. A Europe that must become the key to breaking down the frontiers between North and South, between East and West.

Córdoba’s capacity to support concepts such as tolerance, constructive dialogue, interculturalism and peaceful coexistence, and its ability to project those concepts at international level, will enable the whole of Europe – in, before and after 2016 – to give these values both symbolic significance and tangible content. In doing so, Europe will be adopting a transnational and transcultural approach, while at the same time preserving the deep-rooted signs of Europe’s specific and distinctive features.

Running parallel to the adoption and implementation of this approach, is the design of a common culture, open to dialogue and to other cultures; a culture which reflects the need for interculturalism and global integration, but nonetheless respects local and regional peculiarities. Interculturalism is understood here as a process of mutual transformation, a way of linking people together to create a common space, avoiding both an excessive attachment to their original cultures (which would lead to the emergence of monocultural spaces and hence to their isolation) and an excessive assimilation into the dominant culture.

We believe that Córdoba’s ability to give tangible shape to its overwhelming symbolic legacy will meet many of the needs arising in a Europe whose society is rapidly changing in the new millennium; it will contribute to the building and convergence of a citizens’ Europe. Córdoba therefore offers itself to Europe as a platform, a meeting place, a permanent forum for debate on dialogue and interculturalism.

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2 Córdoba’s participatory tradition

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articipation means the active involvement of the citizens in their own world, and in that of others. It is the antithesis of isolation, selfishness, distrust and disappointment. For that reason, today’s institutions are desperately keen to ensure that their initiatives are acknowledged, listened to, at grass-roots level – whether the listeners agree or disagree. Above all, in order for a social group to feel that it is truly part of society, it needs to feel that it has access to the tools required to change things, and that it can be actively involved in that change.

Participation is the most reliable indicator of a society’s self-confidence, of its capacity to argue with the powers that be, to look to the future, to harness the varying energies that make up any complex society, without that society risking any potential loss of information, language or identity. Today, every project, idea and proposal is grounded on participation, as a guarantee of democracy and a sine qua non of its feasibility. We fully understand this now; and Córdoba understood it – perhaps unwittingly – back in the mid-1970s when Spain embarked upon the political transition to democracy.

Volunteers preparing to celebrate the Europe Day Festival

In the first exciting years of democracy, Córdoba – spurred both by institutional support and by its own sociocultural characteristics – soon defined its role as a participatory city. In the liberated era of the late 1970s, the city devoted its energy to constructing a model radically different to its predecessor. Political parties and citizens’ groups joined forces to seek a new approach to coexistence, and to build a city in which the people would be the driving force. This joint effort succeeded in shaping a different city, a space for permanent debate, a public forum in which all ideas could be given a hearing.

This approach has permeated the whole city. Social and institutional initiatives interact with a considerable degree of autonomy, and have succeeded in adapting to the far-reaching changes taking place in local society, through new demands and new priorities. The participatory schemes implemented over the last 35 years – involving different forms of participation, different players and different aims – have together shaped a diverse and enriching landscape. These schemes, though emerging at different times, have succeeded in complementing rather than replacing each other; as a result, today’s Córdoba is a rich, multifaceted and only apparently contradictory city. The various stages of this process are charted below. ·

·

·

In the 1980s, Córdoba focussed on developing a model based on the joint management of public policy by the local authorities and the people. The main actors in this model were the City Council and the various Neighbourhood Associations. A major aim of these policies was to consolidate a system of participatory management.

The 1990s saw the emergence of new theme-based local associations; these operated fairly independently of the local authorities, and were generally critical, though willing to cooperate. In each case, the main aim was to advocate a particular city model. Two major concerns of these associations were equality and environmental sustainability.

In the first ten years of this century, a number of highly-diverse initiatives have developed, mostly aimed at different forms of cultural expression; the creation of grass-roots cultural associations and art groups has played a key role in enriching the city’s culture and its identity.

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Córdoba’s participatory tradition

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FIG. 11

Evolution of citizen participation in Córdoba Source: Andalusian Institute for Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC)

Origin Model Parties Results

80s

Citizen/Institutional participation

City Council and Participative management Neighbourhood Associations

90s

The associations become specialised in certain themes

Themed associations (environment, equality)

Different city models are proposed

2000

Independent cultural expression

Citizen and artist networks

Cultural and self-identity enrichment

The dates given in the table above (see Fig. 11) refer to the creation of each movement, rather than to the present; each movement thus represents a new addition to the existing panorama, giving rise to an increasingly rich and complex participatory system. As we shall see, that complexity has been matched by the growing importance of the citizens and the declining importance of the local authorities. The authorities played a leading role in implementing the earliest experiments in participation; in the latest experiments, they are occasional partners.

Though participation is a very broad concept, mention must be made of the city’s extraordinary ability to integrate social diversity through major events, in which both traditional festivals and modern events in public spaces play a key role. Like other Andalusian and Mediterranean cities, Córdoba is remarkably adept at “creating the city” through open festivals in public spaces, overcoming all kinds of social differences. This distinctive feature, in a city with over 320,000 inhabitants, is a key to understanding its inclusive and participatory style.

This participatory approach, which clearly goes beyond any regulatory framework, has for centuries given rise to expressions of popular culture truly astounding given the urban nature of the community, and its size. Public spaces are the main venues for cultural events and festivals, many of which are classic examples of local, Andalusian and – by extension – Mediterranean culture.

Public spaces, then, are the constant backdrop for a continuous stream of cultural events; the events themselves are supported by, and open to, the whole population. This model contrasts sharply with that of other cities, which tend more towards the segmentation of local society. This, indeed, is another distinctive feature of Córdoba – its horizontal character, its ability to bring people together in all their social diversity, in symbolic spaces, for cultural purposes.

This ability is evident in many events, starting with the city’s most traditional festivals – an immense, intangible heritage . which are grouped under the generic heading of “Córdoba in May”, since this is the great month for celebrations: the May Crosses, the Córdoba Patios and Balconies Festival, and the “Nuestra Señora de la Salud” Fair; all these festivals are marked by massive popular participation and by the fact that they are open to everyone.

The Córdoba Patios Festival, founded in 1947, is the most individual and distinctive of these events. For a whole fortnight, around fifty houses in the Old Town (mostly private homes) open their doors to the public, so that tourists and local residents can admire the traditional architecture of the Córdoba courtyards (“patios”), and chat to their owners.

According to data published by the City Council, the courtyards receive around 300,000 visitors in the course of the fortnight; as a result, the courtyard has been revived as a space midway between public and private, as a border for exchange, as a clear example of the permeable nature of local society and of the flexible use of residential spaces, which encourages harmonious coexistence.

Another festival worth highlighting is the annual “Nuestra Señora de la Salud” Fair, which – as in other Andalusian cities – involves the building of a whole ephemeral city of stands and stalls, a modern echo of the old travelling markets, as entertainment venues.

Fairs may be more or less private; the Córdoba fair is among the most open and participatory. Around 120 local organisations and associations of all kinds (religious groups, NGOs, political parties, cultural clubs) set up “casetas” – enclosed spaces equipped with a bar and a dance floor – which are open to the public, with no restrictions of any kind. According to City Council statistics, over a million people visit the Fair during the nine-day period; a superb example of the inclusive and hugely popular nature of the event.

Also worthy of mention are the countless local pilgrimages and neighbourhood street parties, such as the Velá in the Fuensanta district. Another highly-distinctive local tradition is the “perol”, a picnic – usually involving the cooking of paella – organised by families and friends in the countryside, but also increasingly in urban spaces.

The organisation of this long list of events depends largely on the disinterested commitment of an extensive social network of civil and religious associations, clubs and other groups, which also serve to structure society. Taken together, these activities provide a veritable map of the rites of recognition and identification of local society – just as they do in many other Mediterranean cities.

Of course, the various forms of regulated participation have gradually changed over the years; those changes are charted below:

1980s: organisation of the joint participation of institutions and citizens Córdoba was the first city in Spain – and one of the first in Europe – to implement participatory management projects. It was the first Spanish city to approve (in 1979) a Citizen Participation Statute to regulate and structure a system of joint governance by institutions and citizens. The Statute was reviewed in 1986, to take into account the creation of new District Councils (geographical) and Local Councils (thematic), as representative organs for the various local associations; both Councils were intended to take an active part in the drafting, monitoring and evaluation of municipal policies. There are currently a total of fourteen District Councils, seven Local Councils and one Citizens’ Movement Council. (see Fig. 12) This led to the development of a system of participation through district councils which has given rise to the involvement of a very active residents’ movement in various aspects of city management.

Membership of the district and local councils now comprises 158 neighbourhood associations, 95 of which are coordinated by the Al-Zahara Federation of Neighbourhood Associations. These associations, the main channel for citizen participation, play a major role in city management, not only by working in conjunction with the local authorities but also by organising their own activities and taking part in public debates in the media. No institutional measure is implemented in the city unless it has first been debated by these organisations. Other associations also make a key contribution: leisure organisations such as social clubs, as well as religious groups of various kinds, help to structure social participation in matters which go considerably beyond the original areas of activity, to include issues related to cultural activities or charity work.

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Córdoba’s participatory tradition

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FIG. 12

What are citizen participation bodies and which are those of Córdoba?

The Federation of Neighbourhood Associations manages the “Casa Ciudadana”, one of the city’s largest civic centres, which is part of a network of 19 Municipal Civic Centres, all of which play a key role in channelling municipal services to residents. The civic centres are the chief infrastructural unit for local associations and other informal groups at district level; they operate in a highly-democratic way, and are a driving force in the city’s sociocultural life. (see Fig. 13)

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TI PA I C

B ON

O DIE

PA R

T

Source: Citizen Participation Department, Córdoba City Council

S Sectorial Councils (7)

Participation bodies are the different means that citizens have at their disposal with which to intervene in certain areas of municipal management.

District Councils (14)

District Assembly

1. Citizens Movement Council.

This is the permanent participation body whose functions cover the whole city and is concerned with issues from any sector and which analyses and coordinates the activities that affect its territory.

Citizens Movement Council

Citizen representatives in Municipal Companies and Bodies

2. District Council (14).

This is the permanent participation body whose functions cover a basic area; the district.

City Assembly

3. Sectorial Councils (7).

These are the participation bodies that channel the initiatives and concerns of citizens with respect to issues specifically related to the city, for example, schooling, sport, the environment, youth, women, senior citizens, disabled citizens, cooperation etc.

It has been widely acknowledged in international academic forums, and in the regional, national and international urban-policy networks of which Córdoba is a member, that the city has become something of a byword at European level for the joint management of public policy: Córdoba is a member of the Andalusian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FAMP), as well as its Spanish parent organisation (FEMP), and is also a member of the following networks: Fundación Kaleidos.red, the Urb-Al programme, the International Observatory for Participatory Democracy (IOPD Committee on Social Inclusion and Participatory Democracy (CSIPD) of the worldwide organisation “United Cities and Local Governments” (UCLG) and the State Network for Participatory Budgeting.

1990s: thematic structuring of the associative movement Having achieved a network of representative organisations on a geographical basis, the 1990s saw the emergence of numerous theme-based organisations which have worked tirelessly on issues such as gender equality and sustainability; these have had considerable impact at national level, and have played a decisive role in shaping Córdoba as a people-sized city.

The city’s women’s organisations have their own exclusive participatory mechanism, the Municipal Women’s Council, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary. This Council has an assembly structure, and under its regulations the assembly is the sovereign decisionmaker. This body is currently taking part in the design and launching of the City Council’s Transversal Gender Plan, a planning tool aimed at fostering equal opportunities and the defence of women’s rights throughout the municipal sphere.

This Transversal Plan has focussed, amongst other things, on helping and supporting women in underprivileged groups and areas, promoting measures aimed at encouraging these women to take charge of their own projects for change and personal development.

The Council’s equality policies are thus the fruit of a collective effort by the authorities and local people, and women have played an active role in their drafting.

These policies reflect the demands of women, the hard work done by the groups representing them, and the consensus born of an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the city’s main political parties, all of which has led to a clear preference for grass-roots action and for programmes to be implemented at district level. The work done so far has also focussed on educating society in terms of certain values, especially with regard to the prevention of gender violence; training and awareness schemes have been organised through the Municipal Feminist Training School, whose now-popular courses address a range of issues – including equal opportunities – from a gender perspective. The School is currently giving priority to training in new technologies, adopting an innovative approach based on the particular situations and background of the students, who are encouraged to learn and create at the same time.

In addition to providing value-related training, the City Council supports the running of Awareness Campaigns on Non-Sexist Education and the Prevention of Gender Violence in primary and secondary schools. This municipal policy seeks to guarantee certain rights, and to ensure the even-handed inclusion of all the citizens, and of all the city’s districts and suburbs. With this purpose in mind, the authorities have launched a number of initiatives aimed at reconciling the demands of work and family life, including the Compartiempo (“Timeshare”) project, which enables people with family responsibilities to have access to educational, training and leisure resources, regardless of their family situation. The Positive Spaces for Equality project seeks to improve the position of women in underprivileged areas and situations through specially-adapted, non-excluding measures.

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FIG. 13

Municipal civic centres Source: Citizen Participation Department, Córdoba City Council

1. C.C. Norte Avda. Cruz de Juárez s/n

17

14

2. C.C. Compl. El Naranjo C/ Díaz Huertas, 21

1

3. C.C. Moreras C/Músico Tomás Luis de Victoria s/n

2

4. C.C. Vallehermoso Pasaje de Candelaria Herrera s/n

18

5. C.C. Levante Avda. Carlos III, 53

4

7. C.C. Poniente Sur C/ Camino Viejo de Almodóvar s/n

15

8. C.C. Sebastián Cuevas C/ Doctor José Altolaguirre s/n

16

9. C.C. Centro Plaza de la Corredera s/n 10. C.C. Arrabal del Sur C/ Motril s/n

7

6

13. C.C. Fuensanta C/ Arquitecto Saenz de Santamaría, 14

5

9 8 12 13

11. C.C. Compl. Arrabal del Sur C/ Santo Domingo de Guzmán s/n 12. C.C. Osio Plaza de Cañero s/n

19

3

6. C.C. Compl. Lepanto Ronda del Marrubial s/n

11 10

PERIPHERY 14. C.C. Trassierra Ctra. de Trassierra s/n. Trassierra 15. C.C. Rafael Villar Avda. Principal s/n. El Higuerón 16. C.C. Villarrubia Plaza de Aljarilla, 15. Villarrubia

NORTE SIERRA DISTRICT

PONIENTE SUR DISTRICT

NOROESTE DISTRICT

CENTRO DISTRICT

17. C.C. Muriano C. del Campamento s/n. Cerro Muriano

PONIENTE NORTE DISTRICT

SUR DISTRICT

18. C.C. Santa Cruz Plaza de Andalucía s/n. Santa Cruz 19. C.C. Alcolea Plaza de la Cerería s/n. Alcolea

LEVANTE DISTRICT

SURESTE DISTRICT

Córdoba plays an active role in a number of larger equality networks, including the Network of Free Municipalities against Gender Violence and the Federation of Municipalities and Provinces; it has also signed the European Charter for the Equality of Women and Men in Local Life. At the same time, the city is active in associations such as the Progressive Women’s Federation, the European Women’s Lobby, the Feminist Policy Forum, Women in Conflict Zones, Convening Power and Management and the Córdoba Platform against Domestic Violence.

Another leading thematic organisation is the Bike-Lane Platform, which was founded in 1995 by 300 individuals and associations, with the aim of developing a sustainable model for urban mobility, giving special emphasis to the use of bicycles. A year later it became part of the national co-ordinating group Conbici, which includes like-minded organisations in Spain and Portugal.

A Desalambrar (Removing fences), is a group whose main aim is the restoration of public rights of way, cattle paths, streams and public fountains in rural areas throughout the province. Since it was founded, the group has taken part in around 80 protest actions, and has worked successfully with the Administration to reopen formerly-closed public rights of way. The experience of this group was the inspiration for a new network with similar objectives, the Iberian Group for Public Right of Way, which now comprises around 20 associations from Spain and Portugal, whose activities closely resemble those of the Córdoba organisation. Attention is drawn particularly to these two groups, since in addition to their impact at local level, they have also served as a model for nationwide networks.

From 2000 onwards: independent cultural expression During the 1980s and 1990s, the participatory approach focussed on joint policy management and on the development of a particular city model; from the turn of the century, artistic expression has been the main driving force behind the involvement of different groups of citizens. The results have undoubtedly enriched the city’s cultural panorama and broadened the artistic horizons of most of its residents; new networks have emerged, sharing new contemporary idioms, an open attitude and a preference for public spaces as venues. Public spaces to which online networks – often the main creative and communication space for many of these groups, have been enthusiastically added.

These initiatives have taken many forms, all of which share a desire to use public spaces for artistic creation; as a result, the city’s public spaces have themselves become an art gallery open to everyone.

Like a modern agora, Internet has provided an outlet for many residents’ blogs – some personal, and some collective. A good example is the long-standing Calleja de las Flores website (www.callejadelasflores.org), an active forum for social and political debate, and also for discussion regarding the protection of the city’s heritage. This initiative is particularly remarkable because it uses new technologies to disseminate literature, and because it effectively merges virtual and public spaces, whilst maintaining its publishing activities, public recitals and other events. Another equally remarkable project in the cultural and creative arena is the online review Ars Operandi (http://arsoperandi.blogspot.com).

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A further noteworthy example of the participatory trend amongst local residents is Cordobapedia (http://wikanda. Córdobapedia.es), the world’s first localpedia. Using wiki (Wikipedia) format, localpedias are free-access encyclopedias built by volunteers keen to allow people to learn more about their town/city, province and region.

The initial experiment in Córdoba was quickly followed by countless Spanish localpedias in Toledo (2006), Seville, Madrid and Salamanca (2007), and Oviedo (2008).

Thanks to the contributions of hundreds of editors, Córdobapedia now contains over 13,000 articles.

In conclusion, it might be useful to highlight some of the main milestones in the process of citizen participation in Córdoba: 1 Córdoba was the first European city to develop Participatory Budgeting between 2001 and 2007.

The Council co-ordinated two projects funded by the European Commission, within the context of the Urb-Al programme (focussing on the analysis of urban policies for the sustainable development of cities), which are related to the implementation of participatory budgeting as an innovative tool for the management of public resources and as a tool for the transformation of the internal functioning of the Council itself (Participatory budgeting: towards new forms of local governance, Network No.3 and Taking part in local governance: the impact of participatory budgeting in local public administration, Network No. 9).

2 The integration of residents’ associations on the boards of administration of municipal companies. The duties of each of the participating bodies include helping to shape municipal policies by presenting proposals, reports and rulings regarding service provision, municipal programmes or projects for individual districts or the whole city, as well as making proposals for new services, programmes and projects. At the same time, the Citizens’ Movement Council appoints citizens’ representatives to serve on the management boards of municipal companies and organisms.

3 Since 2002, the participatory implementation of Agenda 21, an internationally-known environmental sustainability model for cities.

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4 Management of one of the city’s largest civic centres, the Casa Ciudadana, by the Federation of Neighbourhood Associations.

5 The establishment of Citizens’ Panels in 2009 to draft a new participation plan.

6 The only two participatory research experiments in Spain (about youth and leisure in 2006, and about water management in 2009), carried out respectively by the Centre for Sociological Research and the Andalusian Institute of Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC), and by the IESA-CSIC in conjunction with the Andalusian Regional Council.

7 The creation of the Participation Training School, by the City Council, in 2010 to ensure that the various participating representatives were suitably qualified.

8 The Statute currently in force was passed in 2007, with a view to renewing the commitment to joint management dating back to 1979. A new Municipal Plan for Citizen Participation, designed to implement the 2007 Statute, was passed in 2010. Over the years, numerous innovative schemes have made the city a forum for constant debate on its future.

Córdoba’s ECoC bid plans to harness this long history of participatory management, a distinctive feature of the city. Indeed, the project itself is the result of a collective endeavour.

Children taking part in the Calle Imágenes project during the Europe Day Festival

European Capital of Culture: culture for all, culture for one

In broad terms, culture can be seen as a set of artistic and cultural practices that seek to build the public realm by generating and consolidating habits likely to improve our quality of life. It is men and women who draw the map of a city whose streets and squares become the setting for meetings, for words, for creation.

Venues for art and expression for words and translation.

Public art, for the public. Art that in the last analysis implies the building of citizenship rather than a mere exercise in passive contemplation. Because art in the twenty-first century has a duty to create those spaces of communicative interaction.

This idea provides the framework for cultural activities promoted by local institutions working closely with private-sector bodies and with grass-roots organisations.

This in turn helps us to define a complex citizenry, supported by the dialogue between men and women, between generations, between cultures and, in short, between the different cities which together comprise the city. A dialogue in which the voices of artists and creators are essential.

Córdoba, as a city committed to participation and the creation of “in-between” spaces – between the sexes, between generations, between cultures, between religions, between districts, between the centre and the suburbs, between creators and their audiences, between the private and the public – has vowed to welcome what is mixed, to grant equal recognition to all, and to use public spaces as civic spaces.

With this bid, the city seeks to avoid creating ghettos, inner borders, and invisible cities. The idea is to foster a “soft” city, as the metaphor of a plural space that encourages encounter, mixing, mutual recognition, and learning. In this sense, Córdoba experience can help us to replace the solitary experience of the shopping mall with the collective experience of the public square. Córdoba is a city for strolling, for living outside, in its streets and squares; a city where public spaces are shared and enjoyed by generations, cultures, and gazes.

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Córdoba’s participatory tradition

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3 From the heritage city to the city of innovation Women must add their knowledge and the tools related to the ethics of care to a civic space that needs to be reviewed at a time when political, economic and social models are clearly in crisis. Their creative work should be fostered and the voice that for centuries was hidden, belittled, hardly mentioned at all, should be now heard.

Like the voice of Fátima the librarian; like the voice of the first female autobiographer, Leonor López de Córdoba; like the politically-influential voice of Leonor de Guzmán; like the voices of so many anonymous women who built bridges and wove tapestries. The equality of men and women is not just a major plank in this project, it is also a priority concern in a city to which Europe will turn its eyes in 2016, and from which it must learn in order to bring about a future that will need a new discourse and new methods.

In Córdoba, a great deal of work is being done to ensure the participation of every man and woman in the city’s cultural life. A key feature of this move towards equal opportunities is a firm commitment to guarantee universal access to culture. Disability and exclusion are the main barriers to exercising the right to culture. But they are by no means the only ones; for there are people whose access to culture is constrained by the responsibility of having to care for others.

We mentioned earlier certain measures intended to respond to the need for adaptation (town planning, architecture, transport, information, and communication), derived from the life-journey of all people, with or without disabilities. This search for the “Universal Design” involves detecting needs, and specifying a timeline for the achieving of goals.

Senior citizens are another social group displaying particular needs and asymmetries. Almost 20% of the population are over 65 years old. Yet at the same time many people of that age are well-educated and affluent, and prefer culture-related leisure activities. They are participants in the cultural process, either actively as creators, mediators, managers or volunteers, or more passively as part of the audience. As we move towards 2016, Córdoba is committed to providing these reflections within the framework of the White Paper on Active Ageing in Andalusia, which is the basis and legal framework for age-related policies for the next 20 or 30 years.

Another key advantage of Andalusian cities like Andalusia is their large population of young people, that ensures a constant dialogue between generations. This is a crucial issue at a time when parts of Europe are increasingly being riven by inter-generational conflict, and by clashes between underprivileged and over-privileged areas. Conflicts of this sort are much less apparent in Andalusia.

We also need to examine the barriers encountered by other groups whose social or economic circumstances limit their equal access to cultural activities. There are areas of Córdoba where residents are facing, or are at risk of facing, social exclusion. Whilst localised social exclusion is a thing of the past, the socioeconomic situation of some neighbourhoods requires specific attention.

Even so, in underprivileged areas such as Las Palmeras a number of special cultural activities – the Rhythm Workshop, Street Meetings, Spaces for Equality – have helped to fight exclusion, and have even fostered some music-related economic activities.

En route to 2016, we plan to develop musical activities like this in a systematic manner, providing training and creating permanent infrastructure as well as flamenco and fusion circuits, thus reflecting the distinctive identities of the other cultures which live together – tnot always harmoniously – in these neighbourhoods. We seek to encourage the incorporation and circulation of these emerging cultural movements into the ECoC project, not as a centripetal drive, but as part of a process of exchange and recognition , of fusion and mutual enrichment. This will be achieved by making full use of the solid participatory tradition in these areas, where decisions are taken and strategies shaped.

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istorically, Córdoba has always been a city of creators. The arts, the sciences and other intellectual pursuits have developed side by side over the centuries, testifying to man’s – and woman’s – ability to react culturally to their surroundings, to generate ideas, practices or products in response to the challenges and demands of their age. Men and women are cultural and, therefore, creative beings, able to see and analyse reality, to re-create, deconstruct and reconstruct it, to imagine new realities, to seek and find answers, and to pose new questions.

These abilities are multiplied where there is a mix of cultures and civilisations; they are heightened in places like Córdoba which throughout its history has fed on many cultures. We need only look to its Roman past, to the legacy of al-Ándalus, to tease out the strands and threads used by creators down the centuries to enrich this city; while in the present, new technology has already started to play an essential role in creativity and economic development.

Córdoba is the birthplace of Abbas Ibn Firnas, the first man in history ever to attempt to fly: in the eleventh century, he made a set of wings, leapt off a peak in the Sierra, and succeeded in gliding. To honour this feat – from which Leonardo da Vinci drew inspiration – Baghdad international airport is named after him, and a huge statue of a winged man towers over the airport road.

Two centuries later a Córdoba doctor, Albucasis, revolutionised medicine by laying the foundations of modern surgery. Today, Córdoba’s Reina Sofia Teaching Hospital, where over 4,000 transplants have been carried out since 1979, has become a national leader in organ transplants, and has exported its methods through training and co-operation in other countries, particularly in Latin American. Strikingly, the organ donation rate in Córdoba is 44.2 per million inhabitants, more than twice the European average of 18.2.

All this has generated, over the centuries, a potential that is the city’s finest heritage, and its greatest strength with regard to the challenge of becoming European Capital of Culture. A challenge that will undoubtedly encourage the necessary move from creativity to innovation. In other words, a challenge that will help the city to channel its creative potential towards social and economic development, taking a leap into the present, not just from a merely cultural point of view, but also from the perspective of sustainable development.

In the sphere of innovation, Córdoba has been working for years to make culture a driving force for the production of the strategies and tools required for sustainable development, thus reflecting European expectations as set down in Agenda 21 for Culture and in the Eurocult Project. In fact, the Programme on Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development: The City of Tomorrow and Cultural Heritage stresses the role of culture as a means of promoting creative hubs for sustainable development. This focus takes full account of the role played by tourist attractions and cultural goods and services, and of their significant social impact in cities like Córdoba, which have succeeded in modernising those artistic and cultural services.

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It was with these objectives in mind, that the Córdoba City Council – through its Employment and Economic Development Institute – joined the CREA.RE-Creative Regions project along with eleven other European partners. The Interreg IVC programme, approved by the European Commission on 11 September, 2007, is part of the Objective for European Territorial Co-operation in Regional Policies. It aims to promote cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation, while helping European regional and local authorities to work together, sharing innovative and sustainable knowledge and experiences to contribute to the economic modernisation and enhanced competition in Europe. The CRE.ARE strategy, which forms part of this European programme, is part of the city’s commitment to develop a creative economy and boost the cultural sector, which will help to enhance Córdoba’s standing in Europe. Within the framework of this project, in April 2010 Córdoba organised the 1st Creativity Week, aimed at promoting the city as a hothouse for creative cultural and economic activities, and at strengthening the ECoC by networking at European level.

At the same time, Córdoba’s ECoC bid fits remarkably well into the Sustainable Andalusia Programme of March 2010, which implements measures set forth in the Spanish Strategy and in the 7th Andalusian Social Pact through a total of 146 projects, twenty of which are directly related to the Córdoba 2016 project. They include the Córdoba Cultural Riverbank scheme – affected by ten of the culture-related projects – which focuses on the River Guadalquivir, and a number of projects addressing issues such as incentives, excellence, the Rabanales 21 Science and Technology Park, cultural hubs, and the heritage-culture and tourism system. Three projects deal with town- planning and innovation matters, while four further projects focus on quality of life in the city. Finally, three additional projects seek to enhance aspects of citizen participation, citizenship and new information technologies, areas in which Córdoba is highly competitive.

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All these programmes reflect the profound changes taking place in Córdoba over recent years, which have helped to define it as a city whose potential goes beyond its rich heritage. R&D&I programmes have started to centre on the most socially-open fields of art, and the city has embarked upon a series of innovative urban schemes aimed at consolidating Córdoba’s reputation in Europe as a byword for culture, for innovation and for a strong degree of participation involving local institutions, the University, local businesses and, in general, every public and private organisation in the city.

Ultimately, the idea is that culture should not be just a driving force for tourism, employment and local development, but that the consolidation of cultural and creative industries should place Córdoba firmly within the European network of creative cities.

From that perspective, the city’s rich heritage and cultural background acquire new value, since the objective is to generate creative cultural and economic activity.

That objective thus goes beyond 2016, since the ultimate challenge is for Córdoba to become a European Cultural City, i.e. a key southern European meeting point for creativity and innovation, culture and thinking, art and new technologies, heritage and tourism. The city’s privileged geostrategic position – between Europe and Africa, between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, between the Americas and Europe – will help to make it an outstanding cultural hub.

Innovation means breathing life into what has been created, nurturing it so that it takes on a meaning in the present, and more particularly for the future; making it into a tool capable of generating social and economic benefits. To achieve this, creativity cannot be separated from business, from education, from public management, politics or science.

Research laboratories, University of Córdoba

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There is ample evidence of Córdoba’s increasing commitment to that great leap forward, for which new technologies will provide the required momentum. A good example is CeiA-3, the Campus of International Excellence in the Food and Agriculture Sector, involving five Andalusian universities working under the leadership of Córdoba University, and which will undoubtedly help to respond to human needs in a global economy.

The University of Córdoba has joined nine other Andalusian public universities to present a joint project on Natural and Cultural Heritage, in a bid to be recognised as a Campus of International Excellence (CEI) in this sphere in 2010. This new project, coordinated by the University of Jaén with extensive input from the universities of Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Málaga, and Seville, the Pablo de Olavide University and the International University of Andalusia, seeks to make Andalusia a leading player in the field of cultural and environmental conservation.

A similar commitment to innovation is evident in a joint project involving the Industrial Technology Centre and Córdoba University’s Eatco Research Group on ICT and Disability; these two bodies have jointly designed, patented and will shortly be marketing a new device which will undoubtedly revolutionise access to new technologies: the iFreeTablet, premiered just one week after Apple’s new gadget. The University of Córdoba developed the operating system for this touch-operated computer, known as “Siesta”. The iFreeTablet was designed with enhanced accessibility in mind; it can be used by the elderly and the disabled, and the various applications can be accessed by touch, by gesture, by voice or by sound.

Mention should also be made of the vast potential displayed by the University’s various research groups. The University is a leading research specialist in the fields of nanotechnology and agroindustrial engineering, and promotes close links between research and the business world through its Office for the Transfer of Research Results (OTRI).

The move from being a city with a superb heritage to being a city of innovation requires a collective effort in many different fields, and involves innovation in cultural activities, social cohesion, technical and scientific innovation via university excellence and the implementation of a global city project. Throughout this process, culture is seen as a logistical tool that can make Córdoba a cultural platform for the regional development of southern Europe. An inclusive, participatory city which – through urban empowerment – can overcome its weaknesses and develop its strengths. That empowerment requires training, intelligence, boldness, diversity, and imagination if it is to enable Córdoba to take a decisive step towards innovative creativity.

Attention is drawn here to the impact in Córdoba of the Andalusian Design Technology Centre, Surgenia, founded in November 2007 with the aim of fostering innovation and creativity not just in Córdoba but throughout Andalusia. This is a private foundation, part of the Andalusian Network of Technology Centres (RETA) launched by the Andalusian Regional Council with backing from public and private organisations, Andalusian businesses, and design professionals. Surgenia is an Advanced Technology Centre that designs and develops tailor-made projects to help place Andalusian companies in the market, using design as the main tool for generating new products, processes or business models. Surgenia promotes design as a vital component of Andalusian society and culture, and to this end it implements and advises on projects aimed at encouraging a greater awareness of the importance of design amongst Andalusian entrepreneurs and the public in general.

From the heritage city to the city of innovation

The RETA network boasts other major technology centres in Córdoba, all of which seek to transfer the results of research and innovation to local industries; they include the Wood and Furniture Technology Centre (Lucena), the Textile Technology Centre (Baena and Priego de Córdoba), the Valle de los Pedroches Agrofood Quality and Research Centre (Pozoblanco) and the Rabanales 21 Science and Technology Park (Córdoba city).

Another major landmark in this respect was the establishment in 2009 of the Andalusian Chair in Gastronomy – the fourth such Chair in Spain and the first in Andalusia – with the backing of the Fundación Bodegas Campos and under the aegis of the University of Córdoba. The Chair aims to foster, promote and coordinate links between the agrofood production, tourism, and hotel and catering sectors, and to provide a new innovative approach to their operations. It seeks to generate and transfer knowledge, to make society in general more aware of various aspects of gastronomy, and to act as a link between the Universities of Andalusia, the business sector, catering colleges, and other educational establishments.

Throughout the foregoing pages, we have referred to Córdoba’s strategic bid to make culture a focus for growth and productivity, in economic and business terms as well as in social and urban terms. Perhaps the most important result of a successful ECoC bid is that it will enable the city to channel a whole range of grassroots schemes and initiatives into a single common strategy based on creative innovation, and on cultural innovation.

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One clear priority is the creation of the structural framework required to coordinate the work of creative artists, organisations, associations and companies, and to enhance and reinforce both their skills and their prospects.

The existing programme already does much to provide this, by fostering the extensive participation and involvement of a whole range of cultural players in Córdoba, by encouraging exchanges, and by forging new links between creative artists and production centres.

But the scope of the ECoC bid – in terms of culture as the driving force for a productive economy, a tool for regeneration, and a focus of investment – does not end there. Indeed, it is only the starting point for a whole strategy aimed at creative innovation; a strategy that depends on taking into account the context and the players concerned. Whilst we seek to integrate what already exists, we also eagerly welcome new ideas, new players, and new experiences.

Chapter VII examines in some detail the core elements of Córdoba’s cultural ecosystem, highlighting a number of ongoing projects, schemes and initiatives that reflect the desire to make creative innovation the basis for future growth. These include: the Centre for Contemporary Creation (C4), a future leader in the field of training and contemporary creation; the Andalusian Design Technology Centre (Surgenia), Córdoba’s involvement in the CREA.RE-Creative Regions project and in the Sustainable Andalusia programme; and the Rabanales 21 Science and Technology Park.

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All these institutions have a part to play in the cultural sphere, especially since they are already firmly established and well-resourced. The creative and cultural industries no longer operate as separate entities; today they are linked by a whole series of intersections and crossovers between technology, marketing, industry, content, and audiences. Our strategy can thus boast considerable scientific and technological capacity, which can also contribute to cultural innovation.

The ECoC bid will serve as a focus for unifying the political and strategic agenda, above all by encouraging cooperation agreements intended to facilitate the bringing together of various schemes for promoting economic growth and employment, and to channel these schemes towards the specific area of cultural innovation. This will also be the time to start designing infrastructure and resources aimed specifically at cultural innovation.

The map of the city’s cultural infrastructure has now been perfectly planned with a view to meeting all artistic and cultural needs: exhibition centres, theatres, congress centres, etc. Córdoba can thus guarantee the capacity required for a varied and extensive cultural programme of international scope; more specifically, the city is fully prepared to implement the ECoC programme, and to guarantee its quality and excellence.

One important guarantee of the success of the ECoC project is that the investment and infrastructure required for 2016 have already been earmarked, which means that investment and planning over the period 2012-2015 can be focused specifically on the creation of facilities, resources and contexts for creative innovation. It should be stressed that facilities and resources of this sort are much more affordable, and require less budgetary investmen,t than infrastructure specifically intended for exhibition purposes.

The creative innovation strategy to be implemented during the run-up to 2016 will focus on three major areas: · · ·

Support structure for production: companies, entrepreneurs, groups.

Spaces for creation and innovation Laboratory for analysis, review and prospection in the cultural sector.

The two working methods to be implemented are outlined below.

From the heritage city to the city of innovation

1 The signing of cooperation agreements aimed at merging a range of existing development and employment/self-employment initiatives with a view to prioritising and coordinating actions in the field of cultural production. A major contribution to this process will be made by the Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment (IMDEEC), and particularly by the various Business Training Schools (Las Lonjas and Tecnocórdoba, both specialising in R+D+i) which have already carried out several culture-related projects. This structure will be complemented by the creation, in 2013, of a Cultural Business Training School at the former Teacher Training College known as La Normal (now the School of Arts and Popular Culture), and by the establishment of a number of rehearsal rooms to encourage the formation of new bands in the southern districts of the city. We feel that the signing of cooperation agreements is more practical and more realistic than the ex profeso creation of separate frameworks of action. Given the current trend towards media convergence, actions that address culture – and particularly the productive and economic aspects of culture – as a strictly separate entity are liable to prove unfruitful. Nonetheless, the ECoC project will seek to set up specific Cultural Business Training establishments which will be linked to the more general schemes currently in place. A good example of local interest in the specific potential of this sector is a proposal launched recently by the group Colaborativa, entitled 10 Ideas for an Independent Creative Space in Córdoba. The ECoC project will provide a positive context for the channelling and structuring of a whole range of initiatives and expectations.

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2 The planning, specific design and creation of resource and innovation centres. As indicated earlier, Córdoba’s bid is already fairly advanced in terms of existing cultural infrastructure; this will facilitate considerably the design of a second network of infrastructure, spaces and resource centres specifically aimed at production rather than exhibition. Whilst the strategy outlined in the previous section will focus on the economic development of culture, this second strategy will address the development of creative skills. Obviously, it will bear in mind that spaces for creation must also be spaces for training.

Indeed, the strategic pairing of training and creation underlies our whole approach to the development of spaces for cultural production. These spaces will be carefully planned to guarantee their twofold use as centres for training (workshops, encounters, seminars) and for creation (venues for artists in residence, spaces for production and rehearsal). In this respect, the Centre for Contemporary Creation (C4) – mentioned earlier – provides a good starting-point, since it aims at performing both these functions. Indeed, the philosophy behind C4 is closer to that of an active cultural resource centre than that of an exhibition centre.

The third pillar indicated above is the proposed creation of a Laboratory for analysis, review and prospection in the cultural sector, with the backing of the Andalusian Institute for Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC).

This will be examined in greater detail in Chapter V. We believe that this will be a major contribution to cultural innovation. Armed with precise tools for analysis, appraisal and prospection, we will be better able to implement accurate measures and effectively channel our work; at the same time, the laboratory itself will become a production and resource centre.

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The ECoC project is built upon a fabric whose multiple, interlocking strands extend across the whole city, forming a web of culture which will become the driving force for economic development, the basis of urban structure, the priority issue of public policy and the heart of citizen participation. From this dual perspective of creators and audiences, Córdoba has a long track record in a discipline that puts it in a special position with respect to other cities: literature and, more specifically, poetry.

City of Córdoba Orchestra

New creators, new audiences

As explained in the first chapter, the ECoC project will activate the whole cultural value production chain, but above all it will give a voice to new creators and provide them with the opportunity not just to become familiar with new artistic idioms but also to experiment with those idioms by encouraging the dialogue between them.

Support for new creators will focus on: · · ·

Art forms with varied roots that need to communicate both with Córdoba’s past and its present.

New idioms offering scope for experimentation and new approaches to art and culture.

The use of new technologies as a tool for expression and cultural reaction. In this respect, the project will encourage the use of Internet as a democratic space for communication and creation, and will also explore the hitherto untapped potential of images.

All this will be supported by educational programmes, in which the University of Córdoba will play a central role; these programmes will contribute to the sustainability of projects, and to the training of the professionals who are likely to become a key element in the city’s future economic development.

A fundamental feature of these actions is that they will seek and generate new, plural, participatory audiences, active and differentiated audiences, that play an active role in art, and by extension, in culture. The term “audience” is not used here in a purely passive sense, but rather in the sense of a group of people actively involved in the transitive ethic which – according to Nicolas Bourriaud – is characteristic of art and, by extension, of culture. An active, differentiated audience; plural and participatory. Not mere spectators but an essential element of cultural action in the city.

The immense success of Cosmopoética, now a national landmark in this field, is due to earlier work carried out since the mid-1990s, and in particular to the Poetry Room and its accompanying workshops. This was a long-term enterprise that lasted five years, and later continued in the form of writing workshops run by the Andalusian Youth Institute from 1998 to 2004. These two initiatives generated an environment favourable to poetry, with the help of two generations of young, prize-winning poets, whose work appears in anthologies of contemporary poets and is published by the best imprints.

These long-lived schemes also generated an audience of people who, though not professional poets, at least attended the workshops, received training, and became poetry readers, forever interested in the subject.

This generated a stable public, the same public that now crowds into the Cosmopoética sessions, giving them meaning.

Over the last few years, work has also been done to encourage cultural habits by institutions such as the Córdoba City Orchestra and the Andalusian Film Institute, which have created new audiences for music and cinema, audiences of different origins, ages and interests. Educational projects relating to contemporary art will also generate new habits in this aspect of culture.

It is often stressed that in order to create new audiences, we must focus on educating young children and teenagers, and we must certainly enhance educational programmes at this level. But at the same time, there are other groups that might benefit from this sort of education:

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Retired people, or those about to retire, with an average level of culture, who have spare time and an interest in culture as a leisure or social pursuit.

Parents with children, who would like to take part in cultural activities without neglecting their family obligations, for whom we plan to introduce a programme aimed at balancing cultural and private life.

People devoted to the care of dependent family members, who – if occasionally relieved by voluntary workers – would have time to pursue cultural activities.

Immigrants who could take part in activities related to the interaction of their culture as part of the overall programme.

The enhancement of the cultural events available at district or neighbourhood level; although several projects are already in place, there is room for further growth.

The local media will play an essential role in these activities, since they are ideally placed to foster dialogue, and can contribute positively both to the city’s cultural organisation and to the education of its residents. In this respect, it is worth highlighting that many local media figures are backing the Córdoba 2016 project, and have been accepted as collaborating bodies by the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation.

This search for new audiences has been supplemented by activities intended to foster amateur creation – a process which started in the 1990s in the case of literature – because these workshops have proved to be a useful instrument for encouraging and guiding new talent. The Culture Network programmes, organised in various districts of the city, will be reinforced, and their creative framework will be strengthened. We are keen to implement professionalisation programmes for creators in a range of fields. The future Centre for Contemporary Creation, a high-performance art centre, will offer high level training programmes for emerging artists both in and beyond the city.

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4 Culture as a pillar of sustainability

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he concept of culture as the fourth pillar of sustainability has been gradually acknowledged, and is now widely accepted; the other three pillars are the environment, economy and society. Córdoba’s ECoC bid adopts this principle, arguing that culture is the structure that supports and transforms the city, society and social organisations. Supporting and transforming, a twofold vision that applies and guarantees the basic principle of sustainable development: “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”2.

We understand sustainability as the fostering of an environment capable of generating cultural activities in the broadest sense. The model proposed for Córdoba does not focus exclusively on the year 2016, but rather uses this milestone as a means of consolidating processes that have been running for over ten years.

Fine arts workshop, Antonio Gala Foundation for young creators

Since 2001, the Antonio Gala Foundation has made a valuable contribution by awarding residence grants for young creative artists. Until now, a total of 120 artists have received these grants, which seek to give young people, often from the most underprivileged social groups, the chance – in local writer Antonio Gala’s own words – to “live to work, without needing to work to live”. In other words, the Foundation provides them with maintenance, accommodation and materials, so that they can develop their cultural skills for one year, with the idea of giving them, at least, a chance to devote themselves exclusively to their creative art. The Foundation is currently home to 20 young artists from various fields – writers, musicians, painters, sculptors – who are encouraged to pool their creative talents, and share their experiences in a mutually enriching symbiosis.

The headquarters of the Antonio Gala Foundation has rooms specially adapted to enable young artists to live and work together. Young sculptors and painters find in these shared studios an atmosphere highly conducive to their art. Musicians have three soundproofed rooms, equipped with classical and electronic instruments for composing and playing. Writers work in their studies at the former Corpus Christi convent or in the Foundation’s library, which boasts over ten thousand documents and the latest information technology. There is also a lecture theatre and two exhibition rooms, the regular venues for first-class cultural activities.

In addition to the programme of activities drawn up specifically for 2016, we seek to establish productive processes that will make culture, thereafter, the real heart of the city’s progress. Not merely as the definition of a certain kind of tourism, or of a given form of economic activity, but as a value in itself, regardless of any positive external benefits that it may, and should, generate.

For this reason, in 2016, Córdoba intends to lead the debate on the social value of culture in itself. This commitment to stability is particularly evident in the fact that the infrastructure created to support the activities scheduled during Cultural Capital year will be maintained and will continue to generate added value over future decades; none of the facilities will lose their significance once the year is over. Cultural centres being built now will remain open after 2016, regardless of whether or not Córdoba is named Cultural Capital of Europe.

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Definition provided in the report Our Common Future (UN World Commission on the Environment and Development, 1998)

This insistence on sustainability is also evident in the name of the organising body: the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, i.e. with no reference to 2016. Although its regulations state that the collective aspiration is to be named ECoC, there is also a commitment to continuity, in that the aim of the Foundation is to guide Córdoba towards the creative route. Indeed, Córdoba’s ECoC bid has given rise to a whole new framework of relationships between existing cultural institutions, facilitating joint endeavours. / Córdoba has already achieved acknowledged levels of sustainability in a range of spheres (recycling, refuge collection, water quality, etc.); it must now become a leading national benchmark for new types of sustainable building and housing, promoting social and environmental quality in new buildings, and implementing advanced, innovative regulations on energy efficiency and the sustainable use of resources. Joining these achievements to progress in the field of social, participatory and cultural economy is part of Córdoba’s cultural strategy for 2016.

Other indicators of economic sustainability are provided by the following strategies: an increase in the provision of low-rent housing for young people, students and single-parent families (one third of all land designated for development will be reserved for this type of housing); the introduction of financial incentives for new businesses, and new ways of reconciling work and family; the promotion of public policies for home-renting, to ensure the increased mobility of the workforce; and support for the rehabilitation of all Córdoba’s heritage buildings.

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In view of all this, the Córdoba 2016 project aims to achieve cultural sustainability in something more than the strictest sense of the term. Indeed, this is one of the guiding aims of the project, in the sense that, in our view: 1 The pairing of culture and development is crucial for the city’s future.

2 Suitable funding mechanisms and partnerships will remain in place beyond the year in which Córdoba is the European Capital of Culture.

3 Business stimulation and innovation packages will be implemented in the cultural sector.

4 Frameworks will be set up to facilitate relationships and exchanges between a whole range of cultural players and organisations.

5 The chain leading from training to innovation will be supported through policies aimed both at cultural mediation (managers and professional organisers) and at the creative environment (artists).

6 Instruments facilitating the conversion of cultural assets into development will be identified, analysed and enhanced.

7 The political sustainability of the project goes beyond the stated intentions of the players involved, to include a commitment to financially support culture after the Cultural Capital year; this will be apparent in the encouragement and maintenance of institutional forms of cultural cooperation.

In this respect, a number of actions have been proposed during the development of this bid: ·

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· La Asomadilla park

An ongoing high-quality cultural programme with an international dimension, such as the programme implemented in 2009 and 2010 through the publication Córdoba in 16 Mode.

A new Urban Cultural Facilities Plan.

The permeation of culture throughout the whole urban fabric.

New uses of public space for cultural purposes.

A move away from policies based on actions and events in favour of a policy designed to encourage processes and projects.

Support for a gradual trend towards greater decentralisation of cultural management and resources.

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Definition of a new area of action for cultural development organised on the basis of a strategic alliance between the city and the University.

Definition of a new geographical sphere of action organised on the basis of a strategic alliance between the city and the province.

This basic principle of sustainable development has been expanded to include an issue which has acquired growing clarity and visibility (in certain proposals, it has even been given pride of place): solidarity and intergenerational balance. Our approach to sustainability is based on the following priorities: 1 Making culture a versatile factor in order to ensure both the preservation of identity (culture as heritage and as a meaningful system for a community) and the modernising of habits, beliefs and values (interculturalism, the extension of cultural rights, minorities, etc.).

2 Enhancing the capacity of culture to strengthen social cohesion (culture of participation, culture of proximity, acknowledgement of cultural diversity) and to build a new symbolic framework.

3 Considering the new digital-media scene as an effective factor in achieving sustainability, as the key to a creative economy and as a means of reinforcing social cohesion.

These priorities, then, reflect the dual function of sustainability: its capacity to preserve and bring together, to identify a community and to integrate new members; and its capacity for transformation and innovation. The right balance between preservation and innovation – in social and economic affairs, in town planning issues, and in symbolic questions – has to be sought through culture.

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Education and training as a raison d’être

The three main objectives of the ECoC programme – to contribute to the building of Europe through dialogue, to make Córdoba a major player in the cultural realm, and to use culture as a means of achieving more dynamic and more sustainable socioeconomic progress – can only be achieved and maintained through training and education. Education, indeed, lies at the core of the project for Córdoba as a city. In signing the European Charter of Educating Cities, which establishes education as a key to development and a guarantee of democratic access to culture, Córdoba committed itself to this statement as the basis for an overall cultural and educational project.

The foundations have been laid through twenty years of work on the city’s fabric (since the first Charter was signed in Barcelona in 1990), and that responsibility now extends to the ECoC project. That awareness of the need for improved educational programmes – acknowledged both at political level and by local associations, and reflected in citizen participation policies – provides a solid basis for the implementation of a specific strategy as part of this project. It is intended that this strategy will affect the whole of Córdoba society: from children to highly-specialised professionals, from the civic centre network to art training centres and the University, from the projects implemented by grass-roots associations to the programmes drawn up by the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation.

The first elements of this new strategic network are already in place; the task now is to consolidate them, link them to each other, and add new training and education schemes focussing mainly on specialisation, new technologies, the creation of professionals and businesses, and prospection in cultural issues.

The Charter of Educating Cities sees the city as a whole as an educational environment, and therefore sees the use of the city as an educational resource. This approach, aimed mainly at children, is reflected in the view of public space on which the ECoC project is based.

The Charter also provides for Educational Action Programmes, conceived as a series of educational and sociocultural activities involving local associations and citizens’ groups, and comprising specific projects aimed at young people, women, and senior citizens. These also include Sociocultural Dynamic Programmes, an ongoing process intended to strengthen local associations and provide specific, needs-based training.

Córdoba is currently at the second level in this strategy, in that it can provide specific artistic training through the following institutions: · · · · ·

The Rafael Orozco School of Music The Professional School of Music The Miguel Salcedo Hierro School of Dramatic Arts The Luis del Río School of Dance Two Schools of Visual Arts: the Mateo Inurria School and the Dionisio Ortiz School.

Structural unemployment is one of the most serious problems to be faced at world level as we enter a new century. The economic crisis prompted by the impact of globalisation in the 1980s, later worsened by the technological globalisation of the 1990s, gave rise to a number of cultural transformations; as a result, new individual and collective needs arose, prompting the emergence of new jobs in the creative and cultural industries, not all of which have yet been filled.

Luis del Río School of Dramatic Arts Flamenco School

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If we are to implement a fairer, more sustainable model of development, it is essential that we explore these new possibilities, that we tap this new seam of employment in the cultural and leisure sector, as part of local development and employment initiatives.

The expansion of information and communication technologies, the changes taking place in the audiovisual sector, and the employment generated by cultural tourism have led to the emergence of new job specifications. New professions are arising, either linked to existing professions, or as the result of new needs which have only become apparent in recent years.

In this fluid, constantly-changing context, it is essential to design training programmes that meet the specific needs of each sector; such programmes can be generated either by extending the formal education system, or by promoting the training provided by specialist external institutions.

Given this background, the action envisaged under the ECoC project is aimed at achieving a balanced transversal development, and a greater degree of specialisation and professionalisation. The latter involves the expansion of the city’s productive and business sectors into new cultural areas, and also an expansion of those subsectors which depend on the economic activity generated by culture, by improving the skills of the workforce and encouraging greater specialisation of businesses.

For example, the amount of foreign-language training required in order to organise the Cultural Capital project will involve a major expansion of the services sector.

In this respect, the structure of the ECoC programme will contribute greatly both to business development and to professional training. These professions are undergoing major changes, for both technological and socioeconomic reasons, and the ECoC project envisages two specific measures to ensure the extension and expansion of the city’s productive sector, through the establishment of new businesses, which will in turn need to expand their own training, research and production activities. ·

Since the project will affect both official and nonaccredited education, as soon as Córdoba is named ECoC, steps will be taken to encourage professional development and training in all areas of cultural production, placing appropriate emphasis in each case on theoretical study and practical classes as part of an ongoing process. · The recycling of professional and citizen training, using culture as the dynamic element, implies a development project which is at once personal and collective.

The various programmes envisaged for the training and “recycling” of workers in the tourism and culture sector will impact the whole cultural value production chain, and will reflect a twofold approach: support for official education, and the promotion of non-accredited specialist training. These programmes will focus on five specific professional areas: 1 Creation. The role of institutions in this area is not only to focus on producing artists, but also to foster the conditions required for them to develop, right from the start of their careers. The institutions should also strengthen their programmes with a view to improving the technical skills needed for the development of natural abilities.

The University of Córdoba, which has made a huge contribution to this bid, has received authorisation from the Andalusian University Council to introduce eight new degree courses, including a Degree in Film and Culture.

Culture as a pillar of sustainability

The new Degree in Cultural Management is a key initiative which seeks to meet – in the medium term – the training requirements of mediators, producers and cultural agents. The ECoC project will work closely in its implementation, providing training and internship opportunities for both graduates and undergraduates. If Córdoba were named ECoC, this would undoubtedly favour the strengthening and expansion of the degree course, by encouraging the introduction of specialist post-graduate courses.

With regard to non-official education, the Centre for Contemporary Creation will play a major role through its activities and workshops, including the appointment of guest resident artists, who will work closely with students and younger artists.

The poetry and narrative workshops – a proven project implemented successfully since 1990 – will be strengthened and structured in a systematic manner, thus helping to support a creative area recognised as highly important at local and national levels.

Regular visits will be made by well-known artists to art training centres, to share their experience with students.

The ECoC programme will attract a number of major artists in various fields. We plan to take advantage of these visits to organise master classes and seminars for local artists and potential students from outside the city. The idea is to turn Córdoba into a first-rate training centre, at local and regional level for general art studies, and at national and international level for more specialised training.

The ECoC programme will also include a large number of co-productions and local productions.

This will be beneficial in two different ways: artists and other creators will stay in the city for longer; and they will also need to contract local artists to take part in their productions. This will undoubtedly help to benefit the local artistic community.

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2 Production and technical services. The new cultural infrastructure scheduled for 2010-2015 will require a large number of skilled technicians familiar with cutting-edge technology.

The technical requirements of the ambitious artistic projects programmed in every field will in turn demand a business sector prepared to face these challenges. For this reason, a number of specialised training courses have been planned to prepare technicians for the type of events scheduled: light, sound and image technicians, fitters/installers (art), stage hands, lighting technicians, specialists in digital media and IT applied to arts, etc.

In a broader sense, attention should also be paid to the training and specialisation of companies involved in transport, packaging, installation and design for exhibitions; the development of new job specifications in the culture sector implies a major field of activity, in an area requiring both skilled workers and considerable investment. Training in these areas could be provided by official institutions (Vocational Training Colleges at various levels) and by specialist non-accredited centres (through specialisation workshops for basic technical training).

3 Cultural management and production. Cultural managers undoubtedly play a key role in today’s culture sector. The establishment of a new degree in cultural management additionally implies the provision of opportunities for internships and work practice; the ECoC project can help in this respect.

Event management, publicity, production and evaluation are natural destinations for the new professional that are emerging in the city.

Management plays a key role in the cultural chain, and on certain occasions, it is essential to put the artists in contact with their audience. At the same time, it is an activity with exciting prospects for growth, both in the public and in the private sector, with a major impact on the social and economic fabric.

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Cultural management is a complex activity involving numerous facets, ranging from strictly cultural issues to administration and marketing-related matters.

Training and education in this field call for a solid grounding in theory and in practice.

The University of Córdoba is currently designing a number of postgraduate courses in this field. For example, the Master’s Degree in Texts, Documents and Cultural Intervention includes specialist courses on publishing, librarianship, archive management and cultural intervention in the broadest sense. The Master’s Degree in Municipal Heritage Management also offers a wide range of specialist options relating to various aspects of the management of the artistic and natural heritage. The Interuniversity Master’s Degree in Archaeology and Heritage: Science and Profession includes a major practical component, with internships available in a number of public and private institutions, both in Córdoba province and all over Andalusia; at present, around fifty students are taking part in practical internships.

Since 2007, the University of Córdoba has been running a Master’s Degree in Film Studies, the first of its kind in Andalusia, with a view to adapting to the requirements of European Higher Education Area as well as producing future staff for the audiovisual industry.

The Arts Faculty is currently studying the possible introduction of a Degree in Cultural Management, which will have a direct impact on this field.

As a complement, the University will expand and strengthen its culture-related initiatives, which will include seminars, workshops, and the efficient design of expert qualifications; this has already been achieved in the field of publishing. The aim is to enable practising professionals and other interested parties to improve and update their knowledge.

4 Mediation and communication. Cultural mediation covers different areas and is a cultural activity in itself. It includes entertainers, critics, specialised journalists and a wide range of other jobs, a range which has expanded considerably in the digital world. Mediators act as a link between the art product and its target, providing key concepts, stimulating the senses, and fostering habits. Together with the experts in the various artistic fields, cultural mediation is involved in a wide range of activities; training in this field is a decisive element for the success of the intervention and its impact on the environment. Programmes in this area will be aimed at fostering the links between academic training and the cultural industry, by implementing specific, practical activities through workshops focussing on different areas of development, paying particular attention to emerging art forms, and especially to the Internet.

Culture as a pillar of sustainability

5 Reception. The creation of cultural habits and the fostering of the recipients’ sensitivity towards artistic and cultural products represents another area of planned activity. The aim is not only to broaden audiences (which will have a decisive impact on the emergence and maintenance of cultural activities), but also to play an active, creative role in artistic and cultural communication. A further goal is the creation of a solid cultural industry with the capacity to drive the local economy; in doing this, however, the concept of a passive audience – a mere consumer of more or less standardized products – will be replaced by the concept of active and participating recipients, able to convert their demands into an incentive for creation, in other words, creative recipients with the capacity to establish a dialogue with cultural products.

The ideal objective is that the recipients of an artistic activity should become mediating, dynamic beings – or at least that they should share a similar background and attitude. Therefore, in addition to programmes aimed at consolidating cultural habits, activities proposed by local individuals, groups and associations will also be invited to contribute; this will provide a new stimulus for local artistic creation.

The ECoC project will place strong emphasis on these activities, focussing on the immediate implementation of schemes specifically involving cultural and artistic activity, which will be implemented at every level of education. Special programmes will concentrate on bringing local and outside artists and creators to schools and training centres, thus allowing people to become more familiar with the nature of creative work and at the same time creating positive habits.

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Programmes of this type will also be available to local associations; this will help to broaden their interests, as well as helping them to become a more discerning audience.

The ultimate aim is to overcome the barriers that separate artists from their audiences – material and technical barriers, or those prompted by different sensibilities or attitudes. Education plays a central role in this process, by encouraging the creation of cultural and artistic products of greater creative and technical quality and by increasing the recipients’ capacity to interact with those products in a critical, active manner, replacing the mechanics of supply and demand by a shared, participatory approach.

If Córdoba is named ECoC, the city will need to spend the period 2012-2015 preparing to be unbeatable hosts for the visitors who will flock to the city in 2016. That preparation will focus on two major lines of action. First, specific workshops will be run for the various sectors of the city directly affected by the ECoC (taxi-drivers, waiters, hotel staff, tourist guides and information providers), to make them fully aware of the significance of being European Capital of Culture, and of its effects in the short, medium and long term. Second, employees dealing directly with visitors will be given extensive language training – especially in English – with a view to guaranteeing that they provide the best possible service. At the same time, every effort will be made to ensure that signposts, restaurant menus and other visitorrelated materials are in two languages.

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Chapter IV summary

1. One of the strengths of Córdoba’s bid is that it provides support for dialogue and mutual understanding, in a Europe which urgently needs to make a civic effort to understand differences within a common framework of coexistence.

Córdoba can contribute to the dialogue between civilisations, by offering cultural activities designed to enhance the city’s role as a space for encounter, through literature and the written word, through music, through contemporary art and through youth expression. We seek to highlight the traditional contribution of the Gypsy world to the city’s culture, and to stress the importance of immigration. The city offers itself as a meeting point for permanent debate.

3. The city has a long-standing participatory tradition, essential for the development of the democratic process. The City Council played a leading role in regulating participatory activity, particularly by fostering the joint management of municipal policy and even of the municipal budget. Later, it encouraged the establishment of groups devoted to the promotion of women’s rights and to the protection of the environment. Moreover, the city boasts a number of traditional public events – such as the Patio Festival and the “Nuestra Señora de la Salud” Fair – through which local people can come together in a spirit of shared identity. These events are marked by their open, participatory nature.

2. Córdoba, a Southern, Mediterranean city, has espoused a model of equality founded on the acknowledgement of differences and respect for minorities. It has been the cities, over the last few years, that in their various ways have provided many of the most successful experiments in this area.

4. The ECoC project sees these networks of organised citizens as a crucial, active element of any European Capital of Culture; in Córdoba, such networks are the fruit of many years of hard work devoted to the encouraging of specialised participatory initiatives.

5. A key basic principle of the ECoC bid is that culture should be made available to everyone. The appropriate measures will be taken, in consultation with local associations for the disabled, to ensure that limited mobility is no longer a barrier. Other principles are that women must be included as active players, and that the geographical implementation of the ECoC should be fully extended to economically-underprivileged areas.

6. For some years now, Córdoba has sought to improve the innovative tools required to link the city’s splendid past not just to tourism but also to advances both in technology and in creative expression. The city is involved in a number of European programmes addressing this issue, which seek to enhance and coordinate the work done by institutions and the private sector.

10. We believe in supporting new creators by fostering those forms of art – of various origins – which are able to interact with both the past and the present of Córdoba, and by encouraging new artistic idioms that offer a testing ground for new perceptions of art and culture.

Working with new creators will encourage the appearance of new audiences, as the Cosmopoética Festival has proved.

7. Examples of this innovative drive are to be found in the research programmes currently in place at the University of Córdoba, into areas such as free software and nanotechnology, and the Reina Sofía Teaching Hospital organ transplant programme, whose success is due largely to overwhelming popular support. Specifically, the University has been chosen as part of a Campus of Excellence, and is making a valuable contributing to the development of the Rabanales 21 Science and Technology Park. International workshops and seminars such as the 1st Creativity Week are aimed at fostering the spirit of innovation and encouraging its application in practice.

11. As part of the ECoC project, the city has drawn up a cultural infrastructure plan designed to ensure that half the population of Córdoba will be no more than 15 minutes away from an existing or future cultural venue. The public space is seen as a network of spaces that need to be arranged to form a system of spaces.

8. As part of Córdoba’s strategic bid to make culture a driving force for urban and social growth and improved economic and business productivity, the ECoC project is seen as a means of drawing together a whole range of grass-roots programmes and initiatives into a single shared strategy focussing on creative innovation, and on cultural innovation.

9. The source of the creative drive in Córdoba is often to be found in networks run on the same principles as neighbourhood associations, devoted to cultural activities. Local groups and social associations are increasingly working in the fields of contemporary art, music and poetry.

12. Sustainability is a crucial element of this project, in terms of the implementation of the project itself and in terms of what culture can contribute to the overall sustainability of the city. None of the investments to be made will cease to be meaningful on 31 December 2016.

A number of cultural and social actions are envisaged to ensure the realisation of this aspiration; as a result, the city will become a national benchmark for cultural sustainability, just as it is already for environmental sustainability.

13. Córdoba’s ECoC project will encourage training and education in the cultural sector, and the identification of new employment sources as an essential part of the sustainability strategy.

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V A participatory, continuously-monitored, European-scale project “Cultural heritage, tangible and intangible, testifies to human creativity and forms the bedrock underlying the identity of peoples. Cultural life contains both the wealth of being able to appreciate and treasure traditions of all peoples and an opportunity to enable the creation and innovation of endogenous cultural forms. These qualities preclude any imposition of rigid cultural models”. Agenda 21 for Culture, 8 May 2004, Barcelona

Many of the events and strategies envisaged in this cultural programme drew their inspiration from the European Commission’s Guide for cities applying for the title of European Capital of Culture. Every attempt has been made to implement the guidelines and principles contained in that document, some of which have in fact proved particularly well-suited to Córdoba, for example the reference to themes that “lay emphasis on the city’s contribution to a common European cultural heritage and underline the city’s current participation in European cultural life”.

European scale An overriding aim, at all times, has been to ensure that the bid meets all European requirements. To that end, four objectives were established even before the main lines of the programme were laid down:

1 To identify specific aspects of Córdoba’s past that could be considered crucial for the history of Europe, and to highlight the city’s leading figures in art and culture, figures whose work and ideas were so influential that they could reasonably be called European – or even universal – thinkers and creators.

2 To rescue “local heroes”, i.e. to highlight the work of local figures who – though less famous than their colleagues – made famous contributions to European culture. Extrapolating this local dichotomy, the project sought to reappraise some of the “major figures missing from the history of Europe”, both in the run-up period 2012-2015, and more particularly in 2016.

3 To highlight Córdoba’s distinctive features and its heritage, in order to raise European awareness of a city which has left its mark on the history and culture of Europe.

4 To present a programme of contemporary culture, whilst respecting the city’s history and heritage, according to a single overarching principle: to activate the future through the past.

These objectives have served to give shape to a cultural programme designed to enhance cooperation between cultural agents, artists, Spanish cities and other member States; to foster promotion as a means of enhancing the development of creativity, paying special attention to the consolidation of circuits for disseminating culture; to encourage a rethinking of existing cultural dissemination channels, placing greater emphasis on commercial distribution, and improving the access of young creators to that distribution, without resorting to mere spectacle and without neglecting the consolidation of cultural habits amongst local people.

At the same time, the cultural programme envisaged seeks to stimulate minority creative projects, in order to ensure that a broader cross-section of the public becomes involved in culture and reflects upon the impact of ECoC designation on urban regeneration and infrastructure, and on its contribution to the sustainable development of Córdoba. The programme also seeks to encourage high-quality, innovative, cultural tourism which recognises the importance of preserving the city’s heritage in all its aspects. In short, the programme presented here is intended to serve as a driving force for the transformation of the city, and as a beacon for the whole continent.

Above all, the programme is committed to specific cultural projects designed to enhance social cohesion, to increase citizen participation in the city’s cultural life, to foster dialogue and the exchange of experiences, and to act as a stimulus to peaceful coexistence and creativity, by finding common ground in different areas: interdisciplinarity, mixture, fusion… in short, the aim is to create a culturally-active citizenry.

Participatory The procedure adopted for the drafting of this preselection dossier and the cultural programme it contains is a faithful reflection of an underlying philosophy: a participatory vocation. These documents have been conceived and drawn up by means of a long and laborious consultative process involving the various sectors of local society: a joint effort over eighteen months of work.

In the course of this period, the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation has held regular meetings with various local bodies from different sectors, with a view to informing the citizens about the Córdoba 2016 project, establishing synergies between the various areas of society, identifying common issues and receiving proposals.

In order to coordinate the participation of local society in the ECoC bid, the Foundation has held regular meetings with representatives of the Al-Zahara Federation of Neighbourhood Associations, the Citizens’ Movement Council, district councils and numerous public cultural programme planners. The Foundation also invited input from local private-sector cultural operators, represented by artists, publishers, designers, specialised journalists, producers and cultural managers.

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FIG. 14

With regard to public-sector involvement, regular meetings have been held with expert groups and cultural managers from all the city’s public institutions. These work sessions have helped to familiarise planners with the strategic guidelines for Córdoba 2016, and to bring public cultural programmes closer to the European objectives of ECoC status. This has led, moreover, to the launching of a very positive process of coordination, as a result of which Córdoba’s cultural programme will include elements previously agreed through overall consensus planning.

At the same time, and as indicated in Chapter II, Córdoba is a member of a number of international networks and associations, as well as having twinning arrangements with ten cities. The aim is to involve these networks in the design and implementation of the ECoC project, through a series of seminars to be held in Córdoba between 2012 y 2016, with a view to enriching the whole project, and at the same time to foster initiatives aimed at facilitating the involvement of local cultural agents in these international networks and their projects.

The Cultural Programme was drawn up by a Drafting Committee headed by the manager of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, Carlota Álvarez Basso, and the manager of the Cultural Capital Office Manuel Pérez Pérez, and appointed by the Board of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation. The Committee comprises the following nine Spanish experts:

During 2009 and 2010, professional meetings have also been held with the network of municipal experts in Citizen Participation, with the Córdoba Business Confederation (CECO), with professors, lecturers and heads of department at the University of Córdoba, with local media, with Employment Workshops run by the Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment, and with members of the Córdoba Marketing Association. Information days were organised at the Real Circulo de la Amistad social club, one of the “collaborating bodies” designated by the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, and at the Youth Centre. (see Fig. 14)

Finally, it should be stressed that, in developing these participatory procedures, great attention will be paid to the lessons learnt from earlier European Capitals of Culture. Representatives of the Córdoba 2016 project have already visited a number of previous ECoC cities, to learn about their experiences; it would therefore seem sensible to take their successes as points of reference, particularly with regard to the submission, integration and reformulation of citizen-proposed projects during Luxembourg’s year as ECoC, and to the methods and conclusions of the Impacts ’08 research programme in Liverpool.

·

· ·

· · ·

· · ·

This participatory spirit will be maintained and enhanced throughout the ECoC preparations, since the intention is to involve local social organisations in the ECoC governance model. Although local associations cannot be equated with the “collaborating bodies” which will be contributing financially to the project, they must be involved in the consultation procedure. Specific joint work groups will therefore be set up for that purpose, as a way of enriching the process and ensuring that the voice of local people is heard; local residents, and more their most influential representatives, must take part in developing the project, and in making it “their own”.

In the course of these meetings, the broad strategic outlines for the ECoC pre-selection dossier were established. A public call for proposals was held in December 2009 and March 2010 with the purpose of collecting cultural projects that could be included in the project.

The overwhelming success of this participatory strategy will be examined in Chapter VII.

María Dolores Baena Alcántara, Director, Córdoba Archaeological and Ethnological Museum Francisco Javier Flores Castillero, artist, cultural manager and exhibition curator Pablo García Casado, Director, Andalusian Film Institute, and writer Eugenio González Madorrán, architect Carlos Hernández Pezzi, architect Alberto Martín Expósito, art critic and exhibition curator. Former General Coordinator of the Salamanca European City of Culture, 2002; at present Cultural Coordinator at the University of Salamanca Juan Miguel Moreno Calderón, Director of the Rafael Orozco School of Music and Professor of Piano Pedro Ruiz Pérez, Professor of Spanish Literature at the University of Córdoba Octavio Salazar Benítez, Professor of Constitutional Law and Director General for Culture, University of Córdoba.

Calendar of Sector-Based Meetings 17/6/09 Citizen Participation. Meeting with the Network of Municipal Experts.

25/6/09

Córdoba Business Confederation (CECO).

26/6/09 Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment (Imdeec), Employment Workshops.

5/10/09 University of Córdoba (professors, heads of department and lecturers).

16/10/09 Local media.

12/11/09 Al-Zahara Federation of Neighbourhood Associations.

19/11/09 Córdoba Marketing Association.

26/11/09 Citizen Participation. Departmental expert team.

30/11/09 Cultural associations and industries.

1/12/09

Cultural programmers.

25/1/10

Artists and creators.

1/2/10 Citizens’ Movement Council and district councils.

4/2/10

Real Círculo de la Amistad.

24/2/10

Córdoba businesses

25/3/10

Casa de la Juventud

11/4/10

Mayors from the province of Córdoba.

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The work of the Committee was enhanced by invaluable and disinterested input from the Córdoba-based Andalusian Institute for Advanced Social Studies (IESACSIC), the Contemporary Architecture Foundation, a private association of architects from all over Spain, and the Córdoba Business Confederation (CECO), which provided advice on economic matters.

The preliminary draft of the pre-selection dossier was submitted for exhaustive critical reading and review by 31 experts and local specialists in various fields.

Their comments and recommendations have been incorporated in a second draft of the dossier, which has again been submitted for review, this time by a group of international experts comprising: ·

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Guy Dockendorf, Director General of the Ministry of Culture of Luxembourg, Head Officer of Luxembourg, European City of Culture 1995, and Luxembourg and Greater Region, 2007.

Mercedes Giovinazzo, Chair, Access to Culture Platform and Director, Interarts.

Colin Mercer, independent advisor.

Eduard Miralles, Director of International Cultural Relations, Barcelona Provincial Council; and President, Interarts.

Monika Bonet Poliwka, adviser for Polish Affairs.

Antonio Taormina, Director, ATER Formazione.

Finally, the photographs for this dossier were provided by 25 professional photographers, 33 amateur photographers from Córdoba, and by amateur and by 33 amateur photographers from Italy, Portugal, Germany, South Africa, and Mexico, under the editorial guidance of Córdoba Cultural City Foundation and with coordination by photographer Braulio Valderas. These photographs now form part of a Picture Bank for the Córdoba 2016 project.

Continuosly-monitored Throughout this long process, considerable emphasis was placed on the continuous assessment of the cultural programmes selected. The project drafting committee established a set of ten Transversal Quality Indicators (TQI), that reflect compliance with the transversal criteria which should inform all the cultural activities selected. The indicators were established with a view to enabling compliance with these criteria to be verified throughout the preparation of the bid.

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The ten TQIs for the project were as follows:

t the start of the twenty-first century, the status of culture, and the functions of cultural institutions, cannot be addressed without acknowledging the far-reaching changes that haven taken place in artistic and creative praxis, at a time when the boundaries between disciplines, and thus between genres, are becoming increasingly blurred. This challenges, and radically modifies, any hitherto dominant model of institution and management. Literary creation is also changing, due to the introduction of new technologies into the daily routine of an author’s work, and into publishing and distribution processes.

1 European and international dimension 2 Interdisciplinarity 3 Gender equality 4 Presence of projects for minorities 5 Intergenerational cooperation 6 Presence and promotion of educational activities 7 Use of new technologies 8 Accessibility guidelines 9 Project sustainability 10 Joint activities with the designated ECoC in Poland

The concepts personal work, unique work of art or signature work are dissolving into a collective approach to production, of the sort found in theatrical works. In the fine arts, it is becoming difficult to establish hermetically-sealed divisions between painting, sculpture, and photography, due to the emergence of new genres – installations, video art, performance art or net art – which are constantly being updated. These are mixed expressions, known as “expanded painting, cinema or theatre”.

For this reason, art, dance, film, theatre and visual art festivals are incurring extremely high production costs, and can no longer be envisaged without some form of coproduction. These swift changes highlight the need to redefine the future role of cultural institutions. Museums, in particular, which were formerly passive institutions, have become active elements in the artistic production chain by adopting all the changes it involves, and are currently active creation spaces and producers of new works of art that artists would not be able to produce on their own. As a result, institutional support has become essential in this field, too, since ambitious projects with a wide cultural impact and affordable prices cannot be carried out except as coproductions.

Until now, museums have generally maintained relations with each other with the purpose of borrowing pieces and, occasionally, co-producing exhibitions. In Spain, most exhibitions are mounted single-handed, often involving costs beyond the museum’s means, leading to subsequent – rarely fruitful – attempts to involve other institutions with the idea of a travelling exhibition.

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Strategic alliances as a ‘modus operandi’ for the European Capital of Culture

It would seem that, however much an institution might wish to work alone, the only way forward lies in adopting an approach far removed from the exclusive, isolationist programmes of before, which either lacked interest or were possible only by means of huge investments and were unsustainable in the long term. The fascinating temporary exhibition, available only in one museum or city, is in fact a wasted resource, involving an enormous effort which could be avoided by finding specific channels for cooperation. A more effective and efficient management should lead to more satisfactory results, giving rise to greater social impact, greater cultural repercussions and a better use of economic resources.

The changes outline earlier have prompted new approaches to creative praxis that demand a new model of cultural management based on institutional coproduction, whose main aim is to implement ambitious, original and innovative projects that reach the largest possible audience. In short, the Córdoba 2016 project seeks to encourage an active policy of “strategic alliances”, based on joint productions and applicable to the culture programme as well as to other spheres; previous experience in Córdoba, and in the cultural programming process as a whole, suggests that this modus operandi can readily be applied to the ECoC in all its aspects.

This working method requires a number of changes in the day-to-day routine of cultural managers and mediators: ·

First, it requires the drafting of a long-term programme, which means reconciling programme-related interests with the work schedules of the coproducing institutions (something which cannot be improvised), and scheduling proposals with considerable notice (at least one or two years), which is not the usual practice in public administration. · Second, most proposals involve the contracting of productions, and the erection of the site-specific facilities required by the programme; management bodies will thus become responsible – among other things – for the production of shows and exhibitions.

This requires greater communication among curators, producers, and those responsible for publicising the events in question; it also means that the staff involved in the whole process, from coordination to production, need to receive some specific training. · Since the burden is borne by various bodies (e.g. management, production, coordination, exhibition, catalogue publication), more is made of these efforts, in purely economic terms and in terms of cultural dissemination, than if they were the work of a single institution.

Strategic alliances as a ‘modus operandi’ for the European Capital of Culture

Institutional collaboration is the only way to ensure that more and better events are produced; that costs are cut; that programme coordination problems are reduced, such as duplication, repetition and/or overlapping of schedules or events organised by different institutions in the same city or a nearby city. Moreover, the lack of resources becomes less marked, and communication is improved.

Given the economic imperatives, the need for cultural sustainability and the desire to reach as many people as possible, this project will entail a new relationship between institutions, a greater degree of coordination amongst managers, and a more rational use both of cultural goods and of common efforts.

Two kinds of strategic alliances are envisaged:

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1 One-off, project-specific alliances that is sufficiently ambitious and of sufficiently high quality to attract coproducing partners. The scale of the project is unimportant: the greater the relevance, the easier it will be to find partners. The strategy of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation has been to identify topics, arguments and projects sufficiently interesting, relevant and universal in scope to attract potential partners. These include projects focussing on the great European themes covered by the programme: intercultural dialogue, Europe’s great thinkers, the problems faced by cities, and citizen participation.

They also include projects to commemorate cultural figures or events whose universal importance brings them within the scope of European or international institutions, leading to partnership in projects requiring considerable infrastructure or the input of specialised foundations such as national libraries, natural science museums, thematic museums At national level, institutions like the State Society for Cultural Commemorations (SECC), run by the Ministry of Culture, and the State Society for Artistic Activities Abroad (SEACEX) – the two are shortly to be merged, forming the new State Society for Cultural Activities (SEAC) – seek to participate in projects of this nature. These are therefore projectspecific partners, but will still play a key role in the overall partnership strategy.

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Strategic alliances as a ‘modus operandi’ for the European Capital of Culture

2 Strategic networking alliances. This is a much more integrated form of alliance, since it addresses present and future cultural activities, and is therefore sustainable; it seeks to emulate the production system as well as a semi-organic management system. The aim is to establish a network of cultural organisations in Spain and Europe sharing a common philosophy, with a view to developing a mediumand long-term strategic alliance, that will function before, during, and after 2016. The idea is based on the principle that all associated institutions should be considered as a single unit with several locations; as a result, each manager can count on teams and materials provided by other members of the alliance.

The network will allow its members:

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To coproduce exhibitions, concerts and stage shows, cinema and audiovisual festivals, and similar activities.

To create joint projects that can be submitted to large-scale European cultural production programmes.

To regularly exchange experiences and information; to enjoy and provide mutual support; and to design new, shared coproduction models.

To participate in a fluid exchange of heritage, both through the temporary loan of works of art and through long-term loans.

To produce joint publications. The network could produce its own regular publication, taking full advantage of web links between members.

To enable young artists from member locations to work in specific areas of the alliance.

To take part in the various existing forums as a joint entity.

To establish ties with similar networks set up by European centres with the purpose of presenting Spanish artists and exhibitions.

Regardless of any other potential results, it would be advisable from the outset that each member should engage to take part in at least one or two joint productions every year with the other members, in the form of exhibitions, congresses, seminars, book publishing, or film/concert seasons, which can also be part of a shared strategy for some or all of the members.

Strategic alliances as a ‘modus operandi’ for the European Capital of Culture

It is essential that the network be international in scope. One of the chronic problems of Spanish cultural bodies is their limited ability to effectively place their productions outside Spain; indeed, they tend to become mere receivers of work produced abroad, in a one-way traffic. When these products reach national centres in Spain, they rarely show any awareness of the local artistic context. In this sense, it seems reasonable that the alliance should assume certain responsibilities with regard to the promotion of Spanish artists and critics in international spheres, by attempting to place our productions outside Spain and encouraging an international network that will allow the production of relevant works without resorting to mere spectacle.

Clearly, therefore, there is a need to join forces with other cultural institutions in Spain and in Europe, in order to create a synergy that will provide greater cultural benefits for the society served by those institutions, i.e. the citizens of Europe.

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A practical example of this laborious yet effective working method, which combines coproduction, networking, interculturalism and sustainability, is provided by the first Averroes Philosophy Meetings, under the title The Córdoba Paradigm: One Culture, Three Religions, to be held in Córdoba from 3-5 February 2011.

These meetings, promoted by the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, are the fruit of a joint production involving the Arabic House and the UNESCO Chair in the Resolution of Conflict at the University of Córdoba.

The Rencontres d´Averroès, initially held in Marseille, began 16 years ago with the aim of examining current thinking and politics, through the teachings of the world-famous Córdoba philosopher Averroes. The aim is not to view these issues from a historicist perspective, but to show how his teachings – for example on the meeting of cultures – are still relevant in the European agenda of today. Given his evident links with Córdoba and the Muslim world, the cities of Marseille, Córdoba and Rabat have created a permanent, network-based structure for international joint productions, with the aim of enlarging this legacy of dialogue and tolerance.

All the papers presented will focus on the past, present and future of Córdoba as a centuries-old model of religious and cultural coexistence. The Teatro Cómico Principal will be the setting for this event, which will include two international round tables, a season of films at the Andalusian Film Institute, a keynote lecture by Juan Goytisolo and a series of workshops on political ethics, run by the celebrated Iranian professor Ramin Jahanbegloo. The event will close on 5 February with a concert at Córdoba’s Gran Teatro.

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The Córdoba-Poland connection

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n 2016, one Spanish and one Polish city will share the designation of European Capital of Culture. The Polish cities that, to date, have expressed interest in submitting a bid are Gdansk, Lublin, Lódz, Poznan, Torun´, Szczecin, Wroclaw, Bialystok, Katowice and Warsaw.

The European Commission requires that candidate cities in both States demonstrate their awareness of the cultural context of the countries with which they will share the designation, as well as their ability to establish cultural relations with them.

Paradoxically, relations between Córdoba and Poland began over a thousand years ago. Indeed, the earliest written reference to the formal existence of the Polish State dates back to 966, in the reign of Mieszko I, a monarch belonging to the Piast dynasty, who introduced Christianity into Poland. The reference occurs in a text by the Jewish merchant Ibrahim ibn Yakub (Ibrahim ibn Yaqub al-Israili al-Turtusi), ambassador of the Caliph of Córdoba al-Hakam II, who visited several Central European countries between 965 and 971 A.D. Thus, the first common link between the two countries is to be found in Jewish culture, which has exerted a marked influence in both over the centuries. In fact, Córdoba is a member of the “Paths of Sepharad” Network of Spanish Jewish Quarters, which in turn belongs to the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ).

Every year, this organization organises the European Jewish Culture Day, an event celebrated simultaneously in all member cities, including Córdoba and the Polish cities of Owiecim and Krakow.

Córdoba has been working for a long time on strengthening relations with Poland; as a result, commercial, cultural and educational relations have been considerably re-vitalized over the last thirty years.

Poland in Córdoba: Trade relations From the year 2003 onwards, commercial and cultural relations between the two countries have continually intensified. In that year, the then Polish ambassador in Spain, Grazyna Pernatowicz, and the first counsellor of the embassy, Miroslaw Weglarczyk, visited Córdoba, where they met several institutional representatives, and held a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce with entrepreneurs interested in bilateral relations between Spain and Poland.

A few months later, Córdoba embarked upon the first of many commercial and institutional missions to Poland.

This first mission, organised by the Córdoba Business Confederation (CECO), the Córdoba Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Córdoba Provincial Council, included twelve Córdoba-based businesses (especially from the agrofood and furniture industries). The aim was to make Córdoba’s production more familiar in Poland, before its imminent entry into the EU. In 2007, a further eight local companies (from the oil, vinegar, olive, industrial refrigeration and construction industries) travelled to Poland on a new commercial mission, this time organized by the Provincial Consortium for Economic Development, in order to promote their products in the Warsaw, Krakow and Poznan.

This exchange of experiences between companies from Córdoba and Poland continued by means of Colaboran, the first meeting on business cooperation, organized in 2008 by Asland (The Andalusian Federation of Worker-Owned Companies). This meeting was attended by Polish authorities in Social Economy and Employment issues, who sought to lay the foundations for future permanent cooperation.

Continuing this process of dialogue and exchange between Córdoba and Poland, the Provincial Tourism Board, belonging to the Córdoba Provincial Council, also participated in 2009 in the first Polish Industrial Tourism Fair in Zabrze, with the purpose of promoting the province as a tourist destination. A number of local agrofood companies took part in the trip, in order to present their products at the fair.

Trade relations with Poland intensified again in 2009 with the organization of a new trade mission to Malopolska (Krakow), backed by the Provincial Consortium for Economic Development and the Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment (IMDEEC). Fifty local companies took part. In the course of institutional meetings with authorities in this Polish region, the authorities expressed their support for Córdoba’s ECoC bid, and offered to share the experience acquired by Krakow as European Capital of Culture in 2000.

In 2008, Córdoba was the venue for the Fifth HispanoPolish Summit, aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries within the European Union. This summit, presided over by the two heads of government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Donald Tusk, focussed on Spanish investments in Poland and Europe’s possible response to the international financial crisis.

At present, several companies in Córdoba are working on joint projects or have direct interests in Poland; they include the building and property development company Grupo Prasa, which is promoting housing, offices and hotel developments in Warsaw, Krakow and Wroclaw; Fagor Industrial (with a plant in Lucena, Córdoba) has established premises in Wroclaw; and Grupo Montealto (designated a “collaborating body” by the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation) operates in Warsaw.

In addition, the Córdoba-based company Topa, Soluciones de Ingenieria SA, is implementing projects worth €40 m. in the Polish cities of Wieprz and Niepolomice.

Poland in Córdoba: Cultural relations At cultural level, constant, ongoing relations are apparent in all disciplines: literature, music, film, design, gastronomy, and others.

From the outset, the Cosmopoética International Poetry Festival. Poets of the World in Córdoba has enjoyed the participation of Polish poets, including Krystyna Rodowska (2005) and also Adam Zagajewski (2007), arguably the most celebrated Polish poet of the moment, with the exception of Nobel Prize winner Wislawa Szymborska. In 2008, he took part in the Tomasz Rozycki Festival, while in 2009 Ewa Lipska’s anthology entitled Placebo was published in the Cosmopoética collection. The selection, translation and prologue of this verse collection, in a Polish/Spanish bilingual edition, was carried out by Elzbieta Bortkiewicz, who has also taken part in Cosmopoética on a number of occasions.

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Interestingly, one of the most active poetry associations in Córdoba goes under the name of Beautiful Warsaw. This group is led by Córdoba’s young poets Elena Medel and Alejandra Vanessa.

Polish music has also featured regularly in concerts by the Córdoba City Orchestra, which has performed Frederik Chopin’s Grande valse brillante and, on six occasions, his only two concertos for piano and orchestra. In November 2010, a new performance of these is scheduled, with Ludmil Angelov as guest pianist.

The Orchestra, which includes a Polish viola-player, Malgorzata Hojenska, has also performed work by other Polish composers such as Penderecki, Górecki, Lutoslawski, Wienawski and Szymanowski, and has occasionally featured Polish guest artists, including soprano Izabella Klosinsky and conductor Antoni Wit. In June 2010, there will be a guest appearance by Michal Nesterowicz, current artistic director of the National Orchestra of Chile.

Also in 2010, the Andalusia Film Institute screened the film Katyn (2007, Andrzej Wajda), as part of its season 27 weeks, 27 countries, devoted to the latest work produced by the European Union Member States, marking Spain’s current EU presidency. This season, which runs from January to July, offers local audiences the chance of seeing European films that have received great public and critical acclaim in their respective countries and have been awarded prizes from their academies or been well received at international festivals.

The Andalusian Film Institute is planning to take a closer look at Poland’s film industry in 2011, through a season that will reflect the coexistence of great directors who are still active, such as Andrzej Wajda, with new filmmakers and new ways of approaching contemporary cinema.

Along the same lines, in May 2010 the Youth Centre run by Córdoba City Council ran a season entitled A Look at Polish Cinema, in which films such as The Double life of Veronique (1991, Krzysztof Kieslowski), Knife in the water (1962, Roman Polanski) and Katyn (2007, Andrzej Wajda) were screened.

The Córdoba City Council Tourism and World Heritage Unit is working with the Galicia Jewish Museum of Krakow to organise an exhibition on the life and culture of the Sephardic Jews (originating from the Iberian Peninsula).

Cultural ties with Poland even extend to the gastronomic, as evident in the 2007 visit to Córdoba by a group of five Polish chefs, who also visited Seville and Cádiz, with the purpose of learning about Andalusian cuisine. The visit, organised by the Department of Tourism, Commerce and Sport (Andalusian Regional Council) through the Andalusian Trade Promotion Agency (Extenda) with the collaboration of the Córdoba Hotel and Catering School, was aimed at promoting Andalusian products in an number of gastronomy-related events to take place in Poland.

The Córdoba-Poland connection

The Polish group included Robert Sowa, head chef at the Hotel Jan III Sobieski’s restaurant (Warsaw) and a food critic with his own television programme. Also attending were Adam Chrzastowski, head of the Kurt Séller Academy; Jerzy Pasikowski, head chef of Sodexo Polska and manager of other 75 restaurants all over Poland; Artur Jajecznik, chef of the Spanish restaurant Casa To Tu in Warsaw; and Román Tauber, director of the Poznan School of Catering.

In order to join forces in the ECoC bid, in April 2009 the Bodegas Campos Foundation and the financial institution Cajasur, organised a town-twinning ceremony with Poland, attended by the first secretary of the Trade and Investment Promotion Section of the Polish Embassy in Spain, Jan Wlodarczyk, and by a broad representation of Córdoba’s social, economic, cultural and religious circles. During the ceremony, the historical, spiritual and commercial affinities between Spain and Poland were highlighted.

Poland in Córdoba: Educational relations In 2006, the University of Córdoba, through the University Foundation for the Development of the Province of Córdoba (Fundecor), arranged a meeting in Córdoba with Universities and other bodies from Britain, Holland, Italy, Poland and Spain, within the framework of the project Bridging Business and Science (BBaS), with a view to making a detailed study of the possibility of creating multi-disciplinary networks to link the universities and businesses of the countries involved. The Technology Transfer Centre of the University of Jagiellonian attended on behalf of Poland.

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Four projects involving Poland are currently in place: 1 Spanish: A Cultural Melting Pot, a pilot project aimed at fostering new technologies in Spanish, this being the second language of choice in many universities. The project plans to organise three meetings, in Poland, Brazil, and Spain.

2 The ELSA Association Project, a mobility project for European undergraduates studying law. Fundecor has signed placement agreements with the Universities of Krakow and Warsaw with a view to their students coming to Córdoba; two students have already benefited from the programme.

3 The BBaS initiative, financed by the Regional Framework Operation GROW, part of the EU Interreg IIIC initiative aimed at ensuring that the network of European universities and companies indicated earlier, once established, will promote a swift and suitable application of innovative research in order to increase economic development.

4 The International Association of Economics and Business Management students (AIESEC), attached to the Institución Universitaria de la Compañía de Jesús (ETEA), has arranged internships for Polish students in Córdoba-based companies, and particularly at the seed company Eurosemillas.

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Building the European Capital of Culture: cultural exchanges between Córdoba and candidate cities for 2010-2011

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In December 2008, aware of the importance of encouraging and fostering relationships between the two countries within the scope of the Córdoba 2016 project, the Board of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, decided to hire a specialist adviser on Polish matters. The advisor appointed was Monika Bonet Poliwka (Warsaw, 1957), a renowned exhibition curator specialising in contemporary Spanish and Polish art.1

The starting-point for the cultural relations established between Córdoba and Gdansk was the involvement of two members of the Córdoba Jewellery School Consortium in the Gdansk Ambar Week, held on 16-23 May 2010. The teacher José Carlos Sánchez López and the student Vanessa Rivera Pozas took part in workshops and attended lectures, as well as working with top Polish designers specialising in amber jewellery.

In order to establish relations and explore a possible exchange of cultural activities, a delegation from Córdoba comprising the manager of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, Carlota Alvarez Basso, Monica Poliwka and the Deputy Director General for Culture at Córdoba City Council, Juan Carlos Limia, travelled from 2531 October to several Polish candidate cities: Gdansk, Lódz, Warsaw and Torun´. The outcome of the visit was extremely positive: it enabled the exchange of experiences and the arrangement of specific activities involving all the candidate cities, although at no stage was any preference expressed for any of the cities, since the idea was to make the arrangements as broad as possible. These four cities were chosen in view of their interesting bids, though of course Córdoba will work closely with whichever city is designated. Thereafter, relations between Córdoba and the city in question will naturally be expanded considerably.

The pieces of amber jewellery made during that week by the Córdoba delegation were included in a highlysuccessful joint exhibition of the work produced by all those taking part, held at the Gdansk Amber Museum.

This was a very positive experience, both personally for the members of the Jewellery School Consortium (in that it opened up employment opportunities) and for the Consortium itself at institutional level, since it laid the foundations for future permanent links and joint activities with other schools, associations and publications in the Ukraine and Poland, both of which specialise in amber research. These links will facilitate future student exchanges, as well as encouraging the inclusion of courses on the modelling and treatment of amber as part of the future curriculum at the Córdoba Jewellery School Consortium.

Cultural relations between Lódz and Córdoba will focus on an exchange of contemporary art exhibitions between the two cities in spring 2011. During its visit to Poland, the Córdoba delegation met staff from the Museum Sztuki Lódz (Lódz Museum of Art) with a view to holding a retrospective of the Córdoba art group Equipo 57 – a key contributor to the Spanish Abstract avant-garde movement – in Poland, and the exhibition From Balka to the Present Day – a joint exhibition featuring work by leading Polish contemporary artists, at the Vimcorsa Exhibition Hall in Córdoba. On 11 May, Jaroslaw Suchan, director of the Polish museum – which has been enlarged and is now one of the best modern and contemporary art museums in Central Europe – visited Córdoba to finalise the details and plan the organisation of the two exhibitions.

In the course of the visit to Warsaw, interviews were held with the management team of the Copernicus Science Centre (the building is under construction, but various activities are already taking place), as well as with the Warsaw 2016 management team. A series of exchanges have been arranged: Warsaw will send a first-rate Polish pianist to take part in the Rafael Orozco Piano Festival and Córdoba will provide a flamenco troupe to perform at their River Festival. Córdoba has offered two flamenco-related options: a classical flamenco troupe and a fusion flamenco troupe. This exchange, which is currently being negotiated, would last around a week and the costs would be shared by both parties.

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A graduate in History of Art from the University of Warsaw, her dissertation – directed by Bialostocki – focussed on mythological painting in the Spanish Renaissance. During the 1970s, she worked at the National Museum of Warsaw and was involved in producing several catalogues for heritage monuments in Poland.

Monika Bonet Poliwka has lived in Madrid since 1985. Since then, she has worked on several art catalogues and exhibitions, the most outstanding being the Poland, Fin de Siècle exhibition, held in 2003 at the Mapfre Vida Foundation of Madrid, and Bruno Schulz’s exhibition: The Dark Fatherland, held in 2007 at the Fine Arts Circle in Madrid. She has been awarded the Medal of the Republic of Poland.

Another confirmed project is Organs of Gdansk and Córdoba, United, an exchange programme for organists from the two cities. Under this agreement, the Córdoba organists Juan Antonio Pedrosa and Jesús Sampedro will take part in the Gdansk International Festival of Organ, Choral and Chamber Music (Europe’s leading festival on this theme), appearing in concerts at the Saint Nicholas Basilica on 22 September and 13 October 2010, respectively. The Polish organists Hanna Dys and Roman Perucki will perform at the Real Colegiata de la Iglesia de San Hipólito in Córdoba, on 16 and 24 October 2010.

A meeting was also held with the team running the Four Cultures Festival, a specific, year-round team dedicated exclusively to this event. This festival is a multi-disciplinary event covering several artistic and cultural activities, a young, critical and contemporary festival similar to Eutopía in Córdoba. The two organisations exchanged detailed information regarding the two festivals and several exchange and collaborative options are being studied.

At the same time, the Andalusian Youth Institute (Andalusian Regional Council), which organizes Eutopia, has planned to invite Polish creators and musicians to the next edition of the festival, which will take place in September 2010.

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The meeting with managers of the Torun´ 2016 Office focussed on the potential co-organisation of the European Cultural Capital Concert, a recital by two talented young performers. Córdoba would be represented by the violinist Francisco José Montalvo, and Poland by the young pianist Jan Lisiecki. The Warsaw Symphony Orchestra would help to manage and organise this musical project. Talks are currently in progress regarding the details of this project, in which music will act as an intercultural bridge between the two cities.

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or three different reasons, Córdoba’s ECoC bid has chosen to use a continuous assessment instrument – known as the Impact ECoC 2016 project (PIC 16) – enabling a comprehensive analysis of the project’s impact on the city. Firstly, the organisers are aware that any public policy requires a critical appraisal to ensure that public resources are properly deployed. Secondly, this is a core element of the design and implementation of the programme itself, since it enables the various activities to be monitored and, where necessary, finetuned. Finally, because the Córdoba 2106 project promotes culture as a key driving force for the city’s social and cultural future; it is therefore essential that the various impacts produced by an appropriate cultural policy are clearly perceived. An event of this significance will prompt numerous impacts and advantages, and therefore the scientific and institutional response must be a complex one.

As indicated in the introduction, the evaluation programme will take into account the methods and conclusions of Liverpool’s Impacts 08 programme, whose approach will be used as an international benchmark; similar earlier research, including studies by Robert Palmer and Greg Richards focussing on the impacts of European Cultural Capitals, will also be borne in mind.

We trust that the PIC16 research programme will provide a range of results: ·

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A high level of scientific and technical knowledge of immense value to the promoters, the programme assessors and the European Union in general.

Results in scientific and academic fields that will prompt further advances in a discipline – impact studies – which has already made considerable progress in methodological terms and is currently expanding at national and international level.

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The transfer of knowledge and experience to local society and its social representatives, in order to foster cultural and socioeconomic development, which is the core objective of the 2016 project.

Ongoing interaction within the cultural sector, which will enhance the training and education of the companies and citizens involved, which will thus become a valuable asset after 2016.

In order to develop a rigorous research programme between 2012 and 2018, with a view to guaranteeing the necessary diversity of outcomes, the Foundation has signed a strategic alliance with the Córdoba-based Andalusian Institute of Advanced Social Studies (IESACSIC) which will in turn be supported by the University of Córdoba and the Córdoba Business Confederation (CECO).

As a result, this project led by IESA-CSIC will have four associated bodies: the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, which engages to provide support and information- channelling services; IESA-CSIC itself, which will provide the technical research skills of a specialised centre attached to the Spanish Science Research Council; the University of Córdoba, which will supplement these institutional skills with the development of econometric impact-assessment models; and CECO, which will provide information regarding the various sectors of the local economy, together with their expert knowledge of the situation in Córdoba. This structure will enable the use of resources belonging to the participating institutions, as well as facilitating the participation of the Córdoba 2016 project in a range of calls for scientific or other funding (business, R & D & i, training) in order to obtain suitable and sufficient financing.

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The IESA-CSIC is a public scientific research centre, with headquarters in Córdoba, which works in the field of sociology; it is one of few such specialist centres in Spain.

In institutional terms, it is a mixed centre created by the Scientific Research Council (CSIC) and the Andalusian Regional Council through a cooperation agreement signed in 1995. However, the Institute started its work in Andalusia in 1992 as a centre belonging to the CSIC. As a social research centre, the main objective of the IESA-CSIC is to carry out and encourage a thorough examination of the social structure as well as to analyse major issues and changing trends in Spanish society. In this respect, its activity is scientific in nature, and incorporates cutting-edge theory and comparative analysis.

Since its creation, it has been working in the field of Social Sciences, providing a range of services consistent with its research interests. These include the following: ·

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Advice on technical and methodological issues for the definition, design and assessment of social studies and research.

Research projects using quantitative (face-to-face or telephone surveys using questionnaires) and qualitative techniques (individual or collective semi-directed interviews, discussion groups).

Public policy assessment studies (analysis of the process whereby public policy is defined and implemented; institutional analysis; diagnosis and assessment of outcomes).

Specialised training activities (courses and seminars) in Social Sciences methodology, social statistics, computer programs used in Sociology, design and execution of applied research.

Publication of reports, papers and books covering the most significant results obtained from its research projects.

Bibliographical documentation on general Sociology topics and on the institute’s various areas of specialisation.

IESA-CSIC is unique in having developed a technical, self-managing structure that allows it to cover all the stages of applied research. For that purpose, it has invested in a Technical Unit of Applied Studies (UTEA) comprising around twenty experts (with higher or intermediate degrees) specialising in the production of social data through face-to-face and telephone surveys as well as qualitative studies, and their subsequent analysis. It is structured in four areas covering different aspects of the social data production process: · · · ·

Face-to face surveys (field network, data coding and processing).

Telephone surveys (CATI).

Data analysis and statistics.

Qualitative studies.

The Impact ECoC 2016 project (PIC16)

In these last few years, under the management of research professors Manuel Pérez Yruela and Eduardo Moyano, a line of research into cultural studies has been embarked upon for the Andalusian Regional Council.

This partnership has given rise to the Cultural Barometer of Andalusia (a two-yearly publication now in its second edition), a Study of Cultural Practices and Consumption (currently being carried out), and an Evaluation of the Andalusian Cultural Sector Faced by the Economic Crisis. These are pioneer studies on Andalusian society, and provide statistics for official use by the Andalusian Regional Council. This partnership project has provided the Institute with valuable experience which can now be applied to PIC16, an eminently sociological project, which will make use of the latest specialised public-opinion research techniques and of the whole range of methods required.

Using this model comprising four types of impacts, PIC16 aims to implement different levels of analysis intended to enrich the information, giving it enlarged scope and rendering it accessible to local people. Assessment would thus be arranged in four concentric rings, running from the local and strictly cultural, to the global and general, or from direct effects to indirect, induced effects. This would enable appraisal of all types of impact on the city, and of the impact of ECoC-related activities on Europe and its cultural regeneration. In each of the four levels outlined below, transversal evaluations of environmental and gender impact would also be carried out. ·

Priority IESA-CSIC research areas include: · · · ·

Representation of interests in contemporary democracies; Social structure, social issues and public policies; Natural resources, land and environment; Cooperation for development.

The development of impact assessments relating to cultural events has underlined the need for interdisciplinary approaches and thus for considerable methodological diversity. The effects are so numerous and varied that analyses of secondary data, opinion surveys, qualitative analyses, documentary analyses and panels, among others, are essential tools. The varying nature of impacts may be classified as follows: ·

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Economic impacts. The contribution to the local economy in terms of development, generation of wealth, and innovation. The aim is to increase local competitiveness and growth Physical impacts. The contribution to the regeneration of the local landscape. The aim is to improve the citizens’ quality of life.

Social impacts. The development of a social network (interrelation, participation). The aim is to foster inclusion.

Cultural impacts. New elements for understanding our place in the land and its history. The aim is to update the city’s identity.

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Level one covers changes in the cultural habits and practices of the people of Córdoba; their participation (and that of third parties) in ECoC events; and their perception of their own city, and of its relations with Europe and with culture.

Level two examines impacts on supply, covering the assessment of changes in the city’s ongoing cultural programme, new cultural facilities, indicators of cultural activity; and the assessment of impacts on the cultural sector, both private and public.

Level three covers non-cultural impacts on the city (i.e. on the economy, on town planning and on other sectors).

Level four examines the contribution of the ECoC to Europe’s cultural heritage and the impact of the cultural activities involved on the international media. (see Fig. 15)

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V A participatory, continuously-monitored, European-scale project

V A participatory, continuously-monitored, European-scale project

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The Impact ECoC 2016 project (PIC16)

The Impact ECoC 2016 project (PIC16)

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FIG. 15

Evaluation model of the impact produced by the Cultural Capital Status of Córdoba for 2016 Source: Andalusian Institute for Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC)

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Laboratory on Cultural Trends and Impacts (LATIC16) Córdoba’s ECoC bid provides the ideal framework for exploring and developing new analytical tools able to view as a whole the experiences which together shape what is now termed the culture sector. For that reason, in parallel to the PIC16 project, there are plans to establish an open field for culture evaluation and prospecting, to be known as the Laboratory on Cultural Trends and Impacts 2016 (LATIC16), which will favour the sustainability of the PIC16 project beyond 2016.

The inescapable convergence of media technology and industries, genres and markets, distribution channels and communication flows, contents and audiences, has given rise to a highly-dynamic and innovative landscape, in which the planning and evaluation of the culture sector have become more complex. This convergence has considerably modified cultural structures and the role of cultural agents, but it has also affected content, in that the production of culture has become a process characterised by high speed and tremendous diversity. For that reason, the project is termed a Laboratory rather than an Observatory, since the idea is to move between observation and prospection, highlighting the experimental and performative dimension as distinct from the observational and prescriptive dimension.

LATIC16 is seen as a potential research tool that can readily be implemented and can have a major impact on culture in all its forms as a productive sector of the economy. The aims include advising companies and institutions, working with new cultural producers and entrepreneurs, proposing new areas for investment, tapping new potential sources of employment, identifying emerging cultural trends, proposing updated evaluation models using new technologies and new impact parameters, identifying new types of audience and new communities.

For that reason, this proposal is closely linked to (and could indeed be used as the basis for) other initiatives addressing innovative creations, such as the development of a “business nursery” within the ECoC framework. There can thus be no doubt as to the overall desire to generate transfers through the dissemination of results, the design of protocols, the development of systems and applications for culture production, management and evaluation, and other products which have not yet been fully implemented in the sector.

Emphasis should be placed, in this respect, on the significance of simultaneously addressing trends and impacts. The laboratory is not only a tool devoted to the fivefold task of analysis, evaluation, prospection, training and, information; it can also become a productive structure in itself, capable of generating both employment and markets.

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V A participatory, continuously-monitored, European-scale project

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The Impact ECoC 2016 project (PIC16)

The work of LATIC16 can be divided into three clearlydefined areas: 1 Research: the research area is a core element of the project. The involvement of a scientific partner of the calibre of IESA-CSIC, with considerable experience in applied research and a solid background in the analysis of culture, together with the involvement of the University of Córdoba itself, will guarantee the availability of technical and scientific resources as well as the academic impact of the project. The work of the Laboratory fits within an overall framework of analysis and observation, that seeks to ensure that research outcomes will have practical applications.

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Analysis of the local situation: planning, trends, impacts, and sources.

Applied research systems, and reproducible models.

Design of evaluation processes and cultural indicator systems.

The Impact ECoC 2016 project (PIC16)

2 Information: It is essential to provide a space for information, advice and reflection, to generate specialist consultation services, from which professional cultural managers can obtain reliable and well-ordered information concerning clearly-defined areas, and at all levels (local, European and international)

3 Training: Training in the culture sector needs to be constantly updated. Cultural managers, programmers, culture experts, and artists, all need to rethink their training requirements, and devise training courses with a strong academic and practical dimension.

· With personalised advice from cultural managers and consultants; guidelines for professional staff in the culture sector · With useful, highly-specialised resources. · Open to the exchange of experiences, research and knowledge · With a virtual space for cultural information.

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Analytical tools Strategic planning methods Monitoring and evaluation of cultural projects.

Information resources for continuous training.

Basic forms of management. Problems and practical case studies. · The culture sector at present in Andalusia and in Europe.

The structure envisaged for developing this project is an open, multidisciplinary and collaborative framework based on cooperation agreements and work plans involving the Foundation itself, the University of Córdoba and the Institute for Advanced Social Studies, IESACSIC. The latter institution has already set up a specific analysis group, so that the ECoC project could overlay a new working framework on an existing structure. Given its open structure, it could function through agreements with other bodies, institutions and working groups, depending on the specific research plans that may be defined: e.g. associations, individuals, institutions, and businesses, from all geographical spheres; the only condition is that every participating body should engage to take part in the project, to make it more competitive and ensure its academic excellence.

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In terms of its territorial scope, LATIC2016 takes as its basis a localised adaptation of the object of research – culture as a whole, which is intrinsically transnational.

The geographical framework will thus initially be Andalusia and Spain (inextricably bound in this field); thereafter, interactions are envisaged with Europe and, if appropriate, the rest of the world.

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Chapter V summary

1. The guiding principles in the preparation of this bid can be summarised in three concepts: European scale, participation, and continuous monitoring.

2. In terms of European scale, Córdoba has identified local events that have made a major contribution to European history, and local artistic or cultural figures whose far-reaching impact justifies their being considered universal. Attention has been drawn to less well-known people from Córdoba whose contribution entitles them to feature, in their own right, in the European cultural context.

The active cultural programme seeks to raise European awareness of the distinctive features of Córdoba’s identity.

3. The preparation of this bid has in itself been a participatory process, with input from intellectuals, programmers and leading cultural figures both in Córdoba and beyond the city. A drafting committee was established, headed by the manager of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, Carlota Álvarez Basso, and by the director of the Cultural Capital Office, the former lord mayor Manuel Pérez. Their work has been supplemented by contributions from independent specialist advisors, at both local and international level. This participatory approach will be continued and enhanced over the coming years of preparation for the ECoC; the aim is to involve local organisations in the ECoC governance.

4. The selection of projects to be submitted as part of this bid was based on their compliance with the guiding principles of the bid, as measured by ten quality indicators.

5. Given the high cost of cultural productions, the plan is to establish permanent institutional alliances, foster private initiatives and encourage the participation of cultural bodies from elsewhere in Europe, in order to maximise both impact and quality, as well as to cut costs through joint productions. Córdoba proposes to set up one-off alliances focussing on specific cultural projects, and also more permanent alliances allowing the ongoing exchange of initiatives and a joint approach to projects which could not be carried out single-handed. This active policy of strategic alliances will be the modus operandi for the ECoC in general.

7. A working-system project entitled PIC16 has been set up to monitor ECoC activities from a scientific standpoint.

The prestigious Andalusian Institute for Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC), will manage the project, and will systematically provide the information required to evaluate the work done, and correct errors; the outcomes will be made available for future similar initiatives.

Specifically, this project will measure the physical, social, cultural, and economic impact of the Córdoba 2016 project. The evaluation programme will take as an international benchmark the Liverpool Impacts 08 research programme.

6. Córdoba has long-standing historical, trade and cultural links with Poland, one of whose cities will also be designated European Capital of Culture in 2016. To date, three exchange agreements have been signed for 2010-2011: the participation of two Córdoba jewellery students in the Gdansk Amber Week; an exchange of organists from Córdoba and Gdansk this spring, and an exchange of contemporary art exhibitions between Lódz and Córdoba in spring 2011. Talks are also taking place with Warsaw and Torun´ regarding the organisation of joint projects, shared human and financial resources. Córdoba will, in any case, cooperate fully with whichever city is designated ECoC.

8. At the same time, an open framework will be established for evaluation and prospecting in the culture sector; it will be known as the Laboratory on Cultural Trends and Impacts 2016 (LATIC16).

vI Córdoba’s cultural ecosystem

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Vi Córdoba’s cultural ecosystem “As a source of exchange, innovation and creativity, cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature”

UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2 November 2001.

“Interculturality” refers to the existence and equitable interaction of diverse cultures and the possibility of generating shared cultural expressions

through dialogue and mutual respect”.

Creators

Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural

One of the creative areas in which Córdoba enjoys national and international renown is that of literature, and especially of poetry. The city has been home to a long line of writers and thinkers, currently including some of Spain’s leading literary figures, many of whom have been awarded prestigious national prizes.

Expressions, Paris, 20 October 2005.

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órdoba’s preparation for the ECoC bid has already prompted a number of positive and highly-visible changes in the appearance of the city, and in its distinguishing features. Together, these changes – in terms of the cultural programme available and the cultural consumption habits of local people – have transformed what might be termed Córdoba’s “cultural ecosystem”, i.e. the sum of all the elements, players, spaces and facilities whose interaction shapes the city’s cultural system. These changes involve not only the creators of culture, but also all the other elements essential to their activity: agents, programmes, infrastructure, public space, local people and visitors. In short, both the software and the hardware of local culture.

This process of radical change would not have been possible – indeed, would have been pointless – without the active involvement and enthusiasm of local society.

The whole city has eagerly grasped this opportunity to promote a new profile for Córdoba. Today, residents can enjoy a highly-varied programme of cultural events all the year round, run by numerous cultural organisations and institutions; this would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, and has only been possible thanks to the stimulus provided by the ECoC bid.

In the same way, the ECoC spirit has prompted a host of new cultural initiatives and ideas.

The bid in itself – and the naming of Córdoba as ECoC, should the bid be successful – must serve to boost the development of the knowledge economy and the creative economy in the city, fostering the building of new cultural infrastructure and facilities, and the refurbishment of existing spaces. This will encourage both consumption and cultural production, thus generating a productive model with the potential to drive the local economy in a sustainable manner and improve the city’s links with the rest of Spain and with Europe.

They include household names like Pablo García Baena (Príncipe de Asturias Prize for Literature, 1984; Reina Sofía Prize for Ibero-American Poetry, 2008) and Antonio Gala (Andalusia Prize for Literature, 1989; Planeta Prize for Best Novel, 1990), but also rising figures such as Pablo García Casado (Spanish National Radio’s El Ojo Crítico Prize for Poetry), Vicente Luis Mora (Andalucía Joven Prize, 2005), José Daniel García (Andalucía Joven Poetry Prize and Hiperión Poetry Prize), Joaquín Pérez Azaústre (Adonais Prize and Loewe Poetry Prize), José Luis Rey (Loewe Poetry Prize) and Eduardo García (National Critics’ Award).

Other well known poets, including Juana Castro and the members of the Cántico group, have helped to give Córdoba a reputation as the poetry city. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the Cosmopoética Festival, an annual poetry event which over the last seven years has achieved international renown, helping to consolidate Córdoba’s image as an inclusive, participatory city; the whole city becomes the stage, and the whole of local society has the chance to display its creative skills. Countless other projects – such as the publishers El Almendro, Almuzara, El Olivo Azul and El Páramo – are also striving to make literature a driving force for the city’s economy.

This potential is also evident in other fields of art. In the twentieth century, Córdoba has produced a number of leading painters, including Antonio Rodríguez Luna, whose work constantly evolved from its initial Surrealism, passing through a Critical Realist phase influenced by the artist’s exile in Mexico, to the almost-abstract work of his late period. Constructivism and normativism were the preferred idioms of Equipo 57, a group of artists which – in contrast to the individual approach intrinsic to abstract Expressionism – sought to reconcile artistic research with scientific analysis, through group work. Another major local figure was Pepe Espaliú, an outstanding and highly-versatile artist whose late work was strongly influenced by a desire to achieve greater social acceptance of AIDS – a disease of which he eventually died. Today, he is one of Spain’s most internationally-known artists; his work is to be found in the permanent collections of leading galleries, including the Tate Modern in London. Artists of this calibre did much to contribute to a lively sense of artistic endeavour in the city, particularly among young visual artists, whose work is to be found in galleries all over Spain and abroad.

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Since the 1980s, José María Báez has gradually become a prominent figure at national level, largely through major exhibitions such as Cota Cero. A nivel del mar, curated by Kevin Power.

Tete Álvarez’s work – focussing on the media, and on the relationship between art and technology – has regularly appeared at the Madrid art fair ARCO, and has featured in the BIACS exhibition in Seville, the MARCO exhibition in Vigo and exhibitions organised by the Marcelino Botín Foundation in Santander, as well as being shown in galleries abroad.

The work of Fernando Baena – another local artist, now living in Madrid – offers a critical approach to social issues through site-specific interventions and performances.

Daniel Palacios is a young Córdoba artist who has become widely known at national level thanks to works like Waves, which was awarded the Fundación Telefónica Prize, in which he explores new directions for sculpture through the creation of digital environments. He took part in a major retrospective on Spanish technological art, held jointly at MEIAC in Badajoz and at ZKM in Karslruhe (Germany), under the title The Discreet Charm of Technology.

Another key figure on the local art scene is Miguel Rasero, whose use of collage techniques transcends their traditional material figurativism, moving into a form of poetic constructivism. Antonio Villatoro is renowned for his acid, organic yet all-devouring Abstract Expressionism, whilst Rafael Agredano – a leading artist in the 1980s – offers a challenging blend of pent-up emotion and humorous commentary. Manuel Moreno Bautista uses computer graphics and other media to distort reality, a reality in which appearances become deceptive.

The world-renowned flamenco guitarist Vicente Amigo is from Córdoba, which is also home to other well-known guitarists, including José Manuel Hierro, Merengue de Córdoba, Paco Peña, José Antonio Rodríguez, Gabriel Muñoz Cartago and Javier Conde, to name but a few.

The cultural pulse of the city cannot be taken simply by reference to events organised by local institutions or by the work of individual creators. The key proof of cultural vitality lies in grass-roots initiatives involving private groups and associations which organise their own cultural events.

One of the leading local playwrights is Miguel Romero Esteo (Andalucía Theatre Prize, 1992; Luis de Góngora y Argote Prize, 2008, National Drama Prize, 2008).

Younger dramatists include the playwright and director Antonio Álamo, Chema Cardeña and Juan Carlos Rubio (SGAE Theatre Prize, 2005).

The internationally-famed flamenco dancer Joaquín Cortés, awarded the Gold Medal in the Fine Arts in 2009, heads a distinguished list of local dancers which includes Javier Latorre (prize-winner at the Córdoba National Flamenco Art Competition in 1989), Concha Calero, prize-winner at the Córdoba National Flamenco Art Competition in 1983, and Olga Pericet, who won the same prize in 2007.

Many initiatives of this sort have sprung up in Córdoba in the last few years. Since 2005, the residents of Calle Imágenes, a street in the Santa Marina district in the heart of the Old Town, have exhibited their own artworks in the street.

Film has fascinated a number of well-known local directors, including Gerardo Olivares, Josefina Molina, José Luis Extremera and Antonio Hens, as well as actors as famous as Fernando Tejero (Goya Prize for Best New Actor in 2003), María Morales (former percussionist with the Israeli company Mayumaná), Marisol Membrillo, Rafael Álvarez El Brujo, Macarena Gómez, and the comic actor Paco Morán.

Córdoba is home to numerous internationally-known bands including the Andalusian Rock band Medina Azahara, as well as to other groups and performers who have achieved national celebrity, among them El Queco, Asdlánticos, Flow, Deneuve, Maikel de la Riva and Limousine.

Córdoba is also home to two particularly well-known photographers: the war photographs of Gervasio Sánchez – winner of the 2009 National Photography Prize – provide horrifying testimony to the damage caused by anti-personnel mines, while Rafael Trobat has captured the amazing intensity of life in Latin America.

Flamenco singing, playing and dancing are a traditional form of cultural expression among local artistes. Leading figures on the flamenco scene include Antonio Fernández Díaz Fosforito (Special Jury Prize and first prize in all song categories at the 1956 Córdoba National Flamenco Singing Competition1), El Pele (winner of the First Prize at the 1982 National Flamenco Art Competition), Luis de Córdoba (First Prize at the 1974 and 1982 National Flamenco Art Competitions, and at the Las Minas de la Unión2 International Flamenco Competition in 1973 and 1974; professor of Flamenco Studies at the University of Córdoba) and Churumbaque Hijo (First Prize at the Las Minas de la Unión International Flamenco Competition in 2009).

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The National Flamenco Singing Competition started in 1956, and in 1965 changed its name to the National Flamenco Art Competition.

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The two most prestigious international flamenco festivals.

Córdoba has also produced leading figures in other creative fields, such as the great fashion designers Elio Berhanyer and Juana Martín; architects like Rafael de La-Hoz Arderius (Gold Medal for Architecture, 2000) and his son Rafael de La-Hoz Castanys, as well as Juan Cuenca (Andalusia Medal, 2008), who worked closely with the Estudio 57 art group. In 2009, the local architects Gabriel Rebollo and Gabriel Ruiz Cabrero were awarded the World Heritage Cities Prize for heritage conservation and restoration for their work on the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral).

Heir to a rich culinary tradition, Córdoba’s cuisine has achieved considerable prestige; gastronomic innovation in the city is guaranteed by a whole generation of restaurateurs led by the veteran chef José García Marín – whose restaurant El Caballo Rojo contributed to the revival of various old Moorish recipes such as roast lamb in honey – together with leading exponents of nouvelle cuisine such as Kisko García, Antonio López, and the young Juan José Ruiz Álvarez (winner of the 2009 Best New Chef award).

Every year, the works of art produced by these local residents focus on a different social issue, and throughout the month of May the street becomes a selfless artistic statement against, for example, domestic violence (2008) or the economic crisis (2009). This small initiative, timed to coincide with the traditional festivities of the month of May, has achieved some renown and admiration, both locally and beyond the city, as a critical minority statement. The use of public space, the participation of local residents, and a heightened social sensibility are all part of traditional culture, to which new idioms have been added.

Another interesting event is Luneados (“Moonstruck”), which bears a striking similarity to the traditional Patio Festival, though differing dramatically in terms of content and language. In this case, the rooftops are the venues used by a group of friends to host concerts, poetry recitals and other events. This is a strictly private, independent initiative, organised and financed by the people attending the events, who communicate by means of social networks.

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These local artists drew their inspiration from similar events, called Live in the living, held in London and Amsterdam, although – as they remark – “we replaced living rooms by our friends’ terraces and rooftops. And since there has to be some sort of rhythm, a little routine of our own, we decided to meet when there was a full moon. Moon, you know, can be taken by the spoonful or as a pill every two hours… And here we are: Moonstruck. Live on the roof”. The group has augmented this “lunatic” activity with the addition of video-poems and the publication of Mediopliego, a tool for the dissemination of contemporary poetry. These kinds of projects are often supported by the creation of local debate blogs, using new technologies in a local rather than global way.

Another remarkable independent initiative also focuses on poetry: Beautiful Warsaw. The project was created by a group of young poets in 2004 and has become something of a landmark due to its willingness to embrace other forms of artistic expression. It also publishes the work of young authors, and is a member of the Independent Publishers’ Network (RE), an Andalusian network of small publishers specialising in new authors, whose work is mainly marketed via Internet.

The Avanti Project is a highly-active private project in the performing arts, running a year-round programme of events – mainly for children – at the Avanti Theatre (Genil) and the Circus Theatre in Puente Genil. Over the last few years it has also organised a number of festivals, including the Córdoba Magic Festival (Imagilusión), the Córdoba Puppet-Theatre Festival (Titereveo), the Qurtuba Teatro Amateur Drama Show and the Córdoba Circus Festival (Circomanía), as well as the Avanti Flamenco Circuit (designed to promote new flamenco performers), the Tempo de Música season of concerts, and special programmes for schoolchildren.

Cultural activity is also channelled through specialised “cultural businesses”, i.e. companies devoted to the production and distribution of cultural goods and services. These companies are gradually forming a small but active sector within the local economy.

Good examples are El Dispensario, which seeks to contribute innovative ideas to the local cultural scene, and La Caja del Agua. Both companies offer an integrated model of cultural management, from the creation of the original project to its subsequent planning, management and implementation. These companies offer their clients – mainly public or semi-public organisations – a comprehensive service, taking care of all aspects production, which entails the swift and efficient contracting of external services. Other companies are now emerging to meet the nascent demand for “turnkey” cultural productions.

Other companies devoted to audiovisual production include Animacor, as well as a growing network of private galleries (e.g. Arte 21, Carmen del Campo); whilst new recording studios (Estudios Eureka, Estudios Hanare, Mart Estudios, Estudios Filigrana) have brought many nationally-known bands to record in the city.

The Lunar Project, sponsored by the Andalusian Regional Government Department of Innovation, seeks to endow these initiatives with a more professional and sustainable framework, as a means of creating jobs; the excellent results achieved to date are a promise of even greater achievements over the next few years.

Three cultural businesses deserve special mention because of their size, their outgoing nature and their commitment to innovation. ·

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El Olivo Azul is an independent publisher, founded in 2004, that specialises in new editions of literary classics. It has recently moved into the production of e-books, and is currently spearheading the work of a whole group of publishers in this new format.

Editorial Almuzara is a local publishing group – founded a few years ago – which has achieved growing national and international renown. It is now among the largest publishers in Andalusia in terms of volume.

Cinesur, belonging to the Sánchez Ramade Group, is a leading national film distributor and cinema chain, which has focussed from the outset on online sales and booking, and on new high-definition formats. In recent years, the company has diversified – to great popular acclaim – into the live screening, via satellite, of opera and ballet performances straight from Europe’s leading stages.

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Activities prior to 2002

One of the most prestigious and well-established cultural events taking place in Córdoba, and perhaps the most internationally-famous event, is the Córdoba Guitar Festival. It has been running for 30 years and is among the most important festivals of its type in the world. This multi-faceted event, founded in 1981, turns Córdoba into the world guitar capital throughout the month of July. It has an excellent educational programme, which attracts young guitarists from the five continents, as well as a range of complementary activities devoted to the study and dissemination of the guitar in all its forms. Every year it plays host to leading guitarists in all musical styles: classical, flamenco, jazz, rock and world music. Proof of its importance is the impressive list of guitarists who have taken part, a list to which the legendary Mark Knopfler will be added in 2010.

Another important area in the cultural programme is devoted to flamenco music. Every three years since 1956, Córdoba has held the National Flamenco Art Competition, which replaced the unforgettable Córdoba Flamenco Singing Competition, first held in Granada in 1922 at the instigation of Manuel de Falla and Federico Garcia Lorca. Given its history, and the list of award-winning artists that have taken part, one might call it the contest of all contests, a true milestone in the history of flamenco music. Today it is the most important of Spain’s flamenco festivals, and the only one entitled to award the National Prize.

Other long-standing musical events which seem set to continue include the Rafael Orozco International Piano Festival – the name honours the late, internationally-famous local concert pianist – which has been running in Córdoba since 2002, and attracts leading performers from all over the world. The Contemporary Music Festival – a showcase for new musical works – has achieved growing public acclaim since it started in 1998. Top musicians perform works by leading twentieth-century composers, with a special emphasis on new creative figures.

Also of great interest, and a long history in the city, are the City of Córdoba Blues Festival, the Three Cultures Festival and the International Festival of Sephardic Music. The Presjovem Project focuses on the training of gifted young performers, and includes an international music festival, as well as a high-standard Summer School which has brought dozens of talented young musicians to Córdoba every August since 1990, to take part in master classes taught by internationallyrenowned musicians and teachers.

The Córdoba City Orchestra, founded in 1992 by the world-famous Cuban composer and conductor Leo Brouwer, runs a rich, varied and very popular programme of concerts throughout the year. It is currently considered one of the best orchestras in Spain.

Film figures high in Córdoba’s cultural agenda, thanks mainly to the work of the Córdoba-based Andalusian Film Institute, founded in 1987. The Institute is remarkable not only for the dissemination of film culture, with over 400 screenings per year, in seasons covering a range of genres (e.g. classic, contemporary, independent, children’s films), but also for its work in research and collecting, for its promotion of new directors, and for its focus on educational, promotional and scientific activities centring on audiovisual creation.

Córdoba Guitar Festival 2009

Open-air cinemas are a traditional feature of life in Córdoba that has managed to survive, despite both intensive building and more modern innovations. Although in the 1960s there were as many as 30 open-air cinemas situated all over the city, today only four survive, located in large courtyards in the Old Town; the oldest dates back to 1935. These cinemas, now protected by City Council by-laws, occupy a space somewhere between the public and the private, screening around 80 films per season, attended by a total of 2,500 people, who – in going there to watch films – are continuing a tradition dating back to the 1930s which has become a distinctive feature of Córdoba’s film culture.

One of the city’s major literary events is the annual Book Fair, which has been held every April for the last 37 years. Last year, the Fair featured 80 activities – of which 35 were aimed at children and adolescents – including book-signings and presentations, theatre, puppet-shows, round tables, music, street events and talks by authors.

In Córdoba, poetry also features strongly in a number of cultural programmes Highlights include the Municipal Poetry Course and the traditional spring seasons in the historic Viana Palace (Poetry Patios), both of which attract leading Spanish poets every year. Since 1973, the city has awarded the increasingly prestigious Ricardo Molina Prize for poetry; the name is a fine tribute to the spirit of the Cántico group, a leading movement in post-war Spanish poetry.

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Córdoba’s cultural programme

2002-2011. Programmes devised under the aegis of the Córdoba 2016 project

In the field of painting and sculpture, mention must be made of the work done over many years by the Rafael Botí Provincial Fine Arts Foundation, which organises a full programme of exhibitions at the Puerta Nueva Exhibition Hall. Over the last fifteen years, the Foundation has also awarded grants for young artists born or resident in the city or province of Córdoba.

The traditional Photography Biennial is a unique fixture which, since the mid-1980s, has made Córdoba an interesting centre for debate on contemporary visual culture. Other regular events include the many activities of the Córdoba Photography Association (AFOCO) at the Ignacio Barceló Hall, as well as the annually-held Mezquita Photography Prize.

The Equestrian Córdoba association is heir to a long tradition of breeding Spanish Thoroughbred horses. In the sixteenth century, King Philip II ordered the building of the Royal Mews, the home of the Spanish Thoroughbred. The association was initially founded with the idea of bringing together various groups interested in this breeding tradition. Over the years, however, its scope has changed somewhat, and it is now responsible for organising professional and tourism-related events.

The association is also behind the establishment of a centre for research on, and promotion of, the Spanish Thoroughbred, which will also explore the business and training potential deriving from this research.

As indicated earlier, the bid itself has led to the creation of numerous international cultural projects, through which Córdoba seeks to highlight its ability to produce and manage cultural projects on an international scale, and to involve local residents as well as visitors from all over Spain.

From the outset, the Córdoba 2016 project has done everything possible to attract the close involvement of creators – especially young creators, both from Córdoba and from outside – in a range of activities that include publishing books and CDs, supporting tours and concerts by local bands, running exhibitions and installations, encouraging international exchanges amongst young creators, and bringing young Spanish poets from all over the country for the Cosmopoética poetry festival. These activities testify to a close and lasting cooperation between the Córdoba 2016 project and creators in every field – both local and from outside the city.

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2004 All the activities comprising the programme shared a common feature: they were carried out with local people, rather than for local people. They were aimed at culturally active residents, not as consumers of culture, but as participants in culture. The programme was founded on a commitment to flexibility and citizen participation, reflecting the conviction that the involvement of society is a vital part of the bid, not only in preparing the city to become ECoC but also as a guarantee of future sustainability.

All the human and material investments made to date are only meaningful if they prompt a transformation of society through culture, if the city of Córdoba attains long-lasting social and cultural development. It is a question of strengthening bonds to ensure truly longterm results. Key projects have included:

No outline of cultural activities in Córdoba would be complete without a reference to the local impact of the programme Córdoba in 16 Mode, backed by the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation. This programme, published in a booklet of the same name, comprised 16 annual special events in 2009 and 2010, intended to promote Córdoba’s ECoC bid. In 2009 – the first year – the programme had an enormous impact at local and national level. ·

Cosmopoética. Poets of the World in Córdoba.

This festival, first held in 2004, was a remarkable success in combining literary quality and citizen involvement; in 2009 the festival was awarded the National Prize for the Promotion of Reading by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. It is one of the local cultural projects that has achieved the greatest international renown in recent years. Over the last seven years, it has sought to stress accessibility both to poets and poetry, to demystify and democratise poetry as a genre, to encourage the involvement of local people as a guarantee for the project itself, and as a means of driving social, cultural and economic development, by bringing together poets and writers from all over the world, and by taking poetry into every area and discipline of society.

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Animacor, Córdoba International Animation Festival. This has been held annually since 2005. It enjoys a solid reputation on the international circuit for audiovisual festivals. It seeks to serve as a meeting point for the industry, where culture, talent and creativity merge to prompt new creative trends and the application of new technologies in the audiovisual industry, and more particularly the animation industry. The Festival also provides training for new professionals in the animation sector.

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Sensxperiment. International Creation Event. This is a festival of avant-garde art founded ten years ago in Lucena (Córdoba) by the Weekend Proms Association with the backing of the Lucena Town Council.

In 2005, the festival was enlarged iwith the support of the Cultural Capital Office and other institutions – and its scope was extended to Córdoba. Since then, numerous international artists have exhibited their highly-innovative work in sound art, art on paper and many other formats. Sensxperiment will in future be a triennial festival, and an ongoing threeyear sensory immersion project is currently in force (2009-2011), which involves actions and research in a variety of fields, including expanded and live cinema, and the relationship between sound and space.

The work is being done by a network of artists in Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, France, Britain, Austria and Belgium.

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Pilar Citoler International Contemporary Photography Prize. This was first held in 2006 and honours one of the most important private collectors in Spain. The prize is the most valuable in the country (€15,000 and the organisation of an exhibition). The exhibition of entries held after the award ceremony gives a clear idea of what is being done in this modern, universal area of the arts.

Migrations. Arts in translation is a programme backed by the Cultural Capital Office in cooperation with the Asociación Los Amigos de Marsuf, which seeks to encourage cultural exchanges between young local artists and young artists from other European cities. The project embraces a range of disciplines, including fine arts, music and poetry. Events include poetry readings, concerts and exhibitions, held both in Córdoba and the other European cities involved. To date, joint events have been held in Córdoba-Lisbon (Portugal) and in Córdoba-Paris (France). The third joint event will link young artists in Córdoba and Berlin (Germany).

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Eutopía, International Young Creators’ Festival.

This internationally-renowned annual event focuses on the work of young creators of all kinds. It highlights distinctive features both of the city itself and its youth culture. The festival covers fields as far apart as rock music, gastronomy and dance. It encourages street activities, open to all.

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The White Night of Flamenco. This is a large-scale international project originally organised under the aegis of the ECoC bid. The first event attracted over 100,000 people and some of the best known flamenco performers. Taking place at the start of summer, this is now an annual must-see event, which brings together street art, the involvement of local people and a true celebration of this traditional Andalusian folk music. It was initially intended as a single full day of free activities all over the city, but for 2010 the festival has been enlarged to include a fortnight of preliminary activities.

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Networked Culture a programme organised by the City Council Departments of Culture and Citizen Participation, seeks to provide high-quality, attractive cultural events all over the city. It has a twofold purpose: to ensure an even-handed provision of culture in all ten districts of the city, including the outskirts; and to educate local residents, all activities having an initial educational dimension. Networked Culture is organised in autumn and winter every year through the network of civic centres; in spring and summer, activities are held in the city’s squares and public spaces. The programme comprises a total of 100 activities every year (8 or 10 per district), all agreed beforehand with the Al-Zahara Federation of Neighbourhood Associations and with the Neighbourhood Councils for each district.

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Rooted in the Wind is an intercultural music festival promoted by the Cultural Capital Office and the music management company La Factoría D. The original idea was that all the groups taking part should perform music from countries and cultures other than their own. For the first festival, local groups played Celtic and Irish music, American country, Brazilian bossanovas and Jewish klezmer music. This year, any bands resident in Spain were entitled to take part, so that Spanish and American performers played Indian music, while Bolivian, French, Italian and Spanish musicians played klezmer music and a Turkish singer and guitarist sang flamenco. Plans are under way to expand the international dimension of the festival for 2011, and to highlight its intercultural features.

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The Cloud of Córdoba, by Darya Con Berner

Paths of Fire. Social sculptures by MUMA

Intervention by Carlos Garaicoa at the Faculty of Arts

Appearing rooms, by Jeppe Hein

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The City as Stage: 4 cultures + 4 elements = 4 public art events in urban spaces. This exhibition of public art in urban spaces representing the Córdoba’s multicultural identity had a twofold aim: to extend the city’s distinctive spirit of collaboration, and to make the urban setting into an integral part of the cultural programme. The project highlighted the legacy of the four cultures that make up the heritage of Córdoba: Roman, Arabic, Jewish and Christian, interpreted through a modern approach to the four elements of medieval and Arabic alchemy: earth, fire, water, and air. The idea was not just to provide a new reading of the ancient elements, but rather to make them part of the urban fabric, overlaying various strata to generate a set of memories of the city. The project received the vital support of 300 volunteers, who helped to make it a reality, simultaneously becoming actors and spectators. This is a perfect example of the type of activity proposed by under this ECoC bid.

Intervention by Rubens Mano at the Córdoba Fine Arts Museum

· Paso Doble, by Josef Nadj and Miquel Barceló

Air was represented by The Cloud of Córdoba, by Darya Von Berner; fire, by Paths of Fire, a social sculpture by MUMA (José María Soler); water inspired the interactive fountain Appearing Rooms, by Jeppe Hein; whilst earth was presented through the Paso Doble, performed by Josef Nadj and Miquel Barceló.

The Sky Within My House. Contemporary Art in the Courtyards of Córdoba, a project carried out in October and November 2009, succeeded in blending tradition with a contemporary approach, in a subtle interplay of the public and the private. The curator of this contemporary art project, the leading international art figure Gerardo Mosquera (Havana, Cuba, 1945), invited 16 artists from around the world to exhibit their work in 16 courtyards, eight belonging to public buildings, and eight to private homes, with the cooperation of their owners.

Intervention by Magdalena Atria in the courtyard at Calle San Basilio, 50

The project aimed to do something more than simply place works of art in the various courtyards, instead of in galleries. The whole process, as implemented, succeeded in symbolising one of the strategies adopted by the city to enhance the relationship between city and culture, and between public and private spaces.

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2010 Work by Cristina Lucas at the Casa de las Campanas

Digital Ocean. In White, video-installation by Miguel Soler Intervention by Priscilla Monje in the courtyard at Calle La Palma, 3

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Intervention by Cai Guo-Qiang in the courtyard of the Municipal Archive

Each participating artist took into account the particular features of his/her courtyard, and of its residents; in many cases, the works of art were speciallycreated for the site. The process also entailed – and received – the active cooperation of the courtyard owners, a cooperation evident in the relationship that developed between the owners and the many people who visited the courtyards in the course of the event.

This exhibition was a clear example of the international dimension of the ECoC project. The quintessential architecture of the Andalusian home (house plus courtyard) was inherited by the whole of Latin America; as a result, the City Council of Quito (Ecuador) has taken up the concept of this exhibition and has decided to hold its own version of the The Sky Within My House. Next September, under the same title and with the same curator, ten public courtyards in Quito will be home to the works of other contemporary artists. The overall aim is for this successful initiative, which combines respect for historical heritage with modern art, to continue its journey throughout the whole of Latin America.

The exhibition 16 Icons for 2016 displayed 16 works by local artists, selected from a total of 102 entries to an ideas competition held in 2009. The aim was to support the production and dissemination of innovative projects in the different fields of contemporary creativity and encourage the involvement of local artists in Córdoba’s ECoC bid. The result was highly satisfactory in terms of the quality and diversity of the entries, which included a multitude of formats, from photography, video and sculpture, to urban furniture, public installations and the creation of objects related to games.

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In 2010, a number of other fascinating projects are envisaged, including Digital Ocean, which will bring the public closer to the various genres covered by digital art, and Córdoba, a Reflection of Rome, running from December 2010 to May 2011, which will highlight the key contribution of Roman Córdoba to Europe’s culture and economy during an era which saw the forging of the foundations for our common identity.

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2011 Commemoration of the 450th anniversary of the birth of Luis de Góngora y Argote. In 2011, the Cosmopoética poetry festival will be devoted to this great poet and playwright, the most original and influential figure in Spanish Golden Age literature. His poetry, which explored new grounds in a new language, gave rise to a literary style known as Gongorism or Culteranism. · Averroes Philosophy Meetings. From 3-5 February 2011, Córdoba will host its first Averroes Philosophy Meetings, under the title The Córdoba Paradigm: One Culture, Three Religions. This will be the first Spanish edition of the Rencontres d´Averroès that have been held in Marseille (France) since 1994.

These meetings began 16 years ago with the aim of examining current thinking and politics, through the teachings of the Córdoba scholar. · Centenary of the Restoration of Madinat al-Zahra.

In 1911, Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, the architect restoring the Mezquita, began the archaeological excavations which would eventually result in the restoration of the capital of the Caliphate. The history of the archaeological operations at Madinat al-Zahra is of particular interest, since – unlike other monuments, such as the Mezquita in Córdoba and other examples of Islamic culture including the Alhambra or the Aljafería Palace in Saragossa – the exact location of this city, built from scratch under Abd alRahman III, was unknown. Thus, only archaeological research, involving a great deal of work, could lead to the discovery of a city until then known only through historical texts. The recovery of Madinat alZahra can be defined, without doubt, as the most important archaeological research in Europe relating to the medieval period. ·

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Juan de Mena: from Court to City. 2011 marks the 600th anniversary of the birth of Juan de Mena3, an event to be celebrated by the University of Córdoba through an International Congress intended to foster scientific research into the poet’s life, work, and times. Juan de Mena, a leading humanist, was not only in touch with local scholars and with the leading Castilian intellectuals at the court of King John II, but he also maintained close contacts with scholars elsewhere in Europe, and especially with the Italian thinker Pier Cándido Decembrio. A range of papers will focus on Juan de Mena’s work, and on his international dimension. Speakers will include specialists from the University of Córdoba, and from several Spanish and foreign universities: the Complutense University of Madrid, the Autonomous University of Barcelona; the Catholic University of Nijmegen (Netherlands), the University of Nottingham (United Kingdom), King’s College (United Kingdom) and the University of La Sorbonne (France).

As soon as Córdoba is named ECoC, the work involved in making the project a reality will need to become much more visible, through efficient communications.

That process will continue over the four-year period prior to 2016 (i.e. from 2012 to 2015). This interval will be used to make Córdoba a laboratory for identifying the most effective methods of publicising and promoting the idea of European Capital of Culture, and of setting in motion the necessary institutional and managementrelated machinery; at the same time, a preliminary idea of programme content will be constructed.

This will also be the moment to establish contacts, networks and alliances at international level, thus building up a series of links that will gradually endow Córdoba 2016 with a cultural and symbolic force. The aim will be to achieve a fine balance between the impact of an increasingly packed programme of cultural and artistic events and the impact of a strategy to promote and publicise the Córdoba 2016 project.

A programme of specific activities is therefore being drawn up for the period 2012-2015, focussing on four main areas.

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(1411-1456) Partly educated in Italy, Juan de Mena was a leading exponent of the allegoric-Dantesque style that arose in Spanish literature in the fifteenth century. Experts have stressed that, thanks to his position at Court, Mena was a pioneer in the creation of an elevated poetry.

1 The first area of action must clearly involve maintaining and progressively strengthening the city’s regular cultural programmes, as outlined above. Through this programme, Córdoba hopes to be perceived as a city enjoying constant cultural growth, and actively preparing for the great cultural extravaganza of 2016. With this aim in mind, considerable investments are currently being made in new infrastructure and in the complete overhaul of existing facilities. This will not only serve to enhance the city’s cultural life, but also to foster new initiatives and new cultural programmes. This major cultural renewal comprises a number of specific strategies:

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Work will continue on the improvement and consolidation of cultural programmes which already have a long tradition in the city, paying particular attention to programmes devised under the aegis of the Córdoba 2016 project.

New contemporary creative projects will be implemented, with a view to highlighting the dialogue between the city’s historical heritage and new creative trends.

In the same line, considerable efforts will be made to promote – on a scale hitherto unknown in the city – contemporary art by young artists. This will be achieved through the planned opening of new facilities. The Sala Iniciarte, which opened in May 2010, focuses on reviews and promotion of contemporary art; this year will also see the opening of the new Pepe Espaliú Centre, while from 2011 onwards the Rafael Botí Art Centre will specialise in artists from around the province. These early forces for change on the local cultural scene will be augmented later by the newly-built headquarters of the Contemporary Architecture Foundation, and especially by the pioneering Córdoba Centre for Contemporary Creation (C4), which is seen not as yet another contemporary art gallery, but as a centre for training and creation, as well as a venue for temporary exhibitions, with workshops open to invited artists.

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Another major culture-related strategy to be implemented between 2011 and 2015 will be the radical overhaul of the city’s museums, which will involve introducing cutting-edge technology and, particularly, new approaches to museum layout, prompted by the modern view of museums as living beings in constant dialogue with the city and with its visitors. A new wing is to be opened at Córdoba’s Archaeological and Ethnographical Museum – one of the finest of its kind in Spain – and a new Fine Arts Museum is to be built on the left bank of the River Guadalquivir. This will replace the Museum currently housed in the same building as the Julio Romero de Torres Museum, thus allowing the latter to be enlarged and restructured.

The Convent of Santa Clara is in many ways the embodiment of the city’s history, in that it contains the remains of a mosque as well as some Late Roman mosaics. The Convent is set to become the new City Museum. Refurbishing work is also currently under way at the Diocesan Museum. Two new Visitor Centres – a municipal tourist office and the Synagogue visitor centre – will do much to improve visitor services, while the newly-opened information centre at Madinat al-Zahra will offer improved access to the city’s heritage.

The opening of a new branch of the Casa Árabe [Arabic House] will allow Córdoba to host the wide range of activities run by this organisation, which are currently restricted to Madrid. At the same time, the restoration of the Royal Mews as a multipurpose cultural and equestrian centre will provide the city with new elements of heritage and with new exhibition venues. The restoration of the ancient water mills in the river will also provide new spaces for exhibitions, as well as environment-related facilities.

The next few years will see major developments in the performing arts in Córdoba; facilities will soon be doubled, with the opening of two new theatres in addition to the public (Gran Teatro, Teatro de la Axerquía and Teatro Duque de Rivas) and private theatres (Teatro Avanti) already in existence. The two new theatres are the Teatro Góngora, a public theatre with two areas that can be used separately or together (the main hall and the terrace), and the Teatro Magdalena, developed by a public-private partnership. · There will also be far-reaching developments in music in all its forms. The Fosforito Flamenco Centre, which has just opened at the Posada del Potro, will foster flamenco research and documentation through a permanent annual programme. Musical training will be considerably strengthened by the opening of the new Elementary and Professional School of Music in the Vial Norte. In terms of the performance and promotion of music, mention must be made of the new Córdoba Congress Centre, which will be home to the Córdoba City Orchestra and will also boast a spectacular auditorium seating 2,000 people. ·

2 The second area of action will consist in highlighting Córdoba’s symbolic values, the historical foundation on which the ECoC project is based, by marking a series of anniversaries that go beyond the merely local to form part of the common European heritage. The objective is to revisit that part of Europe’s history in which leading local figures made key contributions in all fields: philosophy, literature, the arts, science, medicine, architecture, engineering, and agriculture, to name but a few. Clearly, the idea is to focus on these figures from a modern perspective, providing a contemporary reading of their contribution to the cultural heritage – indeed to man’s heritage in general – using the resources and language of today. Some of the key anniversaries are shown below:

2012: 600th anniversary of the death of Leonor López de Córdoba (1362-1412) Leonor López de Córdoba was one of very few female writers in the Middle Ages, and hers is among the key names in feminist historiography, above all because of her ability to publish an autobiographical text whose main value lies in its use of words, and in the first-hand portrayal of a woman’s life. This anniversary is thus clearly linked to other scheduled events – outlined elsewhere – such as the reappraisal of significant gaps in the history of philosophy, creation and research from a gender perspective. · 2013: 1000th anniversary of the death of Albucasis (936-1013) Abul-Qasim Khakaf ibn al Abbas al Zahravi, better known as Albucasis or Abulcasis, is considered the founder of modern surgery. He wrote a complete encyclopaedia on medicine and was a great innovator in the medical arts, being the first to use advances such as silk thread for stitches. He developed countless surgical instruments, many of which are still in use today. This celebration, too, chimes with the specific programme on the relationship between science and conscience envisaged for Córdoba 2016. · 2014: 950th anniversary of the death of Ibn Hazm (994-1054) Abu Muhammad ‘ali Ibn Hazm, Muslim theologian, philosopher and poet, was best known in Europe for his great historical-critical work on religion, and particularly for his treatise on young love “The Ring of the Dove”, which has provided us with many details on the social and spiritual life of the time. This had a major influence on literature in the Spanish Christian Kingdoms, and particularly on the development of lyrical verses about courtly love. There is a clear link between this anniversary and the attention paid in the ECoC project to the conveying of the senses and emotions through culture, and particularly through art.

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2014: 500th anniversary of the birth of Hernán Ruiz II (1514-1569) This architect was among the leading lights of the architectural Renaissance in Spain. He carried out many civil and religious projects, both public and private, and was also involved in town planning, transport, hydraulic works, temporary architecture, and other fields. A member of a family of professional builders and masons (including his father and son), Ruiz’s work is to be found all over Andalusia.

He was involved in the erection of the cathedral within the Córdoba Aljama Mosque precincts. The rereading of Córdoba’s historical heritage, and the analysis of the relationship between architecture and the city, are issues that will be addressed in the Córdoba 2016 project. This anniversary provides an opportunity to examine at first hand these essential elements of the project.

2015: 500th anniversary of the death of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, El Gran Capitán (14531515) This politician and military leader, a nobleman at the court of the Catholic Monarchs, is considered by historians the best tactician of the Modern Era. He was a great reformer of military strategy, and revolutionised the art of war in his campaigns against France in Italy at the start of the sixteenth century. He was responsible for putting an end to medieval systems of warfare by introducing musketeer formations as independent tactical units. El Gran Capitán ensured Spain’s military supremacy in Europe for almost over one hundred and fifty years. The modification of the European political framework, and the gradual transformation of European states towards their current shape through the use of international policy instruments, were complex and not always problemfree. This anniversary provides an ideal opportunity to examine those processes, and the present-day role of diplomacy and foreign policy, as an example of the pro-dialogue stance represented by Córdoba’s bid.

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Ibn Hazm Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the Gran Capitán

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2015: 850th anniversary of the death of AlGafequi (-1165) Muhammad Ibn Qassoum Ibn Aslam Al-Gafequi, ophthalmologist, invented the cataract operation and was an expert in diseases of the eye and iris. He wrote a treatise on ophthalmology called “A Guide for Oculists” which is preserved at the El Escorial library. Some of the remedies and instruments he used were developed by a doctor from Alexandria.

He was an early example of knowledge transfer, and of the fundamental importance of cumulative historical contributions for the current status of science and culture; this anniversary also serves as the basis of a new reading of the value – or potential value – of scientific progress in terms of solidarity.

The celebration of these anniversaries, aimed at underlining the symbolic status which Córdoba once enjoyed – and hopes to enjoy again – will be followed by others specifically linked to the year 2016, which are evidently part of the scheduled programme.

This initiative is consistent with the programme envisaged under the Córdoba 2016 project, to the extent that the project is based on the twin pillars of dialogue and a plural approach to culture. Our aim is to make Córdoba a model of respect towards all the lands that make up this planet, thus shaping a symbolic geography shorn of hierarchies and supported by dialogue and the peaceful coexistence of differences. We see this as an effective way of promoting the values represented

by Córdoba as ECoC, which are also the values of a future Europe of dialogue and harmonious coexistence.

In making ourselves known, we seek to make ourselves understood. In short, this ambitious idea of overseas promotion is nothing less than a reciprocal invitation to mutual understanding.

3 Córdoba’s bid also includes an extraordinary programme, to run from ECoC approval until 2016, in which one full year will be devoted to a different continent. America, Africa, Asia and Oceania will thus be the guests of honour between 2012 and 2105, respectively, in a planet-wide journey terminating in Europe in 2016.

This idea is seen as a bold strategy for publicising the Córdoba 2016 project on a truly international scale.

It should be stressed that the journey to each of the continents will be a return journey: throughout any given year, cultural events focussing on the continent in question will be organised in Córdoba, and the various cultures will have a standing invitation to take part in the ECoC process. Art and culture from all these different lands will be accompanied by institutional and management programmes aimed at establishing the contacts and alliances required for effective promotion and reception of the European Capital of Culture in the various continents. Territorial organisations and representatives of institutions, cultural organisations and economic bodies will be invited to promote Córdoba’s proposal. Similarly, a delegation from Córdoba will travel to each of the continents with a view to promoting and publicising the Córdoba 2016 project, and the values it represents.

4 Joint productions with the European Capitals of Culture from 2012 to 2015. To take a single example, preliminary contacts have already been established between Córdoba and Riga (Latvia), the European Capital of Culture in 2014; this has prompted mutual interest, and has proved to be an incentive for the possible implementation of a common project.

Within the framework of the Riga 2014 project, the Latvian National Library is preparing an exhibition on the history of the printed book, charting European written history from the Renaissance onwards. In this context, the organisers consider that a presentation of European culture prior to that time would be a valuable addition; this would stress the cultural role of al-Ándalus, as embodied in scholars like Averroes y Maimónides, and also the survival of the knowledge of the Greek philosophers in European culture thanks to Arabic translations.

Córdoba’s heritage as a cultural capital on a continental scale between the tenth and thirteenth centuries would thus be exhibited in Riga, through collaboration with the Latvian National Library and also the National Museum of Riga. The exhibition would have a regional dimension, since it is set to travel to the other Baltic countries.

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3 Public space: between the patio, the street and the square

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Plaza de La Corredera Miraflores gardens

he city’s streets and squares have traditionally been a meeting place and a venue for cultural activity. They are therefore an essential part of the ECoC project: a sustainable city, devoted to the pedestrian and the cyclist; a city which encourages the use of public space as a backdrop for cultural events. This will be a distinctive element of Córdoba’s 2016 project, a way of bringing together the various facilities available to create a culturally active location. Cultural activities will be organised in the open air, in the traditional manner, given that Córdoba’s climate remains favourable most of the year.

The Córdoba Cultural City Foundation is ready to revalue this component as an integral part of the preparation of this bid. Firstly, the aim is to understand the cultural value of the patios – their architectural structure, their appearance, their individual personality, which closely reflects their inhabitants or managers – secondly, we must acknowledge their importance in preparing Córdoba to be the ECoC, their survival as part of the city’s heritage, and their contribution to the new structure of the city. Their inclusion in the shaping of a new cultural city is a clear objective of this bid.

As indicated earlier, one of our Córdoba’s strong suits is the culture of proximity, a philosophy that can be summed up by the path created, physically and conceptually, from the patio to the street and the square.

We believe that this proximity and this physical link, can contribute to the shaping of an ideal public space for cultural events, in which the street, the square and the thresholds into private spaces can be used as the stage.

The issue of public space, after all these years, remains a major component in planning not only the urban landscape but also the cultural activities which use the city as their main stage. The ECoC project is aware that is not enough simply to fill the streets with cultural activities of one type or another. Before this can happen, the public space – the streets and especially the squares – must be properly structured, and networks must be built to link different spaces and connect these to private spaces.

A distinctive feature of private spaces in Córdoba has traditionally been the courtyard, which offers a physical link between the public and private. It is a cultural element in itself, and part of the city’s heritage, representing the survival of a place for passing through, meeting and connecting. A space to live in, but also to share, a link between the house and the street.

We have sought to review and rearrange these public spaces, which will be linked together and also to other urban elements as well as to a whole range of cultural facilities by Cultural streams, so-called because they all flow down to the river (see Fig. 16). Public spaces will thus have a dual function:

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Cultural “streams” flowing into the Guadalquivir River Source: Contemporary Architecture Foundation

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State Public Library Official College of Architects Gran Teatro Theatre La Alegría Hermitage San Nicolas Church Plaza de las Tendillas Square Gongora Theatre Higher Music Conservatory Vimcorsa Exhibition Centre Higher School of Dramatic Arts Cordoba Real Academia Comedy Theatre Archaeological Museum Santa Clara Convent Sagrario Asylum Mosque-Cathedral Visitor Centre Film Library of Andalusia Centre for Plastic Arts. Rafael Botí Foundation Roman Bridge Calahorra Tower Miraflores Island

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C4 Southern Palace. CCC Posada del Potro House Fine Arts Museum Julio Romero de Torres Museum San Francisco Church Wholesale Market Plaza de la Corredera Square Coliseo Cinema San Pablo Block Orive Palace Andalusian Regional Government Culture Delegation Headquarters for the Contemporary Architecture Foundation Santa Marta Convent Fuenseca Cinema Marqués de Viana Palace Santa Marina Church Coladro Convent Malmuerta Tower Renfe promenade Professional Music Conservatory

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Lepanto Library Delicias Cinema San Lorenzo Church San Rafael Church Magdalena Cinema New Gate Centre UCO Magdalena Church Andalucía Cinema House of the Bells Santiago Church Martos Mill

To link cultural facilities to each other: the city will offer a series of cultural routes, called “cultural streams”, which will essentially comprise a series of urban public spaces and facilities, linked to a network defined by the streets that converge on the river. These are the proposed active routes. The focus is on a network of cultural facilities connected by transport routes, stressing the need to pedestrianise these “cultural streams” in order to generate a sustainable city through culture. These filaments will have pedestrian areas linking the different locations to each other.

Public space as a way of galvanising the city: this is a symbolic notion which condenses and summarises an action plan whose objective is to guarantee public space as a cultural venue, and one which plays host to activities with a view to ensuring access to the existing resources for the entire public, creating the human foundation required for the development of Córdoba as the 2016 European Capital of Culture.

All the city’s various facilities will be linked through these “cultural streams”, which will be enhanced by pedestrian priority areas and bicycle lanes, with the aim of improving access and maintaining the sustainability and liveability of Córdoba. Public space is therefore understood as a way of connecting facilities: a culture of proximity (50% of the population will be no more than 15 minutes away from one these “cultural streams”) and as a way of structuring cultural and leisure options using linear routes connecting different areas of the city with areas where cultural facilities are concentrated.

This ECoC project is also aware that an urban cultural event does not end with the design of the venue; new approaches to management, reflecting new realities, are also required. Innovative models clearly need to be developed in terms of both cultural facilities and the public space itself.

We therefore intend: To improve the network of cultural facilities, through the creation of a digital ring, thus connecting all centres to each other using new technologies. · To avoid limiting our intervention only to permanent facilities, and to consider the possibility of generating instant cultural facilities which can be erected as and where needed. We envisage having a stock of temporary structures ready to be moved from one point of the city to another. · To define and develop hybrid public spaces, with a simultaneously physical and virtual environment, providing free Wifi connection for unlimited use of the Internet, thus creating virtual public spaces via Wifi, a kind of open-air technological café.

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Over the last few years, the recovery of the left bank of the Guadalquivir as an urban park, along with the steel bridge of the same name, has opened up a hithertounknown public space in the city. This has been developed as a new river landscape which succeeds in incorporating the forgotten part of Córdoba. In this area, major new facilities include the Guadalquivir Balcony, and the Miraflores Park.

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he pairing of city and culture is the inspirational concept behind the development and planning of Córdoba, as well as the guiding motive for the new map of cultural infrastructures for the European Capital of Culture process. This desire to change is evident in the creation of an ambitious Plan for Cultural Resources and Infrastructure in Córdoba (PEICC), commissioned by the City Council’s Department of Culture from the Contemporary Architecture Foundation, a private institution but with a public interest, created locally in 2002 and devoted to research, promotion and creation of contemporary architecture. This institution is active at national and international level.

The plan covers the building work expected to take place between 2012 and 2016, together with a proposal for a complete review of the relationship between public space and culture. The ECoC bid has also prompted the separate preparation of a geographical map of cultural resources which will serve as the future foundation for work in the city. The map will reflect the cultural infrastructure and its relationship with the city, as part of an overall architectural vision, and will be included in a strategic plan for cultural programming to be drawn up as part of the Córdoba 2016 project.

The plan will have an impact on the indissociable link between culture and city, by treating public space as a venue for open-air cultural activities and as a means of connecting the city’s various cultural facilities. This is a long-term plan that will be adopted by public and private institutions, civic society and the citizens as a whole. Its specific objective is to use the ECoC bid as an opportunity to reflect on the future of Córdoba, interpreting culture as a means of regenerating the city.

The humanisation of the Old Town Existing infrastructure

Together with the infrastructure currently being developed, and the facilities already in place, this plan will put the finishing touches to a network which – in conjunction with public spaces – will extend across the whole city. There have been various major, large-scale developments in the city since the City Council decided – in 2002 – to bid to become ECoC, although these developments only started to become visible from 2008 onwards.

These projects can be concisely summarised in four areas of action within the city: 1 Actions mainly affecting the Old Town, planned to run from 2002 to 2012. These actions were intended to diversify the use and content of the urban space, to prevent the area becoming simply a tourist theme park, so that historical Córdoba can be a place where local people and visitors come together. The ultimate aim is the creation of a cultural space which also involves the recovery of the edges of the Old Town where it meets the river, whose banks, already restored along the stretch bordering the Mezquita, will also be integrated into the southern sector of the city as a natural and cultural riverside area.

2 Regeneration of the riverside as an area for walking, gradually equipped with a range of public facilities; the effect of this has been to open the city up to the River Guadalquivir. This process includes actions on the South Bank, or Cultural Bank as it will now be called, to be implemented mainly between 2012 and 2016.

3 Actions aimed at providing all the city’s districts with cultural facilities, in order to promote the creation of, and access to culture, and to encourage the urban and social regeneration of areas hitherto insufficiently integrated within the city.

4 The development of Madinat al-Zahra and of its links with the cultural ecosystem of the Sierra, as well as with other peripheral areas to form a kind of expanded city.

· The Museum of Fine Arts The Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1862, is situated in the Plaza del Potro, opposite the Posada del Potro; it occupies most of the building it shares with the Julio Romero de Torres Museum, a building used in the fifteenth century as a Free Hospital. Although its early collection largely comprised works of art taken from local convents following their disentailment in 1835, together with further works proceeding from the disentailment of 1868, the current permanent collection is the result of donations, acquisitions and loans over a long period.

· The Julio Romero de Torres Museum This is one of Spain’s most popular museums. The Museum, which since 1931 has occupied the house where the painter Julio Romero de Torres was born, houses an important collection of his work, including La chiquita piconera and Naranjas y limones [Oranges and Lemons]. The Museum comprises six rooms, all displaying paintings by the famous artist, who was born in 1874 and died in 1930. He was a leading exponent of the Andalusian Regional style, and was in great demand as a portraitist both in Spain and in South America.

· The Archaeological and Ethnological Museum Córdoba’s Provincial Archaeological Museum was founded in 1868, and since 1959 has occupied the Páez de Castillejo Palace. Today, it boasts one of the most complete archaeological collections in Spain.

Not only does it contain a number of very valuable pieces, but it also covers the whole range of human history, from Prehistory to the Middle Ages.

· The Viana Palace The Palace-Museum of the Marquises of Viana, also known as the Courtyards Museum, dates from the fourteenth century. It has twelve beautiful courtyards, as well as magnificent collections of muskets, pottery, paintings, tapestries, carpets, porcelain, furniture in various styles, archaeological items, books on hunting, leather work, and decorative tiles, amongst other things. The rooms still contain the original furniture, and the library houses a number of rare and valuable books. It was officially declared a National Historical and Artistic Monument in 1981, and an Artistic Garden in 1983.

· The Gran Teatro The main venue for the performing arts has long been the Gran Teatro, which first opened in 1873 and was completely renovated in 1986. It now belongs to the City Council. The restored theatre, which retains its Italian-style horseshoe layout, seats around a thousand people. Many leading actors, dancers, musicians and opera companies have performed there. It is currently undergoing additional modernisation.

· The Antonio Gala Foundation Since 2001, the Antonio Gala Foundation – situated in the restored Corpus Christi convent – has provided residence grants to a total of 120 Young Artists. Every year, 20 young artists – writers, musicians, painters, sculptors… – live together at the Foundation, sharing their creative activities and experiences in a process of generous symbiosis aimed at mutual enrichment.

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The Old Town: infrastructure developed between 2002 and 2014

· The Teatro Cómico Principal The Teatro Cómico was originally a narrow wooden theatre seating no more than 300 people. In the late 1990s, it was completely renovated, retaining its eclectic façade, with four insets on each of its two floors. Today it is home to the Eduardo Lucena Philharmonic Centre and is used for a wide range of cultural events, including concerts and exhibitions. · The Teatro Duque de Rivas The Miguel Salcedo Hierro School of Dramatic Art, founded in 1947, has its own professional theatre, the Teatro Duque de Rivas, which seats 330 people.

The stage measures 10 x 16 m. and the fly space grid is 13 m. above the stage. · The Teatro Avanti The Teatro Avanti occupies the 300-seat former lecture theatre of the Colegio Salesiano; today it is the only privately-managed theatre in Córdoba. It is run by the theatre company Proyecto Avanti, which offers a permanent programme of artistic productions of all kinds, aimed particularly at children; it organises educational events, and supports new ideas through a specialised library, rehearsal rooms and technical media.

The Gran Teatro de Córdoba Fine Arts Museum

· Góngora House-Centre for Góngora Studies Opening date: 2008 Investment cost: €879,546 Promoter: Córdoba City Council Restoration of a magnificent building located in the centre of the Old Town; though currently used as an exhibition centre by the Council Department of Culture, in the future it will house the Centre for Góngora Studies, which will be devoted to research into the life and works of the poet Luis de Góngora, and to disseminating the results of that research. · Orive Palace and Chapter House Opening date: 2009 Investment cost: €1,113,962 Promoter: Córdoba City Council An exhibition hall created using the structure of an unfinished sixteenth-century chapel belonging to the San Pablo Monastery. The building was used as a prison during the Napoleonic invasion. Together, the Orive Palace and the Chapter House of the same name provide a venue for exhibitions, conferences, concerts and presentations. The building is located in an old orchard that has survived in the centre of the city. · The Fosforito Flamenco Centre Opening date: 2010 Investment cost: €856,868 Promoter: Córdoba City Council Recently renovated, it will be converted into a public centre dedicated to research into, and the promotion of, flamenco art using multimedia technologies; special programmes are under way to bring this art closer to the public. The building houses a museum devoted to the flamenco singer Manuel Fernández Díaz, whose stage-name is Fosforito.

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· Iniciarte Hall - Department of Culture, Andalusian Regional Council Expected opening date: 2010 Investment cost: No data available Promoter: Andalusian Regional Council The Andalusian Regional Council is promoting contemporary art through a number of measures. One of these is the Iniciarte Hall, located at the headquarters of the Provincial Department of Culture in the San Pablo Block complex. Its aim is to showcase the work of young artists, and to host culture-promotion activities run by the Regional Council. · Tourist Reception and Visitor Centre Expected opening date: 2010 Investment cost: €5,554,019 Promoter: Andalusian Regional Council This will be the gateway to the city of Córdoba for visiting tourists. It is intended to become a place where travellers can find information about the city and the services available, using audiovisual technology. The building work – supervised by the Andalusian Regional Council, on land provided by the City Council – seeks to restore the historically close link between the Mezquita and the River Guadalquivir by creating a large pedestrian precinct. · Pepe Espaliú Contemporary Art and Architecture Documentation Centre Expected opening date: 2010 Investment cost: €371,545 Promoter: Córdoba City Council This building will house 35 Council-owned works by local artist Pepe Espaliú, as well as his personal archive. There will also be an enquiry point dealing with contemporary architecture and an archive of the city’s art and architecture.

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· Extension of the Córdoba Archaeological and Ethnological Museum Expected opening date: 2010 Investment cost: €9,325,605 Promoter: Ministry of Culture The extension work to the Jerónimo Páez Palace which houses the current museum will allow the institution to achieve greater quality in its exhibits and increase the number of services available, further opening it up to the city. The new building will restore links to the rest of the city as well as regenerating the square outside the museum, together with the remains of what was once the largest Roman theatre in the Iberian Peninsula. The museum is housed in a sixteenth-century palace, declared a Site of Cultural Interest. The Extension and Restoration project will take place in two stages. The first stage is the construction of a new 4,000 square metre wing which will house a range of services, as well as permanent exhibition Córdoba: MeetingPoint of Cultures. Once that has been completed and is open to the public, the next stage can begin: the creation of a new permanent exhibition facility linked to the refurbished area containing archaeological remains of the cavea (tiered seating) of a Roman Theatre.

Córdoba Archaeological and Ethnological Museum Orive Chapter Roome

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· The Rafael Botí Art Centre Expected opening date: 2011 Investment cost: €1,878,989 Promoter: Córdoba Provincial Council The future Rafael Botí Art Centre, attached to the Fine Arts Foundation of the same name, will house the Provincial Council’s art collection, including the collections of the Botí Foundation and future acquisitions, as well as temporary exhibitions. The building will be located in the Jewish Quarter, close to the Mezquita, in a brand new building.

· The Teatro Góngora Expected opening date: 2011 Investment cost: €4,486,135 Promoter: Córdoba City Council A third municipal theatre is being created on the site of the old Luis de Góngora cinema. The original design is by the rationalist architect Luis Gutiérrez Soto. The theatre will have a main auditorium with 700 seats and a second closed space on the roof – formerly home to a very popular summer cinema – for smaller scale activities.

· The Mudéjar House – permanent headquarters of the Arab House and the International Institute of Arab and Muslim World Studies Expected opening date: 2011 Investment cost: €2,854,372 Promoter: Córdoba City Council This fourteenth-century Mudéjar house in the southern part of the Old Town, close to the Mezquita, is currently being restored and will be the headquarters for the Arab House and the International Institute of Arab and Muslim World Studies. This Institute is a consortium created in 2006 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish International Cooperation Agency (AECI), the Regional Governments of Madrid and Andalusia, and the City Councils of Madrid and Córdoba. This Spanish institution, which has buildings in Madrid and Córdoba, aims to strengthen the multi-faceted relations with Arab and Muslim countries, to foster the mutual dissemination of culture, and to become a leading organisation for research into the history and current status of those relations. The building that will be home to the organisation is a collection of houses dating from different centuries, arranged around a network of unique courtyards. The City Council is funding the building work, while the management will be the responsibility of the inter-administrative consortium.

· The New Professional School of Music Expected opening date: 2011 Investment cost: €5,333,256 Promoter: Andalusian Regional Council Work on this new School of Music is at an advanced stage. The building will occupy a 1,500-metre plot in the urban area known as Vial Norte. The School will have a surface area of 7,000 square metres, an auditorium with a stage, control and rehearsal booths, as well as classrooms and services for staff and students. · The Bullfighting Museum Expected opening date: 2011 Investment cost: €987,986 Investment cost of second phase: €2,023,528 Promoter: Córdoba City Council The Bullfighting Museum is situated in a historic sixteenth-century building in the Plaza de Maimónides, also known as La Casa de las Bulas. In 1954, it was taken over by the City Council and opened as Spain’s only bullfighting museum not inside a bull ring. The first phase of restoration is now complete; the building’s structure has been fully renovated, and it will shortly reopen as the country’s best museum of its sort, in a city with a long bullfighting tradition, which has bestowed the title of Caliph of Bullfighting on the best local bullfighters of all time: Lagartijo, Guerrita, Machaquito, Manolete and Manuel Benítez El Cordobés.

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Courtyard, Palacio de Viana Restoration of a room at the Royal Mews complex

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· Royal Mews – Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs Expected opening date: 2012 Investment cost: €4,015,416 Estimated investment cost under the Special Plan: €53,610,540 Promoter: Córdoba City Council This collection of buildings is situated on the banks of the River Guadalquivir in the heart of the Old Town. The majestic Royal Mews was built by order of King Philip II, and it was here that various horse breeds were crossed to produce the Spanish Thoroughbred. This historical background will be reflected in the use of the newly-restored complex for equestrian and cultural activities. The City Council has drawn up a special plan to restore the original link to the Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs, enhancing the large garden which covers 100.000 square meters, and recovering some extremely beautiful and historically-valuable buildings protected by town planning and heritage legislation. The green area in the current Alcázar avenue will be extended, and the Mews Gardens will be added during the second half of 2012.

Model of the Fosforito Flamenco Centre Model of the new Teatro Góngora

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· The Teatro de la Magdalena Expected opening date: 2012 Investment cost: €2,127,230 Promoter: Córdoba City Council The restoration project for the Teatro de la Magdalena is aimed at rehabilitating an old, disused cinema to provide an attractive location in a central district within the Old Town. A public-private partnership is being developed through an independent group of Dramatic Arts teachers, with the aim of promoting an alternative to official channels. · The Diocesan Museum Expected opening date: 2012 Investment cost: €5,300,000 Promoter: Episcopate The Museum, which occupies part of the Episcopal Palace premises, houses a display of around 500 pieces making up the small but artistically-valuable Church heritage, dating from the Middle Ages to the present day. The Diocesan Museum is making an effort to improve both its facilities and the information provided using new technologies. Córdoba has a highly valuable but widely scattered collection of religious art, currently maintained by the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral) and its treasury, by parish churches and hermitages, and by religious brotherhoods, for whom sculpted images are an essential part of the Easter week celebrations. · The Future City Museum Expected opening date: 2014 Investment cost to date: €377,000 Investment cost, phase 2: €6,000,000 Promoters: Córdoba City Council and Caja Madrid Foundation.

This former mosque, which later became a convent dedicated to Saint Clare, contains a number of Late Roman mosaics. The superb building, whose restoration and adaptation is currently at the planning stage, is located in one of the city’s main thoroughfares and will be the home of the future City Museum.

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· The Contemporary Architecture Foundation and the San Pablo Block Expected opening date: 2015 Investment cost: €2,000,000 Promoter: Contemporary Architecture Foundation The Contemporary Architecture Foundation, a private body, was formed in the 1990s by a group of architects keen to promote their profession from a contemporary perspective. The San Pablo block, in the heart of the city, was the object of an international ideas competition; the winning project was presented by Sara de Giles and José Morales. The location is no coincidence: the grounds are located in the Old Town opposite the remains of the Imperial Roman Temple and next to the San Pablo church; the whole block can thus contribute to the debate on how to introduce new aesthetics into markedly traditional surroundings.

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· The Synagogue Visitor Centre Estimated opening date: Currently at planning stage Investment cost: No data available Promoter: Andalusian Regional Council A house in the Jewish quarter will be used to create a visitor centre intended to help provide visitors with a better appreciation of the value of the Synagogue. The Synagogue itself, erected in 1315 in a former Moorish tenement building, is one of the most important in Spain. The Andalusian Regional Council has purchased the adjacent space, which will be converted into a centre for the dissemination of Jewish culture.

The restoration and pedestrianisation of the Roman Bridge, completed in 2008, enabled the bridge to regain its importance and visibility in the city. On the left bank, the old Calahorra Tower houses the privatelymanaged Museum of the Three Cultures. The development also affects the right bank, through the pedestrianisation of the Riverside Avenue.

Another key development is covered by the Mezquita Master Plan, a long-standing project aimed at research into, and restoration of, the whole Mosque complex. Over the last few years, with financing from the Ministry of Culture, the Cathedral Chapter has carried out major restoration work on the nave, the minaret and the roof of the Mosque, combining conservation with archaeological research and scientific dissemination.

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Existing and planned cultural infrastructure: Old Town Source: Personal compilation.

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10 Lower Mudejar House 11 Casa Góngora-Centre for Góngora Studies 12 Mudejar House, permanent headquarters for the Casa Árabe and the International Institute for Arab Studies and the Muslim World 13 Rafael Botí Arts Centre 14 Pepe Espaliú Contemporary Art and Architecture Documentation Centre 15 City Tourist Reception and Service Centre 16 Synagogue Visitor Centre 17 Fosforito Flamenco Centre 18 Stables Complex – Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs 19 San Pablo Contemporary Architecture Foundation and Block 20 Future City Museum 21 Diocesan Museum 22 Bullfighting Museum 23 New Professional School of Music 24 Orive Palace and Chapter 25 Iniciarte Hall-Andalusia Regional Council Department of Culture 26 Magdalena Theatre 27 Góngora Theatre

Antonio Gala Foundation Córdoba Gran Teatro Archaeological and Ethnological Museum Fine Arts Museum Museo Julio Romero de Torres Viana Palace Avanti Theatre Cómico Principal Theatre Duque de Rivas Theatre

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The river and the Cultural Bank: Córdoba’s new skyline

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Over the last 20 years, Córdoba has overcome two complex social and town-planning issues, which had hitherto contributed to the fragmentation of the city: the railway line running through, and geographically dividing, the city; and the River Guadalquivir, which favoured the separation – social as well as physical – of several southern districts.

By running the railway track below the city, thus freeing up the extensive grounds previously occupied by the lines and other rail facilities as part of the so-called Renfe Partial Plan, the city has been able to achieve the seamless integration of the north of Córdoba into the city proper, and at the same time to create a whole new, modern, urban area equipped with housing and other facilities, and with extensive public spaces.

This operation also had a decisive impact on the layout of the new city, through new buildings such as the Córdoba Bus Station, designed by César Portela (winner of the 1999 Spanish Architecture Prize), and modern residential blocks bordering the Vial Norte, designed by leading architects such as Rafael de La-Hoz Castanys (son of Rafael de La-Hoz Arderius).

In order to avoid any resulting imbalance in favour of this area, and with a view to integrating the southern districts of the city, the considerable profits deriving from the sale of land were invested, together with additional resources, in the regeneration of the banks of the Guadalquivir and in the erection of new bridges.

The idea was for the river to regain its historical role in shaping the city’s structure. The first major measure was the Special Action Plan for the River Guadalquivir which enabled the development of projects for improving the riverbanks, such as the Guadalquivir Balcony, designed by Juan Navarro Baldeweg, and the Miraflores Park, created by the architect Juan Cuenca Montilla.

Since then, regeneration has continued; the area of the left bank bordering the Miraflores meander has become a remarkable cultural complex, involving a whole range of projects grouped under the name the Cultural Bank.

The design involves new infrastructure – some now being built, and some at the planning and design stage – aimed at strengthening the river’s role as a place for creating and exchanging ideas.

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Infraestructuras: La cultura como motor de regeneración urbana

Contemporary architecture, with its huge potential for becoming a lasting feature of the urban landscape, will help to reshape the city. The bold, innovative designs provided by leading national and international architects will help to turn the Cultural Riverbank into a kind of new Córdoba. This contemporary vision, taken in conjunction with the city’s remarkable historic heritage, will undoubtedly become an architectural expression of the concept of peaceful coexistence, proof of a new architectural sensibility in a heritage city. Córdoba’s firm support for a more modern architecture clearly testifies to its intention to become a twenty-first-century city.

Observation and interpretation of the river’s role from a contemporary perspective not only highlights the city’s history and its geographical position, but also restores the identity of the Guadalquivir as part of the region, giving it added value in a present-day context, firmly anchoring the city in the region and underlining the need for sustainable development. In other words, the Plan recognises the role of the river and its public spaces as cultural heritage, in the form of the Cultural Bank, fully regenerated for public use, and provides for contemporary uses as part of the Córdoba 2016 project.

Projects were selected through international competitions aimed both at finding the best possible proposals and at encouraging creativity. Good examples of this spirit of renovation and commitment to contemporary architecture are the Institutional Headquarters of the Madinat al-Zahra Archaeological Site, designed by Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano, and opened in 2009; the City’s Tourist Reception and Information Centre, by Juan Cuenca; the Córdoba Centre for Contemporary Creation, currently under construction, also by Nieto and Sobejano; the headquarters of the Contemporary Architecture Foundation; and the new Córdoba Congress Centre, designed by the Pritzker Architecture Prize winner, Rem Koolhaas.

All these projects will help to shape a new skyline, which will be placed in a direct dialogue with the city’s heritage area.

Building work at the Centre for Contemporary Creation, by Fuensanta Nieto y Enrique Sobejano Model of the Córdoba Congress Centre, by Rem Koolhaas

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· Córdoba Botanical Gardens The Botanical Gardens, run by the Municipal Institute of Environmental Management (IMGEMA), were opened in 1980. The institution is devoted to the study of the plant world, and organises programmes and projects aimed at the conservation and cultural dissemination of nature. It combines social, educational and scientific functions through visits, educational programmes, cultural events, exhibitions, conferences, congresses, and scientific and promotional publications, as well as programmes to conserve Andalusian phytogenetic resources for botanical research. · Palaeobotanical Museum This is Spain’s only museum of its kind, and is housed in one of the historic watermills in the River Guadalquivir, known as the Molino de la Alegría. Its exhibition charts the evolution of the various flora throughout the Earth’s history, by means of a scientific collection comprising 150,000 plant fossils from all over the world. · The Ethnobotanical Museum The Museum, which opened in 1992, examines plant use among various traditional cultures, and particularly among the indigenous tribes of the Americas, who gave the world a huge number of plants that were later to prove extremely valuable for mankind, and also transferred their knowledge regarding the properties of these plant species, their management and use, and their breeding over hundreds of generations. This is Spain’s only ethnobotanical museum.

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Cultural infrastructure: the river and riverside Source: Personal compilation.

Infrastructure developed along the Cultural Bank between 2002 and 2015

· Córdoba Centre for Contemporary Creation (C4) Expected opening date: 2012 Investment cost: €23,657,001 Promoter: Andalusian Regional Council This new space for the promotion of art, also known as C4, will be housed in a new building designed by the architects Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano, now under construction. The centre seeks to support creativity in all its forms. The building is located on the banks of the river, in an area which is being renovated through the creation of cultural spaces, on land provided by the Council. Its design includes a multimedia façade which will become the focal point of a still-undeveloped stretch of the riverbank. In future, it will become a nationally and internationally important exhibition space but also a superb facility for artistic creation.

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Córdoba Botanical Garden Ethnobotanical Museum Paleobotanical Museum

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Córdoba Congress Centre Córdoba Centre for Contemporary Creation New headquarters for the Córdoba Fine Arts Museum Guadalquivir Watermill Network (Completed projects: Molinos de Martos, Molino de San Antonio and Molino de la Alegría)

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The new Congress Centre is to be designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The building will have an auditorium seating 2,000 people, and another smaller hall seating 630, and will thus be able to host largescale events with up to four thousand people in a space whose distribution will be highly flexible. The external staircase area will act as an open-air venue for events of various formats. The stages will be equipped with all the facilities required by different types of event. The building will have halls for congresses and conventions. In addition, it will house the headquarters of the Córdoba City Orchestra.

The work, financed through agreements between the City Council, the Andalusian Regional Council and the Ministry of Industry, will be completed towards the end of 2013. Its strategic position is part of the efforts being made to regenerate the left bank of the Guadalquivir through the creation of a cultural nucleus on the Miraflores peninsula.

· New building for the Córdoba Museum of Fine Arts Estimated opening date: 2013 Investment cost: No data available Promoter: Andalusian Regional Council

The Museum, currently located in the Plaza del Potro in the Old Town, will be moved to the left bank of the river, close to the Roman Bridge and the Calahorra Museum, and opposite the Mezquita, on council-owned grounds leased to the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry will shortly hold an international competition for the project to extend the museum’s facilities and raise the profile of its artistic heritage. It will also form part of the urban regeneration of the left bank of the Guadalquivir. Its creation will allow the centre’s collection, managed by the Andalusian Regional Council, to be exhibited, as well as enabling the extension of the museum devoted to the painter Julio Romero de Torres, which at present shares the Museum building. · The Guadalquivir Watermill Network (Completed projects: Molinos de Martos, Molino de San Antonio and Molino de la Alegría) Expected opening date: 2015 Investment cost: €3,212,908 Promoter: Córdoba City Council As a result of the riverbank development projects, the city has started to restore the old watermills, all currently in disuse, for cultural purposes. The network of watermills consists of the Molinos de Martos, San Antonio, Albolafia and Alegría. The restoration of the Martos Mill and the public space known as the Guadalquivir Balcony – completed in 2005 – is part of a project to highlight the historically productive use of the Guadalquivir by means of new cultural uses. This will allow the citizens to relate, once again, to the river and to appreciate its environmental value. The eleven watermills in the Guadalquivir are listed in the Andalusian Historical Heritage Catalogue. The Andalusian Regional Council will build a new Museum of Water in the area known as Cordel de Écija.

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The districts: cities within the city

The new blueprint for the city gives priority to the installation of cultural facilities in the various districts that make up the city. One major component of that blueprint is the Urban Sur [Urban South] plan, jointly financed by the European Union and the City Council.

The plan, to be implemented between 2009 and 2015 at a total cost of over €14 m., provides for the development of three districts in the south of the city: Campo de la Verdad, Sector Sur and Barrio del Guadalquivir.

The intention is, by connecting these developments with the cultural plans already in place, to create a new synergy which will allow the area to be regenerated, not only through new town planning solutions, but also in terms of a change in the attitude of local residents.

They will see, in just a few years’ time, how radically their environment has been changed by the presence of new cultural facilities, and will also appreciate the tremendous potential of that change.

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Existing infrastructure

Infrastructure developed between 2002 and 2015

· The Osio Centre for Cultural Initiatives This centre, situated in the Cañero district, is the headquarters of the Carnival Association, and has a 400-metre hall seating 200 people.

· The Children’s City Opening date: 2007 Investment cost: €2,500,000 Promoter: Córdoba City Council This extensive, Council-owned children’s playground opened on 31 March 2007, and was developed at a cost of €2.5 m.. It is the city’s largest children’s park, with a surface area of 45,300 square metres and capacity for 7,000 people. It comprises green areas (including labelled trees and shrubs) and over 30 playground items for children of all ages. The park has its own security staff, and all activities are supervised by permanent full-time teachers; special children’s events are organised at certain times of day.

Although most of the playground items are also to be found in other parks, some were specially designed for this project.

· The Citizens’ House. School of Citizen Participation and Resource Bank The Citizens’ House, which opened in 2000, stands on the site of the old Lepanto Infantry Barracks, adjacent to other facilities including the Lepanto Civic Centre, the Levante Sur Health Centre, the municipal swimming pool and the Central Library. The building houses the School of Citizen Participation and the Resource Bank.

· The Victoria Marquee Opening date: 2007 Investment cost: €1,174,532 Promoter: Córdoba City Council

The Children’s City

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Central Municipal Library, in Lepanto La Axerquía open-air theatre

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The former Círculo de la Amistad Marquee is a wrought-iron structure with a zinc roof, built in 1877 in the central Paseo de la Victoria as a permanent marquee to be used during the Fair by members of the Círculo de la Amistad Social Club. It was used for this purpose until 1994, when the Fair was moved out to the El Arenal fairground. This unique construction, measuring 830 square metres, has been restored and renamed the Victoria Marquee, and has assumed added value as a new venue for cultural and leisure events, and especially for activities forming part of the Cosmopoética poetry festival and the Book Fair.

This unique public space boasts a wide range of facilities aimed at enabling a host of sociocultural and commercial uses. The contemporary architectural design is the work of Fernando García Pino and Manuel García de Paredes, who won the ideas competition. The premises, with a surface area of 10,630 square metres, are covered with separate, round metal elements resembling parasols, with diameters ranging between 7 and 15 metres, and heights varying from 4 to 7 metres. These can be used for all kinds of open-air activities, including summer cinema, concerts and stage performances, craft fairs and street markets, to name but a few.

· Lepanto Central Municipal Library Opening date: 2008 Investment cost: €5,091,414 Promoter: Córdoba City Council With a surface area of 4,000 square metres, this is the most important member of a municipal network of libraries which includes 11 buildings, three of which have recently been renovated or extended.

The Central Municipal Library runs a regular cultural programme whose scope extends well beyond the traditional uses of this sort of premises. Thousands of people use this public network, the only such network compulsory in Spain for all towns with more than 5,000 inhabitants.

· Restoration of the Axerquía open-air theatre Opening date: 2010 Investment cost: €7,932,505 Promoter: Córdoba City Council.

Córdoba’s open-air theatre, La Axerquía, is part of a building erected in the 1960s. Both the building and the theatre are managed by the Municipal Institute of Performing Arts. The Axerquia has gradually been renovated to create a first-class cultural facility which can be used whenever the weather allows.

· The Noreña Open Citizens’ Activity Centre Opening date: 2010 Investment cost: €4,800,000 Promoter: Córdoba City Council

· Environmental Education Centre Expected opening date: 2011 Estimated investment: €1,600,000 Promoter: Córdoba City Council

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Existing and planned infrastructure: the city’s districts Source: Personal compilation.

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Casa Ciudadana. Citizen Participation School and Resource Bank Osio Cultural Initiatives Centre

Lepanto Central Municipal Library State Public Library Victoria marquee Noreña Open Centre for Citizen Activities Environmental Education Centre School of Popular Arts and Culture Children’s city New Provincial Historical Archive Asomadilla Park Archaeological sites and parks Refurbishment of the Axerquía open air theatre Fidiana Art Centre

Situated close to the Zoo, the Botanical Gardens and the Children’s City, in an unbeatable natural and educational setting, the Environmental Education Centre will boast a 60-place hostel, diningroom, workshops, classrooms, a lecture theatre and a kitchen garden with a pool; it will also have links to the Zoo through a farm for domestic animals.

The project is part of the education programme Los Caminos del Río [River Ways], organised by the City Council as part of the Guadalquivir restoration plan; it is also a key local element of the Andalusian Environmental Education Strategy. It is aimed primarily at schools, both in Córdoba and – using the hostal – from outside the city, and therefore has considerable potential in terms of environmental and cultural tourism. It was partly financed through an EU ERDF grant of €660,000. · State Public Library Expected opening date: 2012 Investment cost: €12,350,967 Promoter: Ministry of Culture

The state library will have a surface area of 7,194 square metres, and will house over 175,000 documents. On the ground floor there will be a children’s area and on the upper floors a range of spaces for reading and the storage of books. A contemporary building in the Jardines de Agricultura gardens has been designed by the architects Ángela García de Paredes and Ignacio García Pedrosa with a view to promoting reading and the civic use of green areas. · The School of Arts and Popular Culture Expected opening date: 2013 Investment cost: €5,801,800 Promoter: Córdoba City Council The old Teacher Training College, known as “The Normal”, located in the Sector Sur district, covers a surface area of 6,775 square metres and will house cultural business “nurseries”, rehearsal rooms, and multi-purpose cultural spaces. It will also undertake various training projects as a way of generating employment and wealth through culture. In short, it will involve organisations devoted to creative activities.

It will also have special rehearsal rooms for theatre groups and bands. · Archaeological sites and parks Expected opening date: 2013 Investment cost: €2,839,744 Promoter: Córdoba City Council

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Cultural infrastructure: the extended city Source: Personal compilation.

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Museum and Institutional Headquarters of the Madinat al-Zahra Archaeological Complex

The General Town Planning Scheme for Córdoba includes the preservation of spaces of unique importance. These will be used to allow visitors to discover the history of the city through the archaeological remains found at various sites, which will be developed between 2009 and 2013. The future network of archaeological sites will include the centres at Fontanar, the neighbourhood of Saqunda (next to the future Córdoba Congress Centre), the Roman amphitheatre at Cercadillas, and the Roman temple on Calle Capitulares, all of which are open to the public. In addition, work is taking place to restore various Moorish baths, including the Caliphate baths and the San Pedro baths in Calle Carlos Rubio. · The Fidiana Art Centre Expected opening date: No data available Investment cost: €1,170,000 Promoter: Córdoba City Council

Museum and Institutional Heaquarters, Madinat al-Zahra Archaeological Complex The “Rich Room” at Madinat al-Zahra (detail)

The project seeks to meet the request made by residents of the Parque Fidiana district for a centre to serve as a venue for artistic and cultural activities. It will be a large, versatile space available for use by local groups and associations wishing to have their own meeting-place and thus work in their own area; at the same time, it will be placed at the disposal of young local artists needing somewhere to work and to display their work. · The La Asomadilla Park Expected opening date: No data available Investment cost to date: €5,000,000 Investment cost, phase 2: €22,100,000 Promoters: Córdoba City Council, Andalusian Regional Council

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5 Programmes and facilities in the province: progress and modernisation

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n most of the villages, there is a long-standing tradition of cultural projects, whose sustainability is evident in their duration over time. With regard to contemporary art, there are five outstanding projects in the province that share a common aim: to exhibit avant-garde art in a rural context. Here, “rural” ceases to be synonymous with a given set of customs and traditions, and starts to be indicative of everything that is contemporary and progressive; the setting for groundbreaking, transgressive, innovative projects.

Aptitudes, in La Rambla, is a project fostering citizen participation in contemporary culture; Dmencia, in Doña Mencía, focuses on experimental exhibitions and on the formation of a collection; Scarpia, in El Carpio, opts for interventions in the natural and urban landscape; Sensxperiment, in Lucena, is based on immersive experiments and sound art; and The Flight of Hypnos, in Almedinilla, offers a dialogue between contemporary art and historical heritage, through interventions carried out in the Roman village at Ruedo. In order to coordinate the management and logistics of these projects, activities are pooled under the common name of Peripheries. At the same time, the Visual Poetry Centre in Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo is implementing projects that represent a half-way point between contemporary art and literature.

Many acclaimed local literary figures were born in villages in the province, where foundations have been established, devoted to the study of their work, the preservation of documents or the dissemination of specialist knowledge through congresses. In some cases, these writers have attained renown at European level, and even in intercultural terms; a good example is Garcilaso de la Vega, known as “the Inca” Mention should be made, in this context, of the wellknown journalist and writer Andrés García de Barga y Gómez de la Serna, known as Corpus Barga, whose family hailed from the village of Belalcázar. He was a correspondent in Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest and Berlin, and became the Director of the School of Journalism at the University of San Marcos (Lima, Peru).

After experiencing a number of dramatic episodes in the Spanish Civil War, he accompanied the poet Antonio Machado to his tragic fate in Collioure (France), and thence went into exile.

Juan Rejano, an influential member of the literary group Generación del 27, was born in Puente Genil and died in exile. His work deals with the themes of loneliness and exile. Other poets such as Vicente Nuñez, in Aguilar de la Frontera and Mario López, in Bujalance, were attached to the Cántico group, and have been the subject of research and dissemination through meetings and workshops held in their respective villages. Priego de Córdoba was the birthplace of the first President of the Second Spanish Republic, Niceto Alcalá-Zamora who, on the outbreak of Civil War, went into exile in France and then left for Argentina. His birthplace is today a museum and a board of trustees organises congresses on Republicanism as seen from different perspectives.

The province has a network of 16 spaces and stage venues, and some towns and villages, particularly those with 20,000 inhabitants or more, have a relatively permanent programme based on the cultural circuits run by the Andalusian Regional Council (film, flamenco, theatre for children and the public in general, dance, etc). However, the most noteworthy theatrical activity is the Theatre Festival in Palma del Rio, one of the most important in the country. Over the many years since it was established in 1984, this festival has sought to defend and promote Andalusian theatre, and has become a platform for distributing and promoting shows, providing a dialogue between Andalusia and the outside world. Several interdisciplinary projects bring artists from different genres together: the oldest is Priego, which has been staging the Music, Theatre and Dance Festival for more than 60 years; similarly, Calleteando is a street theatre festival held in Puente Genil, which combines modern circus, street events, acrobats, world music and classical music, together with an emphasis on contemporary dance.

Perhaps the most remarkable events are those in which local residents are the actors and the village square is the stage. In view of their long tradition and particular interest, some of these popular events will be included in the programme for the ECoC project. An example is the Sacrament of Penance of the Three Magi in the village of El Viso, which has been performed since time immemorial. However, one of the best known performances is that of Fuenteovejuna, a play by the Spanish Golden Age dramatist Lope de Vega. This play, known for its biting social criticism, deals with the rebellion of the people against abuses by the military governor in the fifteenth century. The play has been performed in the village since 1935. A further example is The Cowgirl from La Finojosa, based on a poem written by the Marquis of Santillana when passing through the village of Hinojosa del Duque in the fifteenth century.

Cinema studies are the subject of the Rural Film Festival held in Dos Torres, which analyses the relationship between classic films of all time and the rural world; screenings are accompanied by lectures and round tables involving historians and film directors. The Audiovisual Creation Competition in Cabra is an annual meeting of young amateur and professional short-film directors. Every year, the Competition features a tribute to prominent figures in the performing arts.

Musical events in the province include Presjovem, a project aimed at fostering interest in music, and at training new performers. It includes a music school and an international music festival, together with the creation of a special orchestra made up of leading musicians of several generations. The event has placed Lucena on the international music map.

The Córdoba Provincial Council makes a major contribution to the dissemination of the performing arts through its programme Escultural, which aims to make full use of the stage venues available in local villages with less than 20,000 inhabitants, and to foster public interest in the theatre. It provides high-quality shows, with theatre companies from Córdoba, from elsewhere in Spain, and even from abroad, to which local people would not otherwise have access.

This far-reaching programme comprises a whole range of activities. Among the most remarkable are Escultural mágico, a night of magic in castles around the province, and the Children’s Theatre Festival in Los Pedroches, which changes venue every year. Apart from the places listed above, four key routes in the province of Córdoba cover different historical periods through a variety of cultural programs with a marked European dimension:

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· The Roman Baetica Route Within the provinces of Córdoba, Seville and Cádiz, this route follows the old Via Augusta through natural parks and areas of immense ecological diversity such as the Guadalquivir Valley, stopping at countless archaeological sites. From the third century B.C. to the fifth century A.D., Baetica was a key area of the Roman Empire due to the importance of its products (mineral, wine, oil, grains) and to the considerable Romanization of its inhabitants. Proof of this is the fact that it is the birthplace of two Roman emperors: Trajan and Hadrian. The Roman period can be seen, in general terms, as an early political form of European union, with a strong cultural component. · The Caliphate Route This route linked Córdoba, Granada, Jaén (the capitals of al-Ándalus during the Caliphate and the Nasrid period), crossing the province of Jaén. It was, in its day, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the Iberian Peninsula. It links a series of mountain-top citadels, castles, fortresses and watchtowers, in a highly picturesque landscape.

In 1997, the Council of Europe declared the Legado Andalusí Route a European Cultural Itinerary; the only one – together with the Camino de Santiago – in Spain. En 2004, the Council of Europe awarded both routes the status of Major Cultural Route.

UNESCO has included the Legado Andalusí Route in its Mediterranean Programme, in recognition of its contribution to the progress of the Mediterranean peoples, promoting the Mediterranean as an eco-cultural space.

Big Donkey, Fernando Sánchez Castillo’s artwork Hello Córdoba 2016, Juan López’s artwork

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The Legado Andalusí programme also promotes Cultural Itineraries such as the Almoravid and Almohad Itinerary, which focuses on the empire created by these dynasties – stretching from Senegal to the mouth of the River Ebro – from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries. The Ummayad Cultural Itinerary provides a historical journey that narrates the arrival of Muslim civilisation from the Arabian Peninsula across the Fertile Crescent and North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula. Specifically, it covers what might be termed the Ummayad Route from Damascus to Córdoba, although it goes further in seeking to account for the complex relations between East and West.

All these routes and itineraries help to highlight the significance of Hispano-Arabic culture for the subsequent cultural development of Europe, understanding the past as a cluster of references that were projected into European thought. · The Pueblos Carolinos Route This route passes through a number of colonial settlements established under King Charles III (hence the Route’s name) in the former desert of La Parrilla. In order to protect stagecoach traffic, and at the same time render hitherto barren land more productive, the king ordered that colonies be established

by German, French, Italian and Flemish settlers.

The project, driven largely by Pablo de Olavide, established its capital at La Carlota. A fascinating example of Europe’s intangible heritage is the wellknown Baile de los Locos (Dance of the Fools), still performed in Fuente Carreteros, an independent hamlet in the municipal district of Fuente Palmera.

This curious, picturesque, folk/religious dance was apparently introduced by Central European settlers in the eighteenth century, and has its own distinctive choreography and costumes. The Bear Dance, which also survives in Fuente Carreteros, was brought to Córdoba by settlers from the Tyrol. Researchers believe this to be the origin of the dance, because it is still performed there today, both at Christmas and at Carnival.

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Chapter VI summary

1. The city of Córdoba has chosen a development model in which cultural programmes and urban regeneration are closely linked. The focus on this model will be heightened as part of the Córdoba’s ECoC bid.

2. Even before the bid was planned, local institutions drew up a programme of ongoing regular cultural events with a view to transcending local boundaries.

These events included the International Guitar Festival, the National Flamenco Art Competition, and the Rafael Orozco International Piano Festival.

3. The ECoC bid has provided the impetus for a number of new cultural initiatives, such as Cosmopoética, Animacor, the White Night of Flamenco and Eutopía, whose future is now assured.

These varied events were designed to foster the involvement of local people, and to make “alien” cultures more accessible to the general public.

4. The ECoC bid prompted events such as The City as Stage and The Sky Within My House: Contemporary Art in the Courtyards of Córdoba, Digital Ocean, and Córdoba, the Reflection of Rome, expressly intended as part of a solid programme aimed at 2016.

5. Between 2012 and 2015, a number of specific events have been planned with four major objectives: The first objective is to maintain and reinforce a regular programme of cultural events in the city.

The second objective is to gradually enhance Córdoba’s symbolic values, which provide the historical underpinning of the ECoC bid, by celebrating a series of anniversaries which extend beyond the history of Córdoba to form part of a common European legacy.

The third objective is to design a special programme focussing on one continent in each of the years from 2012 – when the ECoC is announced – to 2016. America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania will thus be guests of honour in Córdoba during that period, as part of a planet-wide journey timed to terminate in Europe in 2016.

The fourth and final objective is to organise a series of joint productions with other cities designated European Capital of Culture between 2012 and 2015

6. The cultural infrastructure required for 2016 has been organised around a specific plan intended to include facilities created before the decision and others which have been created with the ECoC in mind, such as the Congress Centre and C4, an initiative to promote contemporary creation. All these facilities are here to stay. This chapter provides a breakdown of the calendar for the inauguration of facilities now at the planning or construction stage. Since the investment in, and implementation of, the facilities required to support Córdoba’s ECoC bid are guaranteed, it can be safely asserted that Córdoba will have the necessary infrastructure to implement a wide and varied programme of events on an international scale throughout 2016, and that the programme will be of guaranteed quality and excellence.

7. The city has developed a working strategy designed to enhance the cultural image of the banks of the River Guadalquivir, by creating what has been termed the “Cultural Bank”. There is also a plan to set up a series of “cultural streams” i.e. sustainable pedestrianised thoroughfares linking cultural venues.

8. The relationship between public space and private space – between the courtyard, the street and the square – will be reviewed. Every effort will be made to enhance work on physical and virtual networks by means of a digital ring and the creation of temporary facilities that can even be moved around to suit the needs of the programme.

VII Main themes and programme of cultural activities

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viI Main themes and programme of cultural activities “Culture is all the dreams and labour tending towards forging humanity.

Culture requests a paradoxical pact: diversity must be the principle of unity, taking stock of differences is necessary, not to divide but to enrich culture even more. Europe is a culture or it is nothing”.

Denis de Rougemont “Even before Europe was united at an economic level or was conceived at the level of economic interests and trade, it was culture that united all the countries of Europe. The arts, literature, music are the connecting link of Europe”. Dario Fo

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n an attempt to summarise the concepts underlying the programme for Córdoba’s bid, two basic approaches have been defined. First, we have combined the city’s heritage and its identity, and have sought to integrate both into a constructive European model. Second, we have taken culture as a field encompassing diversity, dialogue, growth, participation and sustainability.

Culture is usually thought of in abstract terms, and in scales of quality. Córdoba, however, wishes to work from a multiple perspective, capable of integrating different cultural and social levels. As Umberto Eco noted: “the important thing is to establish scales of quality, not in abstract terms but in defined contexts”. This ECoC programme seeks to operate from that point of view, encompassing the high-quality, representative aspect of culture, whilst at the same time recognising the numerous forms of expression and creativity that flourish in today’s societies. This programme aims to map out a varied geography of ideas, people and creativity.

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The bid takes as its basis the city’s heritage and its identity, as shaped by tradition, with a view to building it up and developing it in the new context of diversity and awareness of the contributions made by different cultures. Far from being a source of conflict, this is seen as a source of enrichment and progress, analogous to the fusion of musical styles.

It is essential to recognise, and to reflect, the rapid socioeconomic and technological changes that are constantly modifying culture in all its aspects, from the cultural object itself – indeed, the whole idea of authorship – through new channels of distribution and dissemination, to a new type of consumer. The programme of events outlined here aims to explore and channel the many expressions that together shape what we call culture, and includes voices that spoke in the past as well as those that wish to speak today.

Consistent with this approach, Córdoba’s ECoC programme is structured around three levels of operation which serve as central themes: ·

The first level comprises the guiding principles of the project as a whole, which – as indicated at the start of this cultural programme – will ensure that the specific events reflect the values of Córdoba, and of this bid: interculturalism, participation, innovation and sustainability.

The second level, entitled The Constellations of Córdoba, comprises the main themes of the programme, the central core ideas around which the various activities will be organised; these explore the city’s past and its present, with a view to placing Córdoba’s historical legacy firmly within a contemporary European and international cultural framework. These themes might be said to define and highlight what Italo Calvino has termed the “implicit programme” of the city and its bid.

The third level comprises a set of Transversal Quality Indicators (TQI). Their purpose is to ensure that the programme fulfils certain requirements in terms of values and concepts, as well as complying with four principles. The function of these ten indicators is not to generate specific programmes, but rather to guarantee that the programme fully reflects the spirit and the principles of the bid. These indicators, which inform the programme, are also closely linked to the ECoC evaluation programme. · · · · · · · · · ·

European and international dimension Interdisciplinarity Gender equality Presence of projects for minorities Intergenerational cooperation Presence and promotion of educational activities Use of new technologies Accessibility guidelines Project sustainability Joint activities with the designated ECoC in Poland

viI Main themes and programme of cultural activities

viI Ejes vertebradores y programa de actividades culturales 1 Las constelaciones de Córdoba: el futuro activado por el pasado

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n structuring the cultural programme presented here, the term constellation has been used as a metaphor, echoing Walter Benjamin’s “dialectical constellations”.

This network structure provides a real opportunity to establish an intercultural and intergenerational dialogue between the past and the future, in order to understand the present, where the future is understood to be a responsible anticipation of what is to come.

The idea of a constellation is also underpinned by the desire to “activate” the future by restoring references from the past; in that sense, it is a tribute to the great astronomers of al-Ándalus, whose discoveries and experiments were collected by order of the king of Castile, Alfonso X (the Wise), in the thirteenth century, in a treatise that became widely known elsewhere in Europe under the title The Book of Knowledge of Astronomy.

In intellectual terms, then, the project is structured as a constellation, whose symbolic scope enables four different approaches to the programming of events. First, there is a kind of “celestial vault”, a network of flows and connections joining all the cities in Europe, common links that together shape a continent-wide tapestry of cities and citizens. The image is of a Europe of cities; seen from above, it forms a kind of terrestrial constellation. This view of the continent must become an essential component in the current process of generalised globalisation.

At the same time, this structure highlights the spacetime concept of aggregation; a city like Córdoba is at once Andalusian, Spanish and European. To that extent, the city can be seen as a forum with various agorai: open public spaces with their monuments, each of which is in itself a constellation of architecture of different periods and styles, concentrated symbolically on the two landmark monuments, the Mezquita (MosqueCathedral) and the Umayyad city of Madinat al-Zahra.

This structure is also appropriate because Córdoba is a source of life cycles, urban cycles, twenty-first century European cultural cycles, which overlap to form a kind of palimpsest, without ceasing to respect each and every one of its vital forms. The constellation underlines Córdoba’s culture as a symbolic hub, composed of all the religions, cultures, figures and flows that throughout history have shaped its unique identity. This bid seeks to heighten the dialogue of civilisations, by making Córdoba – the traditional setting for encounters – the venue for a series of cultural activities based on elements such as the Córdoba Paradigm, on words and literary creation, on music and contemporary art, and on youth expression.

Finally, the image of an aerial constellation neatly captures the way the programme is arranged and implemented, as a network with no sealed compartments, no hierarchy of disciplines, formats, contents or audiences. The programmes will be linked to each other in the same plane; no distinctions will be made between the local and the universal, between art and music, between highbrow culture and popular culture. Like heavenly bodies in a galaxy, the events will be structured and held in place through a balance of tensions; each will be essential, and none will be missing. Otherwise, the structure of the whole celestial vault would become unbalanced and collapse.

Events which have already become something of a tradition (such as Cosmopoética, the Guitar Festival, and Eutopía) will be appended as satellites to the speciallydevised ECoC programme; in conjunction with the ex novo events planned, they will form a constellation of cultures. In this way, existing programmes – like satellites – will become part of a harmonic structure of greater value, without losing their own identity.

Nocturnal satellite image of Europe and the Mediterranean.

Source: NASA. Image: Craig Maythew and Robert Simmon.

Main themes of the programme: (see Fig. 21) Constellations of Córdoba is seen as the sum of the city’s involvement, at European and international level, in cultural spaces and in networks of cities and artistic fields which define its international role. This metaphorical constellation is home to the Córdoba 2016 cultural programme, whose underlying themes and specific events – building on the positive experience of the Cosmopoética festival – will encompass all possible facets of cultural activity, thus ensuring that the interdisciplinary approach permeates the ECoC, throughout the year.

Theme I, Córdoba in the World, comprises three sections: The Córdoba Paradigm, Córdoba routes and Córdoba-Poland. · Theme II, Culture, the European common denominator, places the project in the European cultural context, through sections on The Word, Art and the senses, Science and Conscience and Mixed cultures. · Theme III, The city and the days, comprises events addressing the creation of the city, citizen participation, and the city as a priority issue for Europe. It will include the activities that shape society, the city-asnetwork and the society of flows, in its two sections Revolutionising the Everyday and Rivers of participation.

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European and international dimension, interdisciplinarity, gender, minorities, cooperation, educational activities, new technologies, Accessibility, sustainability, Poland

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The constellations of C贸rdoba: the future activated by the past

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Rivers of participation

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Projects approved by the drafting committee Source: Personal compilation.

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Cordoba -Poland

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INNOVATION

By way of example, this document presents a proposal comprising between five and seven projects for each section of the programme, in order to provide an idea of the kind of project to be implemented in 2016. As indicated earlier, many of these projects have been selected following a public call for ideas, which took place between December 2009 and March 2010. A total of 192 proposals were received, of which 100 were approved by the Drafting Committee, although only 47 of these are outlined here. Of these, 26% were proposed by the Committee itself, 27% by local public institutions, and 47% by citizens, grass-roots organisations, cultural agents or independent associations. (see Fig. 22) With regard to the final ECoC programme, measures will be taken to encourage more proposals from local society. Indeed, the real potential of this bid lies in maximising the number of shared proposals, resulting from dialogue, negotiation and consensus between the various players involved in common and shared initiatives.

For that reason, once the final selection of projects to be included in the ECoC programme has been completed, the C贸rdoba Cultural City Foundation will endeavour to ensure that people who have presented conceptually similar proposals work together on them.

A consultant appointed by the organisation will advise the various cultural agents, and will assist them in developing their projects in order to guarantee their quality, following the successful initiative of Luxembourg 20071 in this respect.

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We are referring to the forms and procedures used for the reception and management of projects submitted by external agents.

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ulture is a way of understanding reality, and of attempting to change it in order to improve man and his way of inhabiting his environment. A city like Córdoba is more than just a group of individuals and physical spaces; it is also a stage-set that persists over time, forging a history and a memory which are also those of Europe. Córdoba is projected as a set of images, recognised and valued by others, interpreted as distinct, but accepted as enriching.

This gives rise to certain paradigms, elements that function in collective discourse as examples or models, as ideals which can, to a greater or lesser degree, be mapped onto coordinates in space and time, and which have a positive influence on values and behaviour patterns. This factor – without losing a certain element of the utopian – can serve as a driving force for change; operating through culture, it can modify other specific spheres.

Programme section: ‘The Córdoba Paradigm’

The title of this section was coined, recently and rightly, by the Iranian philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo, in a conference paper entitled “Beyond Orientalism and Occidentalism”. This concept is informed by the twofold awareness of a living legacy – the Iranian legacy – as the genesis of world civilisation and culture in both its Eastern and Western branches. It also reflects the current divide affecting a region overwhelmed and trapped by the multiple contradictions between tradition and modernism, that the author himself has explored. Jahanbegloo highlights the capacity for tolerance and religious pluralism characteristic of Córdoba, as the former capital of al-Ándalus.

This is Umayyad Córdoba’s greatest contribution to today’s world. Its material splendour may have vanished, but the intellectual contributions of its philosophers, scientists and poets have persisted over the centuries, prompting alternatives and enhancements from other cultural sources. Nevertheless, the ideal of three cultures coexisting in the same space has no parallel in history, nor can it be found today on a comparable scale.

Seen from a perspective more appropriate to today’s social and anthropological approach, one might speak not of three individual cultures, but rather of a single culture with three religions, whose inhabitants prayed to three different gods; it was from this sense of coexistence that the richness of diversity emerged.

It is this symbolic asset that has secured Córdoba’s importance in today’s world; though the city is no longer at the height of its material splendour, this is the time when values such as those embodied in the Córdoba paradigm need to be revitalised. Rising to that challenge, this city is committed to updating these values and turning them into tangible realities by way of three fundamental elements:

In this reading, the three solidly-linked principles outlined above prompt a rethinking of Córdoba’s role in the world, a building of the place where the city wants to be, and whence it is keen to make a contribution to the contemporary world. Its concrete application through a programme of activities has a threefold historical dimension (past, present and future) and a threefold spatial dimension (Europe, the Mediterranean, America).

1 In a practical sense, dialogue represents a real application of the ideas of proportion and balance. It is not an exchange of opinions but a shared search, from initially different positions, for a new space which will allow coexistence through the integration of diversity.

2 The “right measure” as a rule for coexistence, defined by Maimónides and Averroes, a concept linked through Aristotelian philosophy to the very roots of Western thought, but shaded and enriched through the specific formulations of al-Ándalus intellectuals.

At a time when the rest of Europe was governed by the principles of feudalism, the Caliphate of Córdoba was moving in exactly the opposite direction to the mental and material exclusivism predominating elsewhere, laying the foundations for the harmonious coexistence of individuals and cultures.

3 The “Córdoba proportion”, which arose as a particular framing of the great tradition of the golden mean, visible in the harmonious architecture of the Caliphate of Córdoba, and its search to project a particular way of using space. This concept, as explored and reformulated by the Córdoba architect Rafael de La-Hoz Arderius (1924-2000), goes beyond the merely archaeological to form part of an architectural and town-planning discourse in which modern progress in technology and design are placed at the service of human wellbeing and happiness.

The aim of these principles is: · ·

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To explore and reappraise the legacy of a tradition built upon great historic events and upon continuity.

To respond to the most pressing problems of today, by investing the symbolic assets of the The Córdoba Paradigm.

To work towards creating conditions that will enable the building of a future on today’s more balanced and more shared foundations.

To raise Europe’s awareness of its multiple origins, as a path towards solving the problems posed by the union of disparate cultures and by the incorporation of immigration.

To contribute to Europe’s role as a source of balance in the Middle East. This is one of the world’s most troubled areas due to the open conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, which has fuelled the rise of religious fundamentalism and therefore of traditionalist terrorism. The aim is to move forward with the idea of a political, social and cultural Alliance of Civilisations.

To promote dialogue with America, mainly through the Spanish-speaking community, closing gaps and fostering a balanced climate.

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Programmes proposed:

1 716-2016: 1,300 years of the legacy of al-Ándalus in Europe Project submitted by: Drafting Committee and Juan Pedro Monferrer, University of Córdoba.

Activities: exhibition, congress, linked activities.

The year 2016 will mark nothing less than the 1300th anniversary of the establishment of Córdoba as the capital of al-Ándalus, i.e. the capital of the whole of the Iberian Peninsula under Islamic rule.

Following the successful exhibition The Splendour of the Umayyads, held in Córdoba in 20012, a major exhibition will be held on al-Ándalus and its culture, the fruit of a fertile blend of Christian, Jewish and Islamic culture; the exhibition will highlight its contribution to European and Western culture, going back to 716, the year when the first coin bearing the name al-Ándalus was minted. The coin itself, a key piece in the exhibition, is kept in the National Archaeological Museum: one side bears an Arabic inscription, and the other an inscription in Latin – a real metaphor of mixed cultures in Córdoba during the al-Ándalus period.

2 Exhibition The Splendour of the Ummayads, Madinat al-Zahra, 3 May – 30 September 2001. Organised by the Andalusian Regional Council Department of Culture through the Fundación El Legado Andalusí, with backing from the Córdoba City Council,

The exhibition will include pieces from the leading museums in Europe and worldwide, including the Institut du Monde Arabe and the Musée du Louvre (Paris, France), the Musée National du Bardo (Tunisia), the Museo del Bargello (Florence, Italy), the National Museum of Damascus (Syria), the Museum of Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and the University Library (Leiden, Netherlands). The exhibition will later move to the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid.

At the same time, a world congress will take place covering various aspects of the legacy bequeathed by al-Ándalus to Europe: scientific, artistic, literary, agricultural, philosophical, gastronomic, and aesthetic. This legacy, in all its forms, is now part of Europe’s DNA, an integral element in the common heritage of the peoples of Europe. Its position as active heir to the Graeco-Roman classical tradition, as well as its Eastern roots, will also be highlighted.

The exhibition, therefore, will tell us about the cultural heritage that Córdoba succeeded in spreading to Europe.

To make clearer the importance of his subject, both for visitors and for local people, a cultural route will be organised around the city and province of Córdoba, covering the main surviving evidence of the culture of al-Ándalus. Educational packages will be provided for schools and colleges throughout the province, and a documentary will be produced which will be sent to the major European television channels.

the Córdoba Provincial Council, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) and the various countries making up the Cultural Itinerary of the Ummayads. The exhibition comprised almost 300 pieces from Spain, Germany, Saudi Arabia, France, Britain, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, Syria and Tunisia.

Finally, a transversal programme will be implemented throughout the year, comprising linked activities intended to explore more fully the various contributions of the culture of al-Ándalus to Western culture through different sectors of the population.

2 Averroes Philosophy Meetings Project submitted by: Casa Árabe-IEAM, Madrid and Córdoba.

Activities: season of lectures and photographic exhibition.

3 Maimónides and Averroes Prize for Intercultural Dialogue Project submitted by: Intercultural Chair, Córdoba City of Encounters, University of Córdoba.

Activities: International Prize.

These will be held in Córdoba from 2011 onwards, through a cooperation agreement with the cities of Marseille (France) and Rabat (Morocco); the project is inspired by the Rencontres Averroès, which have been organised in Marseille since 1994. Papers will provide a meditation on the past, present and future of the city as a model of religious and cultural coexistence over centuries, from a contemporary perspective.

Under the auspices of the European Capital of Culture, an international prize will be awarded to the two international figures who, during the course of the year, have contributed most to fostering civic attitudes and dialogue between cultures. Awards will also be given to research projects favouring intercultural dialogue in all its many forms, including education, creativity, critical knowledge, politics, diversity or memory. Maimónides and Averroes, a Jew and a Muslim, both born in Córdoba, symbolise dialogue, which is why the award is named after them. It will be a way of acknowledging people and institutions that have learned how to express their commitment to the right to diversity, and have fostered dialogue between civilisations as a contribution to achieving the cooperation and development of people of different races, cultures and religions.

In addition, an international photographic exhibition including work by the world’s leading press photographers will explore the concept of religious conflict in various parts of the world.

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Programme section: Córdoba routes

4 Rafael de La-Hoz: Contemporary European Architecture and the Córdoba Proportion Project submitted by: Carlos Hernández Pezzi, architect, and the Córdoba Official College of Architects.

Activities: Exhibition, season of lectures, architectural route.

The project takes the form of an exhibition and a season of lectures on the Córdoba proportion, an essay postulating the existence of an actual proportion not hitherto examined, based on the properties of the octagon; the lectures will also focus on the life and work of the distinguished Córdoba architect Rafael de La-Hoz Arderios, author of the 1973 study on this subject. Despite its local name, this proportion is to be found in buildings all over the world.

The exhibition seeks to explain the relationship between contemporary architecture and the Córdoba Proportion from the perspective of its cultural impact and repercussions.

At the same time, a season of lectures will explore Rafael de La-Hoz’s discovery from various perspectives: its influence on European Islamic architecture, the changing relationship between citizens and architecture as exemplified by the streets, districts and courtyards of Córdoba, and the changing face of the contemporary city. The project may include a reissue of this seminal study.

These events will take place throughout 2016, occupying various public spaces and private premises, whilst the The Córdoba Proportion exhibition will run for four months, as the major element of the project.

Finally, local residents and visitors will be encouraged to follow a route around the city of Córdoba, taking in examples of the architecture of Rafael de La-Hoz and those buildings which respect the Córdoba proportion.

Within Córdoba in the World there is another dimension beyond that of the city as meeting place. Throughout its long history, Córdoba has experienced dissemination processes that have been to a greater or lesser extent traumatic, and which were directly linked to the world of culture. In many cases, these processes had negative causes which today, with hindsight, can be used as a lesson for the future.

Two of the main causes of population exodus have been colonisation and exile. There are places named Córdoba in many different parts of the former Spanish empire, including several countries in South America, the United States and the Philippines. This is an indicator of the important role played by Córdoba in the discovery of America.

This section of the programme seeks to establish a network of relationships between all these Córdobas, scattered around the world, with the idea of fostering – at grass roots level – a dialogue between countries and cultures, contributing to the strengthening of ties and the promotion of cooperation mechanisms. At the same time, a significant part of the historical memory will be restored, both at the point of departure and at the destinations of those who bore the name of their city to new territories and made it a key to their activity. The project will thus balance and reorder the relationships between countries from three continents.

The other field of reference is that of exile, for groups and key figures from Córdoba have been obliged on several occasions to leave their homes and set out for other lands. Indeed, the very founding of what was to become the Umayyad Caliphate arose from the flight of the Umayyad prince Abd al-Rahman I from Damascus.

Many figures forced into exile continued to carry out significant intellectual work in their new homes. These events include: ·

The banishing of Averroes and Maimónides, for adhering to their ideas in a time of religious fanaticism under the Almohad fundamentalists. · The forced exile of a whole sector of the city – the district of Saqunda – following the uprising against Al-Hakam I due to an increase in taxation. The exiled families headed for Fez (Morocco), where they founded the al-Ándalus district; others headed for Alexandria, and still others for Crete, where a former Córdoba resident, Umar al-Balluti, established a dynasty that ruled until 961. · The dramatic expulsion of the Moriscos by Philip III from 1609 onwards; they went into exile in Timbuktu (now in Mali) where they founded a library of over 3,000 ancient manuscripts in Arabic, Hebrew and Aljama Castilian. · The Sephardic Jews were banished by the Catholic Monarchs under the Edict of Granada in 1492; the memory of Sepharad still survives in many parts of the world, where Sephardic Spanish (known as Ladino) is still spoken. · The persecution of Crypto-Jews, such as José Penso de la Vega and Miguel de Barrios, by the Inquisition in the seventeenth century. · The exile of liberals such as the Duke of Rivas during the absolutist reign of Ferdinand VII. · The exile of leading republicans such as the writers Juan Rejano or Pedro Garfias.

These cases led to a part of Córdoba reaching the distant confines of various continents. They took with them the culture of their native land, but also absorbed the culture of their new homes. Sometimes this mixture returned to Spain as a revitalising element, as occurred in the case of European Romanticism, which arrived in Spain with the return of the nineteenth-century liberals.

Specific mention must be made of economic exile; an enormous number of emigrants left Córdoba during the 1950s and 1960s for other parts of Spain, Europe and America in search of better livelihoods. This painful fracture gave rise to a complex process of integration, which prompted innovative elements when the emigrants returned home. All this is particularly significant today, when Córdoba, like Spain and Europe, is becoming a destination for immigrants; the recognisable parallel with the emigration of local residents years ago should serve as the basis for integration and the recognition of diversity.

The central theme of these activities will be the understanding and recognition of Europe as a common project for sharing, rather than for uniformity and homogeneity, based on a new approach to migration, displacement and dissemination, seen as factors promoting fertility and enrichment.

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THE PHILIPINES 1. Province of Cagayan; 2. Province of Iloilo; 3. Prov. of Cebu.

CUBA 1. Province of Villa Clara; 2. Province of Camagüey.

ARGENTINA 1. Department of Cordoba.

VENEZUELA 1. State of Merida; 2. State of Portugues.

COLOMBIA 1. Department of Bolivar; 2. Department of Quindio.

PORTUGAL 1. District of Viseu.

UNITED STATES 1. Alaska; 2. California; 3. Illinois; 4. Tennessee; 5. Alabama.

MEXICO 1. Durango Estate; 2. Veracruz Estate.

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A tour of the Cordobas

A similar experiment was made in 1992 by the Córdoba film-maker Gerardo Olivares. The idea here is to reuse his model, and learn from the outcomes in order to go a step further, endeavouring to establish more stable relationships based on culture, fostering exchange and collaboration, especially in artistic and educational projects. The intention of this documentary in two parts, each lasting 52 minutes, is to create a unique and entertaining film that combines knowledge and experiences, enabling the viewer to relive this special union between the different peoples.

A bilingual educational package in Spanish and English will be produced for use in schools in the different Córdobas around the world.

fig.23

The proposal consists of making a documentary film, organising an informative touring exhibition and publishing a book (The Thousand and One Córdobas) about the culture, history and customs of the citizens of the different places around the world that bear the name of Córdoba (or Cordova). A total of 47 places in the world bear this name, in countries such as the Philippines, Portugal, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico and the United States; 16 landforms are called Córdoba in Brazil, the United States and Canada.

The project will be a return trip. Not only will it focus on what these other Córdobas are like, but it will also analyse the significance of this Córdoba, and determine to what extent its legacy and the symbolic importance of its culture and history (beyond its name) are still visible in other areas. The project seeks to explore the role played by migrations in the present and future of different societies, and the value of interculturalism. The exhibition will be taken to the main Córdobas of Latin America and Asia during 2016.

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SPAIN 1. Autonomous Region of Andalusia.

Programmes proposed:

1 The Córdobas Route Project submitted by: Transglobe. Independent producer, Madrid.

Activities: Documentary film, travelling informational exhibition, publication, teaching material.

Theme I: Córdoba in the World

21 of the main places with the name Cordoba/Cordova (of a total of 47).

Theme I: Córdoba in the World

PERU 1. Department of Piura; 2. Department of Ica.

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The Córdoba Connection in the Mediterranean region

The expedition will make special “stop-overs” in Damascus (Syria), Bethlehem (Palestine), Kairouan (Tunisia) and Fez (Morocco), cities with which Córdoba is twinned, and will compile a database of cultural, educational, artistic and peace-promoting associations, foundations and institutions on either side of the Mediterranean, which will be of use in the sharing of experiences, facilitating future collaborations and revitalising cultural exchanges.

Source: Personal compilation.

SPAIN

3 Literary Route. Dialogues of love: Shakespeare, Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso3 Project submitted by: Fernando Iwasaki, writer. Peru-Spain.

Activities: literary encounter, theatre.

On 23 April 1616, Miguel de Cervantes died in Madrid (Spain), William Shakespeare in Stratford-uponAvon (United Kingdom) and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega in Córdoba, which is why UNESCO decided to celebrate this date as World Book and Copyright Day. This day will always unite the two classics of the English and Spanish languages with the first great writer from the American continent, considered “the father” of Latin American literature, the mixed-race writer, Garcilaso. The works of these three writers in a sense represent the sum of Renaissance and Graeco-Roman culture. Therefore, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of their deaths – a significant date in world literature – the city of Córdoba will bring together writers in the three languages, focusing on Dialogues of Love by León Hebreo, a work that was consulted by Shakespeare when writing Romeo and Juliet, translated into Spanish by Inca Garcilaso in 1590 and quoted by Miguel de Cervantes in the preface to Don Quixote.

Córdoba

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Bethlehem LIBYA

Tripoli EGYPT

Cairo

2 The Route of the First Umayyad Project submitted by: Alfonso Alba and Rafael Villegas. Journalists, Córdoba.

Activities: Press expedition, travelling exhibition, use of social networks and blogs, book-catalogue, documentary, teaching material.

The initiative consists in organising an expedition, in the twenty-first century, to retrace the eighth-century journey of the Umayyad Prince Abd al-Rahman I from Damascus to Córdoba, where he became the first independent Emir. The team will comprise journalists and photographers from Spain, Syria and Morocco, who will travel through Syria, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Spain in search of the traces of the Umayyad dynasty in its journey through space and time. They will also highlight common features and differences between today’s Mediterranean societies.

Real-time updates on the journey will be available through the new social-network options (e.g. Twitter, Facebook). A blog will be set up in four languages (Spanish, Arabic, English and French) which will become the diary of the journey. The project will also use the journey to promote the significance of Córdoba as the European Capital of Culture 2016 in each of the ten countries and to stress its symbolism as a destination and a gateway for relationships between the Mediterranean Region and Europe – organising press conferences at each stage of the journey.

The odyssey will culminate in a touring exhibition of the pictures and articles produced during the journey. An audiovisual book-catalogue will be produced, that will be both attractive and easy to distribute for workshops, educational programmes and the media. The exhibition will be shown in Córdoba and subsequently in the countries visited during the expedition. Educational material in Spanish and Arabic will also be sent to those countries, for use in schools as a means of strengthening links between Córdoba and the cities on the route.

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2016 marks the fourth anniversary of the death of Inca Garcilaso (1539-1616). Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, nicknamed Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, was a Hispano-Peruvian writer and historian who devoted his life to history and to translating the classics. His father was a Spanish Conquistador, and his mother an Inca princess; this mixed background places him between two worlds.

A contemporary of Luis de Góngora and Miguel de Cervantes, he was at one time a career soldier. He was considered the father of Spanish-American literature. He lived, wrote and published most of his work in Córdoba, and was thus the first of a long line of Spanish-American writers. He was a neighbour of Luis de Góngora in Córdoba, and of Miguel de Cervantes in Montilla, and while in Andalusia met Saint John of the Cross and Theresa de Jesús; he was an admirer of the work of Lope de Vega, Francisco de Quevedo and a contemporary of Fray Luis de León and Calderón de la Barca; in the same way, Rubén Darío, Vicente Huidobro, Pablo Neruda, César Vallejo and other authors of the boom, maintained close links with the leading figures in Spanish literature. His ashes are buried in the Cathedrals of Córdoba (Spain) and Cuzco (Peru).

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Programme section: Córdoba-Poland

The meeting, chaired by the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa – who has already expressed his interest in taking part – would be organised by Fernando Iwasaki, a Peruvian writer living in Seville. The guest writers would be: Nobel prizewinner, John Maxwell Coetzee (South Africa), Salman Rushdie (India). Ian McEwan (United Kingdom); Antonio Muñoz Molina (Spain), Enrique Vila-Matas (Spain), Rosa Montero (Spain), the Cervantes prizewinner Jorge Edwards (Chile), Ricardo Piglia (Argentina) and Nelida Piñon (Brazil.

Speakers would include the writers Lorrie Moore (United States), Zadie Smith (United Kingdom); Julia Leigh (Australia), Eduardo Jordá (Spain), Javier Cercas (Spain), Espido Freire (Spain), Jorge Volpi (Mexico), Rodrigo Fresán (Argentina) and Edmundo Paz-Soldán (Bolivia).

At the same time, Córdoba will host a season of plays about love by Shakespeare, Cervantes and their contemporaries from various European countries.

4 The Carolinian route through the new settlements: the Road to Enlightenment Project submitted by: Córdoba Provincial Council.

Activities: exhibition, European folk-dance festival, educational activities.

This exhibition seeks to show how the experience of colonisation has played a part in shaping Europe.

The history and culture of many towns and villages in the province of Córdoba are closely linked to the continent, because they were founded under Charles III in the late eighteenth century, by Central European settlers. Examples include La Carlota, La Carolina and San Sebastián de los Ballesteros. This route, in the form of an exhibition, aims to highlight the special cultural and historical characteristics that still link these villages with their origins, such as southern Germany (Alsace and Lorraine), Flanders or the Italian Tyrol, and to analyse possible shared features.

During the second half of the eighteenth century, the spirit of reform and enlightenment gave rise, among many other new concepts, to the New Villages of Andalusia, an experiment in founding the ideal society. They were the fruit of a project initiated in 1767 by the politician and lawyer Pablo de Olavide, who conceived the idea of repopulating the land as a way of achieving economic and development objectives and also of ensuring safety, since these were unpopulated areas, mainly covered by Mediterranean forests and scrub, which often sheltered bandits and highwaymen. In order for the experiment to be untainted, the settlers had to be foreign; it was also indispensable that they be Catholics. The idea was to build a model community, uninfluenced by the negative aspects of the old society, particularly in economic matters. In the province of Córdoba, the new population was distributed over the area known as the Desierto de la Parrilla, halfway between Córdoba and Ecija.

The exhibition will be enriched by a festival of Spanish and European folk-dances, from the countries whence the settlers came. In order to enable the younger generations to learn these dances, and thus prevent their dying out in the future, workshops could be held in schools in the villages concerned, where children would have an opportunity to learn the dances.

In 2016, one Spanish and one Polish city will share the designation of European Capital of Culture. The European Commission requires that candidate cities in both States demonstrate their awareness of the cultural context of the countries with which they will share the designation, as well as their ability to establish cultural relations with them. Below are some examples of the programmes that might be implemented in 2016, with a twofold purpose: to analyse and compare the contributions of Spain and Poland to the history of Europe; and to promote modern cultural programmes designed to foster mutual understanding and the exchange of creators.

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Programmes proposed:

1 From Poland to Córdoba. The Voyage of the Goths Project submitted by: María Dolores Baena, Director, Córdoba Archaeological and Ethnological Museum, and Jerónimo Sánchez Velasco, archaeologist specialising in Visigothic culture.

Activities: exhibition, meeting of Spanish and Polish jewellers, children’s activities.

This interesting exhibition project focuses on the important ties between Córdoba and Poland, with the aim of highlighting the importance of migrations that transfer customs from one country to another in order to build a new society. The exhibition will centre on the period in which Goths, Vandals, Hispano-Romans, Byzantines, and later Muslims and Berbers exerted a mutual influence on the building of today’s Europe.

Recent research by the Córdoba Archaeological and Ethnological Museum has underlined the material importance of Córdoba during the Visigothic period and, especially, the existence of strong links between the jewellery and the funeral customs of the local civilisation and those of societies that developed over several centuries through migrations and contacts with the Roman Empire and various barbarian cultures. These funeral dowries are on the whole scarce, but those that have been unearthed are highly significant: personal ornaments (brooches, jewels, buckles…), weapons and, most of all, funeral urns which share similar features from the Baltic Sea to the banks of the Guadalquivir. Under Umayyad rule, they were used as the basis for working techniques which led to a new aesthetic style.

The finding of treasures throughout Europe has made it possible to trace the route followed by these magnificent craftsmen, who first (in what is now Poland) worked for princes, and later (in the Iberian Peninsula), for the Monarchy and the Church.

We can appreciate the similarities between the jewels found in the princely necropolis of Kowalewko (Greater Poland, located to the north of the city of Poznan), the royal treasure found in La Petrosa (Pietroasa, in what is now Romania), the objects discovered in Guarrazar (to the south of Toledo) or the votive crowns supposedly dedicated to Saint Justa and Saint Rufina in Seville by the Gothic kings, and found in Torredonjimeno (Jaén).

Thus, by the end of the fourth century AD a whole repertoire of styles and techniques was travelling from Poland across the whole of Eastern Europe and the Roman Empire until they settled on Spanish and Córdoban soil two centuries later. This is a striking new way – rigorous, scientific, attractive – of demonstrating a hitherto-unknown interculturalism based not on religion but on the movement and intermixing of peoples.

In tandem with the exhibition, a meeting of Spanish and Polish jewellers, focussing on modern jewellery design – will be organised in conjunction with the government-sponsored State Society for Development in Design and Innovation (DDI). Children’s activities and games will be organised so that the younger generations can learn more about this important period of history.

2 At the border: eighteenth-century Polish Orientalism Project submitted by: National Museum of Warsaw.

Activities: exhibition of paintings, parallel activities.

This exhibition was first organised in 2008 by the National Museum of Warsaw, under the curatorship of Tadeusz Majda and Anna Kozak. It was the first exhibition devoted to Orientalism in Polish painting during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Given the link between things Andalusian, Arabic, African and exotic, the idea is to bring this exhibition to the city in 2016, so that Spaniards can learn something of the view of the East among nineteenth-century Polish painters. The local public is likely to be very surprised by this reading of the East. Paintings will be loaned from the Warsaw National Museum and other art museums in Krakow, Bielsko, Biala, Kielce, Poznan, Torun´ Wroclaw and other Polish cities, as well as from private collections and from the royal palaces of Krakow and Wilanow.

Parallel activities will also be organised for a whole range of public, with a view to exploring in depth all aspects of Orientalism, one such activity will be an exhibition of family photographs with an Orientalist inspiration.

3 A dialogue between Pepe Espaliú and Miroslaw Balka Project submitted by: Juan Vicente Aliaga, Lecturer, Faculty of Fine Arts, Polytechnic University of Valencia; art critic.

Activities: contemporary art exhibition in Córdoba and Poland.

In the early 1990s, sculptures by the Córdoba artist Pepe Espaliú (1955-1993) and the Polish artist Miroslaw Balka (1958) coincided on the international art scene, in the Venice Biennale. The two artists already shared a certain aesthetic background, and their works displayed a shared concern for representing the body as a fragile, brittle material. They also felt that art should include an awareness of reality, though shunning a dogmatic, formulaic approach; their work was informed by an interest in caring for others, and remembering those who have suffered. This was evident in a series of performances by Espaliú entitled Carrying, which sought to publicise the plight of AIDS victims; it was also evident in Balka’s recent and highly-acclaimed installation in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London, which evoked the fear and silence in which the victims of Naziism were forced to live. Today, work by both artists is to be found in the Tate Modern’s permanent collection.

This exhibition is presented as a dialogue between two key artists on the contemporary scene who – from Spain and from Poland – have succeeded in reaching the world’s leading museums with works which link the fragility of life with a socially-aware concept of art.

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4 Tadeusz Kantor vs. Jerzy Grotowski Project submitted by: Casa Pichincha Socio-Educational-Cultural Association and Vertebro Teatro, Córdoba.

Activities: theatre, workshops, film season, exhibition.

The Casa Pichincha Association and the Teatro Vertebro theatre company propose to organise a series of activities exploring the contribution made to the history of theatre by Tadeusz Kantor (1915-1990) and Jerzy Grotowsky (1933-1999), two Polish dramatists and directors who revolutionised voice, body and stage techniques in Europe during the second half of the twentieth century. The activities will include: theatre performances, workshops, screening of films and actions, and an exhibition on the legacy of these two figures in terms of stage design and the theory and practice of literature.

It should be noted that Grotowski drew his inspiration from Spanish classics, transforming them into a paratheatrical idiom. A good example is the influence of The Constant Prince, by Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681), on Grotowski.

Tadeusz Kantor was strongly affected by his travels in Andalusia, his passion for bull-fighting and his evident fascination for the work of Diego de Velázquez and Francisco de Goya, which often served as an inspiration.

5 The contemporary Polish art scene Project submitted by: Antonio Jesús Gil Alcaide. Independent curator, Córdoba.

Activities: contemporary site-specific interventions in local heritage spaces.

The proposal, made by an independent cultural manager, seeks to create a platform for the Polish contemporary art scene in Spain, featuring interventions by six of the most distinguished artists in Poland today. The works will be installed in heritage centres that are not usually used for exhibitions but which are ideal for site-specific events, contexts in which the tradition and history of the venue would be enhanced by the contemporary approach of these artists.

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he history of Europe is a good example of how diversity has always been the starting point for unity. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the history of Europe is that it is the sum of all the cultures that together have made it a privileged setting for any artistic event.

Indeed, the originality and success of the European Union stems precisely from its ability to respect the history, languages, and cultures of the member States within a common democratic framework.

The European project feeds on the rich legacy of a history built upon cultural diversity. It grows, in turn, through dialogue and through cultural exchange, which is now breaking down borders. This is giving rise to a neverending European market for ideas, greatly helped by new technologies. The European Union is not only an economic process or a trading power; it is also a dazzling and unprecedented social and cultural project.

Moreover, the European cultural sector has become the trigger for highly-dynamic economic activities and a major generator of employment. Creativity and innovation go hand in hand, and together guarantee a future in which we will be able to address the main social and economic challenges faced by European society.

Thanks to its commitment to respecting human rights and the protection and promotion of cultural rights and the rights of minorities, the European experience plays an essential role in the redefinition of international relations. Europe therefore has an opportunity to tackle immediate challenges, for itself and for the world, including the promotion of culture as a tool for social and economic development and as a guarantee of peaceful coexistence and the prevention of conflict. These are global objectives, clearly defined in the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Córdoba’s commitment to Europe is based on a concept of knowledge that has been forged in Europe over the centuries, particularly through the response to the challenges that the city has currently made its own, those relating to culture as social and human capital, and to the dialogue between civilisations as an instrument for solidarity and coexistence. The word, the senses, science and conscience, and the mixing of cultures, all become central themes in a cultural programme ready to emphasise both the symbolic capital of Europe and, above all, what Córdoba has to offer the world on the basis of its historical and current experience.

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Programme section: The Word

It is no coincidence that the word appears as one of the threads running right through Córdoba cultural approach, and as a specific theme in the programme itself.

The word is the best expression of diversity, of dialogue, of reflection and of creativity. It stands for democratic values, for human rights, for freedom and for coexistence. It provides the foundation for recognition, by expressing fusion and mixed cultures, by becoming verse or prose, allowing emotions, questions and answers to flow. Without this tool, there can be no talk of civilisation, culture or progress. Today, new technologies have formed an alliance to multiply our options by creating new ways of expressing ourselves.

This programme seeks to reclaim the link between Córdoba and the word (written, spoken, sung, published, translated), from Roman Corduba, through Umayyad Qurtuba, to the present day, with all its potential for openness, dialogue and transformation at European level. Mindful of this potential, this programme section can be divided into three factors: · · ·

The word as generator of horizontal and multidirectional processes.

The word as a reflection of change, as the herald of what is emerging.

The word as the building block for plural discourse.

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This approach forms the basis for various action area: 1 Polysemous fertility: this will address language’s capacity for complex expression, the fact that the same word can express different realities.

2 The relational approach: focussing on the reference made by US President Barak Obama in his Cairo speech to Muslim citizens. We believe that the word redefines closeness, immediacy and public space 3 Contrasting views: discussion, dialogue and the capacity to persuade are the very function of the word.

Thanks to festivals such as Cosmopoética, the programme will include an exploration of orality as the means of exorcising violence, for example in rap, in Málaga’s verdiales and the Latin-American decimistas.

4 From literature to the fine arts: the word embodies a multiple process of representation. The inscriptions from the Qu’ran in Córdoba’s Mosque attest to this.

The programme will examine the fluid boundary between literature to the fine arts.

5 Creators in the word: the building of the new State Library and the Municipal Central Library in Córdoba testifies to the commitment of Córdoba 2016.

Citizens must have the chance to create literature, through workshops for beginners, and by encouraging visits from authors from all over the world.

6 The word in urban spaces: words must penetrate public space; they need visibility; they need to become a normal part of our daily lives. The aim is to flood the city with the word.

7 The word of others / our word: we cannot close our ears to the outside world. The programme will bring together books from all over the world, and create platforms like a permanent translator’s forum. The reprinting of an Intercultural Library will be encouraged.

8 The professional word: Córdoba will be a forum for the publishing industry. Local publishing companies like El Olivo Azul currently take part in groups reflecting on the future of the book and its formats.

We will widen the scope to include bookshops, scriptwriters, translators and cultural journalists.

9 The future of words: being the European Capital of Culture involves exploring ways of meeting the challenge of what the word will be in future. The programme will examine ways, and formats, in which words will coexist in this globalised universe.

1 From Gutenberg to the eBook: from the Europe of the book to the digital revolution Project submitted by: Drafting Committee and Diocesan Library.

Activities: exhibition, meetings with experts, contemporary creative activities, workshops, electronic book fair.

The project has been conceived as a large exhibition that will examine the past, the present and the future of the book as an object in itself, as a vehicle for transmitting ideas and as a symbolic element uniting knowledge and innovation. In this exhibition, in which the main archives and libraries in Andalusia, Spain and Europe will take part, the intention is to analyse the history of writing and the book to the present day: from the Rosetta stone to online publishing and the eBook.

Running parallel to this exhibition there will be meetings of experts who will reflect on the transition between printing and digital media, contemporary creativity activities and practical workshops on classical binding.

At the same time, an electronic book fair will also be organised, bringing together producers and potential consumers of eBooks. All this will link the city to the creation of a permanent forum for professionals and companies working in eBook production, aimed at charting its present and future possibilities.

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2 Cosmopoética. Poets of the World in Córdoba Project submitted by: Córdoba City Council.

Activities: poetry recitals, fine arts displays, theatre, music, film, video creations, educational activities and games for children.

The poetry festival Cosmopoética. Poets of the World in Córdoba has made Córdoba a veritable home for words and poetry, a place where there is space for all tongues and forms of language. In 2009, the project was awarded the Ministry of Culture’s National Prize for the Promotion of Reading. It brings together literary quality and the involvement of citizens, taking verse onto the streets, in a constant dialogue with the fine arts, the theatre, music, the cinema and video creation.

With a view to maintaining and enhancing this distinctive event, four special actions are planned for 2016:

· Cosmopoética 2016: Poets of Europe in Córdoba This will be a “special issue” devoted to European poetry, bringing to Córdoba some of the finest poets from each of the EU member States.

Linked interdisciplinary activities will focus on poetry in Europe – and especially in Poland – and explore aspects such as translation, publishing, promotion and marketing, the relationship between poetry and other disciplines, the weight given to poetry within the whole European cultural system, the role of international poetry meetings, social involvement and participation, and the contribution of poetry to Europe’s common imagination.

· European Poetry Festivals at Cosmopoética: International poetry festivals and meetings are held all over Europe, examples include Le Marché de la Poésie in Paris (France), the Warsaw Autumn Poetry Festival (Poland), the Krakow Poetry Festival (Poland), the Malmö Poetry Festival (Sweden), the Berlin Poetry Festival (Germany), and the Módena Poetry Festival (Italy). The idea is to identify and establish contacts with those festivals most similar in outlook to Cosmopoética, with a view to creating a stable network of relationships and arranging for the main European poetry festivals to bring their own national poetry productions to Córdoba in 2016.

Theme II: Culture, the European common denominator

· Poetry as dialogue in Cosmopoética The word as dialogue is not always a harmonious undertaking. Conflicting views and arguments are also part of dialogue; argument at its most extreme, denying the word itself and the possibility of dialogue, can become conflict. Different cultures have different forms of ritual in which poetry can defuse the potential violence of debate, and turn the spoken word into an aesthetic game, imbued with cultural value; throughout history, these forms – in their various guises – have come to characterise certain geographical areas. In Spanish, they include the modern rappers’ cockfights, the verdiales popular in the mountains around Málaga, the troveros in the province of Córdoba, and the various types of decimistas (versadores, payas) all over Latin America. Other European cultures are bound to have similar formulae.

From the modern heirs of the sixteenth-century poet Vicente Espinel to the exponents of hiphop, the project would examine the presence of this art in poetic/musical dialogue, in the culture of Spain, Portugal and other European countries; a research, documentation and exchange network would be set up, culminating, in 2016, in an international meeting on poetic dialogue, which would thenceforth become an integral feature of the annual Cosmopoética programme.

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· The poetic image of Europe If any language in poetry is universal, it is that of visual poetry and, in general terms, everything related to the link between poetry and the fine arts: poetry in the street (on balconies, walls, hoardings…), installations, videopoetry, photopoems… The idea is to bring celebrated exponents of these disciplines to Córdoba in 2016, to chart the poetic image of Europe, as a way of stimulating a dialogue between poetry and other art disciplines, and at the same time of pooling disparate approaches to the subject in different European countries.

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Programme section: Art and the Senses

3 Is Don Luis alive?

Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: poetry actions, blog and theatre performance.

4 The Voice of the Emotions Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: season of concerts, recitals, theatre, exhibition of paintings and photography.

In 1927, a tribute to Góngora was organised in Seville by a group of young writers, under the title “¡Viva don Luis!” (Long Live Don Luis!). The tribute, intended to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the death of this Golden Age poet from Córdoba, gave rise to the famous literary group known as the ’27 Generation. This project seeks to revitalise the legacy of Luis de Góngora y Argote, establishing networks between poets in Córdoba and elsewhere in Europe.

A season of concerts and recitals revolving around the relationship between the word in song and the world of emotions and passions, particularly love, in both classical and contemporary music. The repertoire will be very broad, including Spanish carols for voice and vihuela, and English Renaissance songs for voice and lute, as well as some twentieth-century lieder. It will also include non-religious cantatas on the theme of love (many of Handel’s Italian cantatas), and various operas and arias from operas, as well as more contemporary work by composers that use the word to transmit emotions. On a more contemporary note, the repertoire of modern singersongwriters will also be covered.

Emulating – from a modern perspective – the symbolist poets of Paris and young Spanish poets of the ‘27 Generation, the project aims to examine Góngora’s life and work through a series of poetic actions, both live and online – such as the blog Góngora 2.0 – with a view to promoting the meeting of diversity, and a reflection on the relationship between modernism and tradition, between the legacy of a poetic language and the embracing of a plural, technological world very different to that of the author.

This tribute will provide an ideal opportunity to explore Góngora’s plays through a contemporary reading, by means of theatre performances. Luis de Góngora wrote three plays, Las firmezas de Isabela, Comedia Venatoria and El Doctor Carlino, the latter unfinished and later completed by Antonio de Solís.

The three plays are based on Italian sources.

The aim is to highlight and link three common elements in the musical repertoire of different European countries and seek their equivalents in other continents:

· The role of the voice (or the importance of the vocal genre par excellence: the song and the singer-songwriter) · The ability of the voice to move, to arouse emotion or passion. · That these emotions and passions preferably be of an amorous or romantic nature.

The project will be rounded off by theatre performances on the theme of love, and an exhibition of paintings and photographs with a similar motif.

5 Radio Collage Project submitted by: Marta Jiménez and José María Martin García. Journalists, Córdoba.

Activities: Internet radio and creation of an ECoC sound archive.

The project aims to create an Internet-based radio station which will broadcast during 2016, covering the events taking place during the European Capital of Culture year. The philosophy is that this radio station will be an additional medium for artistic creation, and the Internet its home. It will be structured around sound sections posted on the Internet, so that the listener can download them as podcasts, thus producing a kind of sound map of creativity in the city. These sections will include, as a record, the cultural information generated in Córdoba in the course of the year.

The radio station will be a creative adventure in sounds and words, closely linked to the project, and will act as the sound archive for the European Capital of Culture. The programme intends the listeners to hear what the city is saying during 2016, broadcasting whatever happens, constructing sound elements, involving artists in the live performance of pieces on the radio, seeking sounds that have something to say. The geographical target will be the citizens, in the widest and most inclusive sense of the term, paying special attention to social minorities. The focus will be on Europe, with translations of the pieces into English, and with Latin America as an invited continent.

Activities, particularly artistic activities, are the visible face of the Córdoba 2016 bid; they are what the public will perceive through its senses. Stimuli, from the Latin stimulus (goad), can truly goad our awareness, urging the spectator into a sensitive and reflective experience.

The arts are a form of non-verbal communication, in which denotation is replaced by semantics, by a capacity for suggestion, for prompting moods, for expressing more than describing. Since the arts develop within an open code, they promote a whole range of diverse interpretations, making them suitable to multicultural contexts. They are, in a sense, universal languages.

The daily life of the citizen in the twenty-first century is peppered with pictures. We are exposed to hundreds every day and, perhaps for that reason, neither art nor publicity can be understood as a simple act of looking, but rather as the stimulation of all the senses as well as the intellect. Today, no product-marketing campaign could conceivably avoid appealing to all the senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, all come into play at the same time.

This multisensorial approach in daily life has been extended to the creative sphere, coinciding with the emergence and development of various new technologies. Although cinema soon incorporated sound and vision, many current works of art demand a more active attitude from the spectator: walk through the room, touch the works, change body posture, smell the pieces, or even eat some of them. Today, works of art are more complex in their construction, and we need more than sight in order to appreciate and understand them.

So, contemporary artistic expressions in general, and the “living arts” in particular, seek to awaken all the senses at once, trying to offer multiple elements of enjoyment and comprehension for the spectator. To understand these works in all their dimensions, we have to move away from contemplative attitudes and adopt participatory attitudes, those which demand the activation of all the senses.

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A striking example, in this respect, is Flamenco, a hallmark feature of Andalusian culture, whose roots penetrate deep into Córdoba’s very being4. Julio Romero de Torres immortalised this intimate relationship in countless canvases, while poets reflected our fascination for this multisensual art par excellence. From the theatre to the street, in clubs and in bars, Flamenco is present in the life of Córdoba; two local Flamenco artists, Vicente Amigo and Joaquin Cortés, are good examples of the close relationship between the city and Flamenco.

The Córdoba School of Music is one of the few in Spain where this Flamenco music is officially taught, just as naturally as any other musical speciality. Also striking is the existence of a dynamic Chair of Flamenco Studies at the University, currently held by the Flamenco singer Luis de Córdoba. In short, Flamenco is an art in which the word, music and dance come together, a highly topical art, which this ambitious project seeks to explore from the most varied perspectives, analysing its multiple creative expressions: Flamenco from A to Z. This programme area will thus include the most adventurous and varied projects, offering the visitor a chance to acquire new tools for enjoying and understanding the arts of today, to the greatest extent possible.

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The Andalusian Regional Council has submitted a request for Flamenco to be recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

1 Dada Attitude Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: theatre, dance, poetry, contemporary art and children’s activities.

2 Eutopía: International Young Creators’ Festival Project submitted by: Andalusian Youth Institute.

Activities: concerts, performances, shows, lectures and round tables.

If there is one artistic movement, particularly belonging to the European avant-garde, which cannot be reduced to a simple artistic sphere, it is Dada.

Since its appearance in 1916, at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich (Switzerland), the movement has above all defined an attitude, a “way of life”, a way of thinking and acting. To coincide with the centenary of its appearance, in 2016, the project proposes to take a look back at the movement; not from the historical point of view, but by charting the marks and traces it has left on the arts today. The project will show how Dada has influenced current creativity, and how a Dada attitude has evolved which incorporates irony, humour, the absurd and the provocative. This interdisciplinary project will trace the persistence of the Dada spirit in multiple disciplines: theatre, dance, poetry, and of course contemporary art. A series of games will also be organised in order to enable children to find out about this art movement.

This international festival is an essential event for young Spanish creators, since it brings together young people from many countries. Eutopia, in addition to involving concerts, performances and shows is, above all, a space for the exchange of ideas and for dialogue between young creators, for research and training, and for reflecting on cultural requirements, values and management. Its 2016 edition will be specifically devote to creative work by and for young people throughout Europe. The competition has also become an act of celebration of the street as a meeting place. Many of the scheduled activities and programmes take place in the open air, are free, and promote the participation of citizens in culture.

3 Capital Music Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: concerts, master-classes and seminars.

This project is a survey of European music through its cities. The core element of the project is a season of concerts, whose programmes will link a European capital to a given period in European musical history. The idea is to link a given city (e.g. London, Paris, Venice) with a specific musical landmark: a group of composers, a school, the development of an influential form. The city serves as a binding element, given that cities throughout history have made musical practice possible in various ways. The concert programmes will include: Paris and Impressionism, London and the Concerto Grosso (Geminiani, Barsanti), The Court at Versailles, the Musical Schools of Naples and Venice, The Mannheim School in the Eighteenth Century, Córdoba and the Three Cultures (Mudejar and Arab-Andalusí music), Dresden and the Court of Frederick II (the change of style), Vienna at various periods.

Running parallel to this season of concerts, various training activities will be arranged: workshops, and master-classes with some of the performers taking part, and seminars on different musical periods and forms.

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4 Crossroads: European Dialogues Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: exhibitions, lectures, concerts, theatre and dance.

5 The Performing Arts Laboratory in Europe Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: theatre, dance, circus, performance, training and research activities in the performing arts.

A programme of events in all disciplines, organised around the idea of dialogue and bonding, between creators and artists and also between educational institutions all over Europe. The project will comprise two working areas: a) Masters and students This proposal will focus on the circulation of ideas, and on their transmission from one generation to another within European culture. Culture is renewal and rupture, but it is also transmission and inheritance. Different generations of European artists, linked through their specific masterstudent relationships, will be explored through exhibitions, performances, concerts and readings. Specific proposals will be selected with the help of European schools of art, music and performing arts. b) Duplex A season of exhibitions, concerts, performances and readings in the form of a dialogue between the work of two artists from different European countries. The meeting of creative universes, and the dialogue between different artistic languages, is increasingly seen as one of the most dynamic and appropriate areas for experimentation. At the same time, these dialogues will foster contacts between artists and institutions, with a view to generating networks that reflect both the diversity and the internal bonds that characterise Europe.

This project is intended as a core element in the performing-arts section of the programme, with particular reference to the arts of theatre and dance. It seeks to explore two specific features:

· The performing arts laboratory has become a major concept, linking together the performing arts in Europe. · The boundaries between theatre, dance, circus and the fine arts are rapidly becoming very blurred.

The performing arts laboratory spread across Europe during the second half of the twentieth century. The project seeks to highlight this short history, and focus on the echoes of that research tradition that survive in contemporary practice in the performing arts. At the same time, the idea is to bring together a series of initiatives intended to stress the need to base performing-arts practice on research, experimentation and renewal. The project also aims to show how certain structures can be generated which are not limited to the theatre or dance company, or to a simple production structure, but instead integrate training and research as part of the creative process.

Theme II: Culture, the European common denominator

In exploring new approaches to the performing arts, the project highlights the core principles informing Córdoba’s ECoC bid: creative innovation, dialogue, interculturalism and interdisciplinarity.

The idea of a performing-arts laboratory will thus become a truly European setting for the sharing of initiatives, experience and results. The format will comprise performances, training activities, debates and the exchange of projects on this theme between different European countries.

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6 The Andalusian School of Renaissance Polyphony Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: season of concerts.

This project seeks to explore, through a season of concerts, a specific feature of the history of music in Andalusia: polyphony, a musical movement which developed in the sixteenth century. As a number of leading specialists have pointed out, Andalusia – because many of the leading composers were either born or lived there – is the centre par excellence of Spanish polyphony. This may arguably have been the only period in which Spanish music developed on a scale comparable to that registered in more active areas of Europe, through the work of composers such as Cristóbal de Morales and Francisco Guerrero (both from Seville) and later Tomás Luis de Victoria, of the Castilian school. In Andalusia, apart from Morales and Guerrero, a number of other composers achieved fame, including Fernando de las Infantas, Pedro Guerrero, Juan Vásquez, Alonso Lobo and Rodrigo de Ceballos. The concerts will be held at key venues, such as the Mezquita (MosqueCathedral), Madinat al-Zahra and the Fernandine Churches.

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7 Flamenco from A to Z Projects submitted by: Rafael Orozco School of Music, Córdoba; Intercultural Chair Córdoba City of Encounters University of Córdoba; Municipal Institute of Performing Arts, Córdoba (IMAE); Córdoba City Council.

Activities: Flamenco singing and dance performances, season of concert-lectures, exhibition on Flamenco and contemporary art, teaching materials, exhibitions, films and documentaries, seminars and courses.

Flamenco is one of the truly distinctive features of the Andalusian identity, and Córdoba is one of the areas where its deepest roots are to be found. Beyond the borders of Andalusia and Spain, this music arouses a striking passion; there is hardly a country that does not have Flamenco schools and countless enthusiasts. Since many of these schools have attained a very high level, the aim is to hold a Flamenco singing and dance performance, together with an exhibition focussing on Flamenco and contemporary art. These activities, under the joint title Flamencos of the World, Unite!, will enable Córdoba to highlight the universal dimension of this art, testifying to the spread of Andalusia’s idiosyncratic multiculturalism all over the world.

Flamenco is full of secrets, of codes which to the outsider appear unbreakable. It is an art in which the oral tradition has played a central role. From the days when Flamenco was only performed in private, to its popularisation in the late nineteenth century (in cafés chantants and theatres), the major elements of the art have been passed down from generation to generation in the form of codes; only when you have learnt and understood the codes, can you hope to penetrate the overwhelming mystery of this art that blends poetry, singing, playing and dance. These codes – the “palos” or recognisable Flamenco forms or genres – mark the gateway through which every enthusiast hopes to pass. The project envisages a series of lectures about Flamenco, its history and its multiple forms, together with presentations and concerts covering the different palos or genres, and the production of teaching package entitled Palos from A to Z, to be used in schools and colleges throughout the province.

Córdoba has joined the European network of White Nights with its own special initiative, the White Night of Flamenco, which since 2008 has become a major international event. This huge, night-long party comprises a whole host of Flamenco-related events, from large-scale shows with top-ranking artistes to contemporary art exhibitions linked to Flamenco, theatre, small cosy recitals, fashion shows and concerts. For the special 2016 event, the project will focus specifically on Flamenco’s ability to fuse with other types of music and other sensibilities.

The Córdoba National Flamenco Art Competition, which has been held every three years since 1956, will also be taking place in 2016, and will be marked by a special edition highlighting the longstanding importance of the competition.

The bid will also foster initiatives aimed at encouraging the social inclusion of gypsy schoolchildren through Flamenco, in an attempt to address the truancy problem which is highly localised in certain districts of the city. The Workshop on Social Inclusion through Flamenco will thus become an integration project in which the families themselves will help others to learn about the identifying features of the Gypsy race; over the last few years, other projects in this field, such as the Beat Workshop, have been remarkably successful. The workshop will run parallel to other schemes aimed at exploring the opportunities for fusion and exchange with music from Africa and South America. This course will provide training activities, but will also encourage concerts and promotional tours, which may lead to the setting up of culture companies and the creation of jobs in the music industry; in other words, the project has a sustainable future.

Europe’s culture is the culture of human rights. The first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 opens by declaring that all human beings are equal in dignity and are endowed with reason and conscience. These two factors undoubtedly contribute to making men and women cultural beings. Both factors are currently open to debate, prompting reflection on issues as different as religious identity, the boundaries between science and ethics, the balance between scientific progress and the moral dimension of the individual. To talk of culture in the twentieth century is also to reflect on the spiritual and intellectual questions to which an answer must be sought.

If anything distinguishes the European identity at global level, it is the confluence of two components formalised in Enlightenment thought and the legacy of the three great monotheistic religions: science and conscience.

This legacy distinguishes the European model from other forms of civilisation which tilt the balance towards an extreme position (that of logic, of capitalism, or of blind faith), resulting in a complete imbalance or in artificial ethical support. In contrast to the traditionalist stance, there is a need to recover the European model of integration, based on the incorporation of the diverse, on the articulation of the multiple, on the balance between extremes, rejecting any form of exclusion and respecting what is human as a way of reconciling the individual and the social.

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Programmes proposed:

This programme section will bring together projects addressing science and conscience, knowledge and life, through exhibitions and lectures on landmarks in physics, chemistry, medicine or astronomy – sciences intrinsically developed by man, which in turn have had a marked influence on the development and evolution of mankind. The aim is to provide a panoramic survey of European science, country by country.

Taking these ideas as a basis, Córdoba will provide a focus for reflection on significant issues related to this field: ·

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Individual dimension: examine the rise of a more fundamental meaning of “religious”, overcoming interpretations that are reinforced through dogma and confrontation with anything different, in order to strengthen, in the best sense, the link between the individual and society.

The collective: strike a better balance between economy and ecology.

The scientific dimension: review the progress made in science, from al-Ándalus (whose great scientists made striking contributions, ten centuries ago, in fields ranging from mathematics to optics) to the latest developments in nanotechnology and organ transplantation in Europe.

Publicise the great European commemorations in science scheduled for 2016: The centenary of the General Theory of Relativity, published by Albert Einstein in 1916 · The centenary of the birth of the scientist Francis Crick, born in 1916 in Northampton (United Kingdom), who won the Nobel Prize for his work in discovering the three-dimensional structure of DNA · The centenary of the invention of the bicycle, by Karl D. Sauerbronn (Germany) in 1816.

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1 Fons Sophiae: significant absences and presences in the history of Europe Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: season of lectures, exhibitions and cultural programmes.

A season of monthly lectures throughout 2016, each devoted to the work of two European intellectuals, one man and one woman: e.g. Aristotle-Sappho, Isaac Newton-Madame d’Aulnoy, Immanuel KantMadame de Staël, Sigmund Freud-Madame Curie.

This would give a gender slant to the lectures, exhibitions and cultural programmes comprising the project. These activities would also have a dimension specific to the world of translation, as one of the routes for the transmission and dissemination of ideas beyond linguistic and ideological borders.

2 In the Shadows of Seneca, contemporary meditations in Europe Project submitted by: Andalusian Institute of Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC), Córdoba.

Activities: keynote lectures and theatrical performance.

Seneca is an essential cultural figure in European history. His capacity for reflection and meditation not only on the conditions and the context of his time, but also on the human condition, inform this whole project. Both areas of reflection (context and man) will be addressed in an extensive season of lectures by some of the major thinkers of our time.

Part of the project will involve a broad reflection on Europe and the main challenges confronting the Union. The other part will explore how and what Europe thinks, what its concerns are, and how to construct values. The shadow of Seneca favours and provides a particular context for reflection, a way of tackling – through meditation – the question of how we should live in Europe.

This forum will be the ideal venue for performing some of Seneca’s plays, comprising eight tragedies: Hercules Furens, Troades, Phoenissae, Medea, Phaedra, Oedipus, Agamemnon and Thyestes.

3 Europe and the New ‘Imago Mundi’: Science and Navigation from Columbus to Copernicus Project submitted by: Monika Poliwka. Independent curator, Madrid.

Activities: exhibition, congress, astronomical publication and observations, children’s activities.

This is a multidisciplinary project, involving both Córdoba and the Polish city designated European Capital of Culture in 2016. It seeks to provide the public in both countries with an exhibition, a congress, and a publication, focussing on two key personalities in Humanist Europe, whose destinies to some extent ran parallel: Christopher Columbus and Nicolaus Copernicus, born in Torun´ Poland.

It should be recalled that Louis Leroy, the famous sixteenth-century French writer, considered these as two great figures, one in navigation and the other in science. Two hundred years later, Voltaire called Copernicus “the Christopher Columbus of Astronomy”, while Sainte-Beuve in his portraits talked about Columbus as that heroic sailor who rivalled not Pizarro and Cortés, but Copernicus and Galileo.

The reason this exhibition – which will include navigational instruments, old maps and model ships – is to be held in Córdoba is that the city played a decisive role in the history of mathematics, astronomy and other sciences; Ptolemy’s models of the planet were revised here in the tenth century, and new astronomical tables were constructed whose meridian of reference passed through Córdoba.

There is documentary evidence that Christopher Colombus was in Córdoba before embarking upon his voyage. Thanks to Columbus and Copernicus, Europe expanded out: it discovered the New World and found how the planet fitted into the Universe.

The programme will also include monthly astronomical observations – The Sky Every Month – together with activities about astronomy and navigation, for children.

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Programme section: Mixed Cultures

4 Bioethics: After Our Likeness Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: seminar, congress and exhibition.

Man has always wanted to be like the gods, to dominate nature, to create life in his own image and likeness. In the twenty-first century he seems close to achieving it, but not without a debate on the ethical and moral dimensions involved, and the implied reformulation of humanism. This thinking is not new; it has been present throughout time thanks to thinkers in the Córdoba tradition, such as Seneca, Averroes, Fernán Perez de Oliva, Juan Ginés de Sepulveda and Carlos Castilla del Pino. Today, with an advanced University and a leading transplant centre, Córdoba is the ideal platform from which to relaunch this debate at the start of the third millennium. A seminar will be held, with invited international specialists, and various specific blogs open to the whole world, focussing on two broad themes: bioethics (transplants, stem cells, GM products, biochemical engineering, etc.) and artificial intelligence (above all, its potential and its limits). To complete the project, a major congress will be held with the aim of drawing up a reference document to be used as a guide along the path towards science with a conscience. An exhibition on the latest progress in these matters will help to bring such issues closer to local people and visitors.

The European culture of human rights leads us to value diversity, to understand cultures as historical processes forged by many disparate influence. The mixture of cultures is not just a characteristic, it is also a tool for the future which will allow us to deal successfully with issues as diverse as cultural politics, urban space, education and thinking. Córdoba’s bid in turn aims to turn the spotlight on the men, women, and societies that have historically been invisible.

The Córdoba 2016 project seeks to take part in the vital debate on the redefinition of the concept of mixed cultures in the context of an intercultural society, since this is not an unchanging phenomenon. Today, at least, it is no longer just a racial concept. More than a term suitable for describing a reality, mixed culture today is seen as a tool for building the future. Interculturalism has sparked the flames of a mixed culture. This bid will endeavour to explore both the roots of today’s mixedculture society, and the context in which it has unfolded, as well as the potential it provides for building new mixed-culture identities capable of responding to the challenge of interculturalism.

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A key fundamental element in the new mixed culture is mobility. The mixing of cultures is linked to migratory processes, as well as the arrival of new generations born to emigrants. However, there is another type of mobility; that of the nomadic author or artist. New forms of cultural life, new creative models connected to other lands, and to hitherto unexplored ways of experiencing mobility and its influence on creation. The mixed-culture environment incorporates mobility in various senses: the historical sense adduced by the Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes, of the mixed and pilgrim cultures, nowadays in the form of migratory flows; but also the sense of a structural dispersal of mixed cultures, an uncontainable hybridisation which can no longer be identified with a single culture or geographical territory, because what we are experiencing today is the renewed strength of mixed culture in many forms, identities, contexts and locations. Mobility today is a channel for new contexts and cultural processes, from which new identities can be constructed. To live between two worlds and adopt a state of permanent mobility and contamination can be a journey which is as much symbolic as it is physical.

In defending mixed culture as a core element of interculturalism, one must be on one’s guard for two phenomena intended to constrain or officialise the essence of mixed culture. The first is the appearance of ghettos, through a false connection between cultures which establishes new hierarchies in the flows and spaces of the city. The second is a factor already all too familiar in cultural circles: the tendency to turn diversity into a museum piece, or alternatively to create “official” mixed cultures. This programme section seeks to shun those tendencies.

1 From Writing in Exile to Nomadic Writing Project submitted by: Jorge Eduardo Benavides.

Writer, Madrid.

Activities: literary encounter, Spanish-American musical encounters and photographic exhibition.

Over the last few years Spain has consolidated its position as a beacon for the Spanish American countries, and for many Spanish American writers and intellectuals it has become a place not only to visit but to settle down in. This phenomenon, though by no means new, differs in many respects to that of previous decades, when cultural immigration was prompted by exile or personal issues. It is now a global phenomenon, part of a greater level of immigration, with unprecedented economic and social overtones. This programme, comprising a SpanishAmerican meeting of people connected to culture, seeks to explore the enriching experience of the exiled writer or intellectual, straddling two cultures: that of the country left behind and that of the place in which he or she lives and has found refuge. The exile, a cultural hybrid, sees the supposedly fixed and homogeneous national identities both the inside and from the outside, does not fully belong to either, and turns his or her specific position of “nowhere” into a privilege. In addition to the literary encounter, there will be performances of SpanishAmerican music, and a photography exhibition exploring the realities of exile.

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2 The Inca and the ‘garcilasos’: contemporary comments on Spanish-American literature Project submitted by: Fernando Iwasaki. Writer.

Peru and Spain.

Activities: lectures, workshops and specific seminars.

Son of a Spanish nobleman and an Inca princess, Garcilaso is the most important mixed-race writer in the history of Latin America. Paraphrasing the title of his book True Comments on the Incas (1609), Córdoba seeks to organise a two-week international meeting, which will bring together – under the auspices of the Inca Garcilaso – three generations of new Latin-American narrative, and will promote discussion and reflection on Spanish-language literature in general, and on Spanish American literature in particular.

The first generation will be that born in the 1950s, contemporaries of the Chilean novelist Roberto Bolaño. The second is made up of those born in the 1960s, better known in Spain through the anthologies McOndo (Editorial Mondadori, 1996), Lineas Aereas (Lengua de Trapo, 1999) and Pequeñas resistencias (Páginas de Espuma, 2005). The third generation will include those born in the 1970s, represented by Santiago Roncagliolo and Andres Neuman, winners of the Alfaguara prize in 2006 and 2009 respectively. Activities will include conferences, workshops, and specific seminars.

3 The Masks of the Three Cultures Project submitted by: César Oliva. Theatre specialist, Murcia.

Activities: season of plays, exhibition and musical encounter.

The proposal is for a review of one of Córdoba most distinctive features, the meeting of different cultures, through a season of plays. It will comprise texts from the Spanish Golden Age which highlight the influence of the three cultures – Christian, Muslim and Jewish – in the daily lives of the citizens. This is an opportunity to examine the traditional view of the relationship between Christians, Arabs and Jews, as well as adopting a new approach to the staging of Spanish classics. In short, the plays of Lope de Vega, Cervantes and Calderón, with a focus on interculturalism from a contemporary perspective.

This will form part of a broader programme to include an exhibition on the coexistence of the three cultures in the city, and a season of concerts with performances by leading exponents of contemporary Christian, Muslim and Jewish music from all over the world.

Theme II: Culture, the European common denominator

4 Congress on African Literature in Spanish Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: congress, season of African music, food exhibition and screening of African films.

This meeting of critics, specialists and creators will have a twofold aim, focussing on knowledge and on recognition. In part, it seeks to delve deeper into this emerging literature, in which the common language acts as a channel for expressing unique experiences within the great tradition of Hispanic literature. The meeting will also act as a forum for creating projects and exchanging experiences, for presenting work to publishers and readers, which should serve to promote this creative area.

This knowledge and recognition of the Spanish-language literature created on the African continent is a valuable element in itself, in terms of post-colonial studies and equal relationships, but also as a way of reappraising the cultural heritage represented by a shared language and its role as an element of communication between two continents on different sides of the Mediterranean and with different levels of socio-economic development. But equally important, the meeting will provide an opportunity for dialogue between creators, and between creators and readers.

During the congress, a number of supplementary activities will foster interaction with different audiences: concerts of African music, a food exhibition, and the screening of African films.

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5 Women Feed the World Project submitted by: Asociación Pro-inmigrantes de Córdoba (APIC)-Andalucía Acoge.

Activities: photographic exhibition and food workshop.

This project aims to highlight the fundamental role of women in feeding people, this being something that brings us together, something shared with most other cultures in the world. The project will comprise a touring exhibition of photographs of women from various countries fulfilling this role: women breastfeeding, country women labouring in the field to attain food self-sufficiency, women cooking, etc. The photographs will be collected in collaboration with other NGOs, women’s associations and local social groups. In addition, an intercultural coexistence day will be organised, which will enable local people to learn about representative dishes from the countries of origin of the immigrant population in the city and province of Córdoba.

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6 The Roma, a European People Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: international meeting, music, gastronomy, exhibitions, film season, and documentaries.

The Gypsies arrived in Europe in the fourteenth century, and most of the world’s population of between 12 and 14 million still live in the Old World. Spain’s Gypsy population is around 700,000, representing 1.6% of the total population; estimates suggest that around half of the Spanish Roma population live in Andalusia.

Gypsies call themselves Roma, the plural of rom, man. Though they have no State, they have their own language, history and culture, these being the strongest evidence of cohesion in any human group.

Many distinctive features of Gypsy culture were accepted as common by Spaniards until not very long ago; however, the development of society and the homogenisation of so-called Western culture have side-lined these features.

Following the enlargement of the European Union to 27 member States, with the entry of Romania and Bulgaria, the Gypsies have become the largest ethnic minority in Europe. There are large Gypsy communities in Spain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Croatia and Greece.

The programme The Roma, a European People seeks to be a week-long meeting, around 8 April (International Roma Day), at which Gypsies from all over Europe will be able to show and share the various expressions of their culture (music, cooking, language, oral tradition, etc.).

In addition, local people and visitors will have a chance to discover and enjoy the work of Roma artists such as the Belgian jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Helios Gómez (Spanish painter, poster-maker and poet), Santino Spinelli (Italian musician and poet), János Balázs (Hungarian poet and painter) and David Beeri (Hungarian painter).

At the same time, there will be a season of documentary and feature films focussing on the Gypsy people, including Time of the Gypsies (Emir Kusturica, 1989), and a photography exhibition with work by photographers like Carlo Gianferro (Italy), Peter Van Beek (Holland) and Lorenzo Armendáriz García (Spain), showing Gypsies in various parts of Europe and elsewhere.

A particularly fascinating exhibition will explore the image of the Gypsy – and especially of the Gypsy woman – in advertising throughout Europe, including such landmark images as the packet design for the French cigarettes Gitanes, and the label on the Spanish olive oil brand Carbonell.

This project also seeks to highlight the present situation of local gypsies and of Romanian gypsies, one of the most visible immigrant communities in the city.

The meeting will be supported by the Unión Romaní, a member of the International Romani Union (a UN-recognised organisation), whose first Euro MP was the Gypsy Juan de Dios Ramírez-Heredia, recently appointed International High Commissioner for Gypsy Affairs.

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his theme includes programmes that establish a connection between the city and citizen participation which, like a river, structures its social, cultural and artistic map. It also seeks to encourage reflection about the function and purpose of the city. The projects involved aim to promote new readings of cultural relations and the future of the daily events occurring in the city’s public spaces; relations between the primary, cultural and service-orientated infrastructures; between the city centre and the outskirts; between the city as a whole and the districts that give it its life. This section is seen as a dialogue between Córdoba and the cities that live in Córdoba.

In Córdoba, architecture is a key asset, through which the history of the city can be charted; that history is embodied in the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral) This is a landmark recognised worldwide as a source of inspiration in terms of the dialogue between the past and the innovation of the future. Its effects extend, like a shock wave, to dozens of monuments that also illustrate coexistence during different periods of history, between the Renaissance and the Baroque, between domestic and symbolic architecture. This expansion is also palpable in the streets and buildings of the Old Town, designed to be discreet. It is a striking example of how a collection of traces and layers that have become visible in a certain model of use and enjoyment blend – without fanfare – with the shape of both the existing city and the emerging city.

The programme section Revolutionising the Everyday will also address the city as the focus of tensions and challenges posed by different future scenarios, scenarios prompted by the mixing of populations and cultures to produce new urban faces. The intercultural dialogue proposed in this dossier must be turned into an interurban dialogue, in which the other cities of Andalusia, Spain and Europe must be included, with their art, their problems and their varying architectures.

Given these varied city typologies, there is a need for a programme that takes the city as a hub of reflection, enabling an examination of the contrasts between public creativity and urban regeneration, between sustainability and the transmission of cultural values. The idea is to see how this inheritance of nature and heritage, which is what makes a city, is fed by the contributions of its residents, who themselves produce new realities through processes of inclusion and exclusion, conflicts between majorities and minorities, and different capacities for coexistence and dialogue. All these problems are common to Europe and are a topical issue.

Córdoba offers an ideal space and time for shaping the model city for 21st century Europe, supported by the conversion of public spaces into authentic places of discovery of common interests and the effective realisation of equality. Much of Córdoba’s cultural programme – aimed primarily at 2016 but also undertaken as a commitment to economic, social and cultural development – is based on this concept, the making of a city through the conversations of its residents The Rivers of Participation section will include those programmes arising from the participation of citizens in their everyday urban environment. The physical space will become the stage, and the actors will be cultural agents and representatives of grass-roots organisations, residents, associations and the entire cast that makes up the city.

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Programme section: Revolutionising the Everyday

Córdoba is a city for walking and talking, where time slows the speed of the metropolis down to a sedate pace that enables encounters, reflection and welcoming looks, a city that is built in harmony with nature and the gentle passage of life. A space tailored to suit men and women, where the city is built not as a place of confrontation between the public and the private, but as a place where the two merge, where citizens build their identities and their life projects. It is thus a sum of open spaces where personal and civic experiences interweave, a thriving setting for enjoying aesthetic emotions.

In order to move towards those goals, taking advantage of all the guidelines offered by its history and its most recent political experience, Córdoba has opted for programmes inspired by a set of key ideas that express the city’s commitment to culture and to the citizens: ·

The revitalisation of public space as the setting for all meetings, as a backdrop for democratic freedoms, as forum and agora, as a place where all contradictions coexist and individual and collective projects intersect. One of the essential pillars of the Córdoba 2016 project is the promotion of public art, seen as mediation, as a way of cultivating a civic sense and of overcoming the isolation of the artist. This concept draws the public into decision-making processes and encourages the creation of networks of cooperation between public and private agents.

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Making Córdoba a city of cultures, in the plural, through the dialogue of civilisations that has converted it into the varied enclave that it is today, and through the interactions of its neighbours, its inhabitants and visitors. A participatory cultural programme creates spaces for encounter, and thus stronger links between social groups. All activities will be accompanied by educational programmes.

This means addressing all the needs, concerns and expressions of diversity present in society. It means involving artists and innovators, programmers, the various institutions, public and private agents, and also the varied audiences.

The city’s districts will become priority areas for these programmes, which will serve as bridges linking the various neighbourhoods and areas of the city, to ensure that there is no division between the city centre and the outskirts, or between the Old Town and the modern city; avoiding a fragmentation seen as alien to the programme’s goals.

1 The Dream of the City and the Urban Imagination Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: contemporary art exhibition.

This is an exhibition project that will explore the urban condition through a reconstruction of those attributes and experiences that define the urban as identity. This theme will be approached through the view of the city provided by international artists, their conception of how these attributes should be reconstructed. The period reviewed will be from the turn of the century to the present. The aim of this exhibition could be said to be the construction of a meeting place somewhere between Utopian inspiration and a collective project; a place for the future, for resistance, and for rebuilding the urban condition. The artists will review issues such as links, the place, mobility, limits, sociabilities, the collective imagination, flows, and cyberspace as a new public place.

2 Reflections of Themselves: the Suburbs of Europe Project submitted by: Desiderio Vaquerizo, University of Córdoba.

Activities: scientific meetings, exhibitions, season of lectures, publications.

Parallel to, and supplementing, the contemporary art exhibition described above, this broad programme will include scientific meetings, exhibitions, a season of lectures, as well as scientific and popular publications. Given the unique characteristics of a city like Córdoba, any study of its suburbs, or areas of urban expansion, will find itself facing a dense, complex and unique archaeological heritage. This makes it a perfect “laboratory of experiences” which can lay the groundwork for a better understanding of the historical heritage, that can be extrapolated to other European cities with similar characteristics.

In 2016, therefore, Córdoba seeks to become a setting for European reflection on national and international experiences regarding the concept of suburbium and its evolution/ transformation from Roman times to the present day. The conclusions of these scientific meetings will be made public through a variety of channels. The range of goals is evident in the many town planners, geographers, archaeologists and architects who will be involved in shaping the future on the basis of a proper analysis of the past.

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3 The City as Stage: Public Art Interventions in Urban Spaces Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: contemporary art interventions in public spaces in Córdoba.

4 The Sky Within My House. Contemporary art in the courtyards of Córdoba Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: contemporary art interventions in the courtyards of Córdoba.

Artistic interventions in heritage settings have become a highly-successful formula for cultural action, not only in terms of their aesthetic value but also because they provide an opportunity to bring contemporary art to the citizens, in places they know, places where they live. Thus, the streets, bridge, squares and walls of Córdoba become a superb stage on which leading artists can speak to the city, display their interventions, and surprise with their creations.

Everyday space astounds us with new perspectives, prompting other visions, other approaches. A new feature for 2016, in addition to a strikingly international and contemporary outlook, will be the intensive involvement of the citizens themselves in the installations and interventions devised by the invited artists.

The Courtyards Festival is of one the most striking and characteristic events in the city. The courtyards themselves are among Córdoba’s quintessential distinctive features; heirs to a Roman and Moorish tradition, they are fascinating not only in terms of their architecture or their relationship with the city, but also because they testify to a special way of life, a way of sharing privacy, of crossing thresholds in relationships. This project seeks to revive an earlier experiment in which the courtyard tradition was combined with the contemporary view of the artists involved. In this way, the dialogue between public and private, and the division between the traditional and modern, are expressed in new idioms and for a new public, attracted by the courtyards themselves.

This event was remarkably successful in 2009, and for the ECoC year 16 international artists will again be invited to display their work in Córdoba’s courtyards. Most of the private courtyards belong to elderly people, and the programme will endeavour to ensure that they are full involved in contemporary creation.

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5 Des-Bordes. International Mural Art in Córdoba Project submitted by: Oscar Fernández. Independent curator, Córdoba.

Activities: Mural art on the outskirts of the city.

6 Projectmylife Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: audiovisual production, creation of digital dissemination platforms.

This initiative involves the specific intervention of contemporary artists on walls around the outskirts of the city. One artist from each of the 27 EU member States will be invited to design and install works of mural art in areas of Córdoba unaccustomed to hosting cultural interventions of this sort. Once the walls in question have been located and the artists have been selected, a kind of project monitoring office will be set up in the area in question, making use of Córdoba’s network of local civic centres. This modus operandi will bring project management mechanisms and agents closer to local residents, and the residents themselves – once they have seen the designs – will decide which painting will be put up on their walls, in an attempt to stimulate local interest in contemporary art. Des-bordes shares, to a large extent, the spirit of the Community Murals that sprang up in Chicago in the 1960s, and helped to consolidate the reputation of a number of Mexican and US artists, as well as enhancing urban interventions in ever-expanding cities.

This project seeks to generate, collect and disseminate videos, lasting one minute, in which citizens of every European country describe their daily lives.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with film institutes and embassies in the various countries. By the end of the project, an archival database will have been built up of the daily lives of Europeans at a given moment in time. This vast document will be stored on a range of web-based platforms which will be responsible for disseminating the project. Copies will be used to draw up a European map of videos on the Internet.

The project aims to explore new production, communication and distribution formats, tapping the new potential of technology allied to culture.

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Programme section: Rivers of participation

The decisive role of the River Guadalquivir in Córdoba’s founding and subsequent development is beyond question. In the distant past, the city’s land relief and strategic location were crucial; today, Córdoba’s ECoC bid seeks to restore the river’s vital strategic importance. By 2016, the river will be a key catalyst, revitalising the city’s layout, its skyline, and its cultural scene.

In this sense, the river is seen as a means of structuring a number of strategic initiatives, and as a potential natural stage. But it is also seen as a symbolic landmark, an immensely powerful metaphor for the channelling of resources and energy. It can also be interpreted as a symbol of the city itself, and as the sum of tributaries and flows towards a common course. Equally evocative is its embodiment of the idea of a stream which ends in the opening of new horizons on the world.

Taking into account that specific symbolic value, and the role of the river in the regeneration and revitalisation of Córdoba, the title Rivers of participation has been used to encompass an extensive, specific programme of events that will fill the streets of the city in 2016, and will foster the active involvement of residents and visitors alike. Here, the river is a metaphor for collective involvement; public spaces and streets will be part of a group of fortnightly projects that will stimulate both city and citizens.

The dominant presence of the river, its strongly Mediterranean character, the natural setting of the Sierra Morena, and the customs of the people, their tendency to live their lives in the squares and courtyards, have together shaped the city and the citizens that Córdoba is eager to display to Europe and the rest of the world as one of the cultural strategies to which the European Union is committed.

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The programme will focus on three core elements which are closely linked: the street, the people, and everyday life. In daily life, the street is the main stage on which the everyday takes shape, where the city assumes its true physical and human dimension. The city’s streets thus become a spontaneous theatre, in which the citizen is simultaneously actor and spectator. They are the framework for individual and group actions which fuse and interweave with each other.

The programme events aim to create symbols in the routine of daily life, by including most of the projects presented by and for local people. The idea is not to replace or modify the streets as the stage for the city’s everyday life, but rather to create new meanings for them, and provide them with greater depth. The street has been defined as the spectacle of the possible; these initiatives seek to identify more closely the tools that shape or forge a community, instantaneously, through a gesture or an action.

This is an exceptional, exploratory celebration of the everyday and the collective, intended to give meaning to the places through which people routinely move and meet. It will involve both residents’ associations and anonymous citizens; established groups and groups randomly formed by the exceptional current of a given project. Building a human Mosque in one of the city’s squares, filling the pavements with poetry, painting huge placards with the spontaneous aid of thousands of passers-by, creating huge jigsaw puzzles to which every citizen brings a piece, designing and installing collective murals, carrying out grass-roots gardening schemes; all these are activities that help a community to invent itself, or perhaps to find the channels through which it can display itself as a community.

1 Córdoba in the River Project submitted by: Town Planning and Land Management Laboratory, University of Granada.

Activities: permanent audiovisual installation, social networks and videocreation.

This interdisciplinary town-planning project aims to erect an installation that will turn the River Guadalquivir and the surrounding area into a sort of river screen. Projection, lighting and filming technologies will be used to enable the river to communicate local and global events. A set of projectors placed at different points along the river will project images onto the surface of the water, the gardens and nearby buildings and monuments. The material screened will combine information about the progress of various events, pictures and comments sent in by citizens using SMS technology or Internet-based social networks, and both generic and site-specific video creations. The project will enhance the area as a backdrop for events taking place nearby (concerts, inaugurations, performances or festivals).

At the same time, a set of cameras installed in the area will capture everything that is going on in the area, relaying it to viewers via Internet or via any television channels that decide to link up to it. A combination of macro cameras, wide-view cameras and stage cameras will capture all aspects of life in the area, the daily comings and goings of the people, the range of plants and animals, the real-time state of the city, and people’s gestures and faces in response to different situations.

The infrastructure thus created (linked cameras and projectors) has enormous potential. The River Guadalquivir – a physical setting of great environmental, urban and landscape value – will host key social and cultural events during the ECoC, whilst the infrastructure will be linked up to the Internet, the universal social network, thus fully exploiting its immeasurable capacity. In short, this project will connect Córdoba with the world.

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Theme III: The City and the Days

2 Pictures of Europe, Words of Europe Project submitted by: Goval, artists and Javier Lucena, staff member, Cultural Capital Office, Córdoba.

Activities: international group art interventions and similar activities in various streets in each of Córdoba’s districts.

3 The Atlas of Córdoba Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: contemporary art, creative expression by children and young people, educational activities, photographic atlas and documentaries.

This project, a tribute to the great European cartographer Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594), seeks to work at several creative and narrative levels (from contemporary art to creative expression by children and young people) in exploring the potential of cartography as a tool for thought, and charting the way in which maps articulate mental and symbolic images. The idea is to provide educational and creative possibilities for children and young people, who will produce their own maps and atlases, by giving spatial expression to the symbolic images they have or perceive of Córdoba, Europe and the world. The project will also serve as a platform for exploring man’s mental categories through the work of various contemporary artists.

In Córdoba there is a street called Imágenes, which for the last five years has played host to a project led by an artist known as Goval, who lives in the street.

During April and May, all the residents carry out a collective artistic intervention in the street, as an excuse to meet up and work together on a common project involving adults and children. The project is self-financing, receiving no institutional or external funding.

This project seeks to make use of that idea and give it an international dimension, by locating similar cultural activities in other European cities and bringing them to Córdoba. In the years prior to the ECoC, the residents of Calle Imágenes will contact those responsible for similar collective actions elsewhere in the EU, to exchange knowledge and experiences with a view to organising those actions in 2016. That year, the interventions in Calle Imágenes will be extended to other districts of Córdoba. It is envisaged that these exchanges will continue in subsequent years.

The project will include the following specific activities:

· Networking involving 27 schools (one in each EU member State), where students will produce an atlas, as an exercise in imaginary geography.

One institution in each country will help to coordinate the work. · Exhibition of work by contemporary artists based on cartography or on the idea of the mappa mundi, aimed at questioning our symbolic representations and offering alternative visions and readings. · Production of a photographic atlas of Europe. · Production of a set of 27 specially-made documentaries on the work of 27 European NGOs, with a view to examining the problems faced by each European country.

Theme III: The City and the Days

4 Re-encounters Project submitted by: DosdeCatorce Producciones SL. Independent producer, Córdoba.

Activities: collective audiovisual production.

This will be a film in ten episodes, each lasting ten minutes, and each made by a different leading director, on a single theme: encounters and the dialogue of cultures. A similar experiment has been attempted in films such as Paris, je t´aime and New York, I love you. After its première in Córdoba, the idea would be for it to be screened in commercial cinemas all over the world.

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5 Under the Eyes of Europe Project submitted by: Association of Mentally Disabled People and their Families (Asaenec). Córdoba.

Activities: international competition for young artists, and creation of a mural of photographs taken by mentally-disabled people.

The installation, in a public space in Córdoba, of a giant collage made of photographs taken by mentally-disabled people all over Europe. This mural will provide a representative image of Europe and its culture. It will be designed by the winner of an international competition for young artists.

The project is based on two major concepts: the participation and involvement of citizens, since information and photograph delivery points will be installed in the main cities of Europe; and the inclusion and integration of mentally-disabled people into the world of culture. Advised by monitors, and in the presence of the winning artist, they will make a vast collage to be mounted somewhere in the city.

The photograph delivery points all over Europe will also be staffed by mentally-disabled people belonging to the European associations collaborating with the project.

A permanent information point will be set up in the place where the mural is mounted. It will be staffed by mentally-disabled people, who will be responsible for telling local people and visitors and how the project was created.

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Theme III: The City and the Days

6 Journey to the Kingdom of Knowledge Project submitted by: Drafting Committee.

Activities: city-scale game, cultural route and trip abroad.

Consistent with the participatory spirit underlying the Córdoba 2106 project as a whole, the procedure for choosing projects/events is as follows: ·

This game-based project will begin in 2012 and last at least until 2016. A “passport” will be published containing the city’s main cultural and heritage-related resources, laid out in stages like points on a tourist route. A passport will be given to everyone who wants one, and a publicity campaign will be run in the media.

Passport in hand, users will be invited to visit all the places featured; at each one, the passport will be stamped, and the user will be given a word that forms part of a riddle that can only be solved once all the words are collected, i.e. once all the cultural sites have been visited.

It will be suggested that the Polish city designated ECoC in 2016 organise the same project, with a view to strengthening cooperation and enhancing mutual knowledge of the two cities. There will be three types of passport: for under-18s; for people aged 18-65; and for over-65s. Children who fill up their passport will receive educational prizes. Adult participants will be able to take part in a draw for one of four trips per year to the Polish European Capital of Culture, all expenses paid, with a full programme of visits. A similar arrangement will be suggested to the Polish city with regard to Córdoba.

Projects submitted by citizens following a public call lasting from December 2009 to March 2010, open to any person or organisation and any public or private body, as long as the projects comply with the criteria established by the Drafting Committee.

A selection committee created for that purpose was responsible for choosing the projects to be implemented in 2016, from all those submitted. The selection committee submitted its conclusions to the Board of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation (CCCF) for final approval. A total of 191 proposals were received, of which 100 were approved by the Drafting Committee.

Theme III: The City and the Days

For that reason, once the final selection of projects to be included in the ECoC programme has been completed, the CCCF will endeavour to ensure that people who have presented conceptually similar proposals work together on them. A consultant, appointed as a member of the Artistic Directorate, will advise the various cultural agents, and will assist them in developing their projects in order to guarantee their quality, and ensure the proper development of the proposals formulated, following the successful initiative of Luxembourg 20075 in this respect. ·

This whole procedure was implemented using the website www.cordoba2016.es. Those submitting proposals were required to complete a questionnaire which set out the minimum requirements with which all projects were expected to comply.

With regard to the final ECoC programme, measures will be taken to encourage more proposals from local society. Indeed, the real potential of this bid lies in maximising the number of shared proposals, resulting from dialogue, negotiation and consensus between the various players involved in common and shared initiatives.

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To complete the remaining 30-40% of the final programme, the following channels will be used: ·

Projects and events agreed and /or expressly agreed with local, national or international cultural bodies (preferable belonging to the European Union); and in particular, with the major local, Spanish and European cultural institutions: EU and Council of Europe cultural organisations, Spanish Ministry of Culture, Andalusian Regional Council Department of Culture…

·

Specific events and proposals will be commissioned, in accordance with the general programme for the year, from local, provincial and regional cultural agents, in order to ensure a lively programme for the cultural year. These agents would include, among many others, the City of Córdoba Orchestra, local and provincial cultural foundations, the Municipal Institute of Performing Arts, art galleries, exhibition halls, and artistic creation centres, schools of music, Andalusian centres of Literature, Arts, Innovation, Flamenco, and Crafts. There will also be input from the Andalusian Film Institute, the University of Córdoba, the Schools of Theatre and Dance, and many other bodies. All these organisations, which have already expressed their enthusiastic support for the ECoC project, will be invited to take part in projects and events throughout 2016, ensuring the cultural effervescence of the city; projects will at all times comply with the overall aims of the general programme.

Preferential agreements and conventions will be signed with the Polish city designated ECoC, with a view to sharing the event, developing and coproducing projects of mutual interest with a view to contributing to the exchange of ideas, people, proposals and activities between the two cities.

Projects proposed directly by the Drafting Committee. These were projects, actions and events that the Commmittee deemed necessary in terms of the aims and principles for the EcoC, or covered programme areas not sufficiently embraced by the projects received following the public call for proposals. These will be commissioned directly by the CCCF or by one of the Founding Institutions, through established legal procedures, from cultural promoters, managers, companies, artists, etc.

Of the proposals included, 26% were proposed by the Committee itself, 27% by local public institutions, and 47% by citizens, grass-roots organisations, cultural agents or independent associations.

· The Cultural Programme set out here accounts for between 60% and 70% of the final ECoC programme; new projects or changes may of course arise between now and 2016.

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We are referring to the forms and procedures used for the reception and management of projects submitted by external agents.

The Route of the First Umayyad Activities: Press expedition, travelling exhibition, use of social networks and blogs, bookcatalogue, documentary, teaching material.

Project: Alfonso Alba and Rafael Villegas. Journalists, Córdoba.

Literary Route.

Dialogues of love: Shakespeare, Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso Literary encounter, theatre.

Project: Fernando Iwasaki, writer.

Peru-Spain.

The Carolinian route through the new settlements: the Road to Enlightenment Exhibition, European folk-dance festival, educational activities.

Project: Córdoba Provincial Council.

Maimónides and Averroes Prize for Intercultural Dialogue International Prize Project: Córdoba City of Intercultural Encounters, University of Córdoba

Rafael de La-Hoz: Contemporary European Architecture and the Córdoba Proportion Exhibition, season of lectures, architectural route.

Project: Carlos Hernández Pezzi, architect, and the Córdoba Official College of Architects.

Cosmopoética.

Poets of the World in Córdoba Activities: poetry recitals, fine arts displays, theatre, music, film, video creations, educational activities and games for children.

Project: Córdoba City Council.

Is Don Luis alive?

Poetry actions, blog, theatre.

Project: Drafting Committee.

The Voice of the Emotions Season of concerts, recitals, theatre, exhibition of paintings and photography.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Radio Collage Internet radio. Creation of an ECoC sound archive.

Project: Marta Jiménez and José María Martin García. Jounalists, Córdoba.

At the border: eighteenthcentury Polish Orientalism Exhibition of paintings, parallel activities.

Project: National Museum of Warsaw.

A dialogue between Pepe Espaliú and Miroslaw Balka Contemporary art exhibition in Córdoba and Poland.

Project: Juan Vicente Aliaga, Lecturer, Faculty of Fine Arts, Polytechnic University of Valencia; art critic.

Tadeusz Kantor vs. Jerzy Grotowski Theatre, workshops, film season, exhibition.

Project: Casa Pichincha SocioEducational-Cultural Association and Vertebro Teatro, Córdoba.

The contemporary Polish art scene Contemporary site-specific interventions in local heritage spaces.

Project: Antonio Jesús Gil Alcaide.

Independent curator, Córdoba.

Flamenco from A to Z Flamenco singing and dance performances, season of concertlectures, exhibition on Flamenco and contemporary art, teaching materials, exhibitions, films and documentaries, seminars and courses.

Projects: Rafael Orozco” School of Music, Córdoba; Intercultural Chair for Social Inclusion through Flamenco (University of Córdoba); Municipal Institute of Performing Arts, Córdoba (IMAE); Córdoba City Council.

The Andalusian School of Renaissance Polyphony Season of concerts.

Project: Drafting Committee.

The Performing Arts Laboratory in Europe Theatre, dance, circus, performance, training and research activities in the performing arts.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Crossroads: European Dialogues Exhibitions, lectures, concerts, theatre and dance.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Capital Music Concerts, masterclasses, seminars.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Eutopía: International Young Creators’ Festival Concerts, performances, shows, lectures and round tables.

Project: Andalusian Youth Institute.

Bioethics: After Our Likeness Seminar, congress, exhibition.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Europe and the New ‘Imago Mundi’: Science and Navigation from Columbus to Copernicus Exhibition, congress, publication, astronomical observations, children’s activities.

Project: Monika Poliwka. Independent curator, Madrid.

In the Shadows of Seneca, contemporary meditations in Europe Keynote lectures and theatrical performance.

Project: Andalusian Institute of Advanced Social Studies (IESACSIC), Córdoba.

Fons Sophiae: significant absences and presences in the history of Europe Season of lectures, exhibitions and cultural programmes.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Averroes Philosophy Meetings Season of lectures and photographic exhibition Project: Casa Árabe-IEAM, Madrid and Córdoba.

Dada Attitude Theatre, dance, poetry, contemporary art, children’s activities.

Project: Drafting Committee.

From Gutenberg to the eBook: from the Europe of the book to the digital revolution Exhibition, meetings with experts, contemporary creative activities, workshops, electronic book fair.

Project: Drafting Committee and Diocesan Library.

The Córdobas Route Activities: Documentary film, travelling informational exhibition, publication, teaching material.

Project: Transglobe. Independent producer, Madrid.

716-2016: 1300 years of the legacy of al-Ándalus in Europe Exhibition, congress, linked activities.

Project: Drafting Committee and Juan Pedro Monferrer, University of Córdoba.

From Poland to Córdoba. The Voyage of the Goths Exhibition, meeting of Spanish and Polish jewellers, children’s activities.

Project: María Dolores Baena, Director, Córdoba Archaeological and Ethnological Museum, and Jerónimo Sánchez Velasco, archaeologist specialising in Visigothic culture.

Theme II: Culture, the European common denominator Art and Science and The word the Senses Conscience

Theme I: Córdoba in the World The Córdoba Córdoba CórdobaParadigm routes Poland

The Roma, a European People International meeting, music, gastronomy, exhibitions, film season, and documentaries.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Women Feed the World Photographic exhibition, food workshop.

Project: Asociación Pro-inmigrantes de Córdoba (APIC)Andalucía Acoge.

Congress on African Literature in Spanish Congress, season of African music, food exhibition, screening of African films.

Project: Drafting Committee.

The Masks of the Three Cultures Season of plays, exhibition and musical encounter.

Project: César Oliva. Theatre specialist, Murcia.

The Inca and the ‘garcilasos’: contemporary comments on Spanish-American literature Lectures, workshops, specific seminars.

Project: Fernando Iwasaki. Writer.

Peru and Spain.

From Writing in Exile to Nomadic Writing Literary encounter, Spanish-American musical encounters, photographic exhibition.

Project: Jorge Eduardo Benavides.

Writer, Madrid.

Projectmylife Audiovisual production, creation of digital dissemination platforms.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Des-Bordes.

International Mural Art in Córdoba Mural art on the outskirts of the city.

Project: Oscar Fernández. Independent curator, Córdoba.

The Sky Within My House.

Contemporary art in the courtyards of Córdoba Contemporary art interventions in the courtyards of Córdoba.

Project: Drafting Committee.

The City as Stage: Public Art Interventions in Urban Spaces Contemporary art interventions in public spaces in Córdoba.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Reflections of Themselves: the Suburbs of Europe Scientific meetings, exhibitions, season of lectures, publications.

Project: Desiderio Vaquerizo, University of Córdoba.

The Dream of the City and the Urban Imagination Contemporary art exhibition.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Journey to the Kingdom of Knowledge City-scale game, cultural route, trip abroad.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Under the Eyes of Europe International competition for young artists, and creation of a mural of photographs taken by mentallydisabled people.

Project: Association of Mentally Disabled People and their Families (Asaenec). Córdoba.

Re-encounters Collective audiovisual production.

Project: DosdeCatorce Producciones SL. Independent producer, Córdoba.

The Atlas of Córdoba Contemporary art, creative expression by children and young people, educational activities, photographic atlas, documentaries.

Project: Drafting Committee.

Pictures of Europe, Words of Europe International group art interventions and similar activities in various streets in each of Córdoba’s districts.

Project: Goval, artists; and Javier Lucena, staff member, Cultural Capital Office, Córdoba.

Córdoba in the River Permanent audiovisual installation, social networks, videocreation.

Project: Town Planning and Land Management Laboratory, University of Granada.

Theme III: The city and the days Mixed Revolutionising Rivers of Cultures the Everyday participation

The constellations of Córdoba: the future activated by the past

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Chapter VII summary

1. The main lines of the project have been arranged around the concept The Constellations of Córdoba, a kind of celestial vault reflecting the diversity and interconnection of Europe’s cities and citizens.

2. The chapter provides a first approach to the programme for Córdoba 2016. The programme is divided into three major themes; for each theme, 5 or 6 projects have been included as examples of the types of activity envisaged for 2016. These projects will be given their final, specific shape in the candidature dossier. Many of the projects chosen were submitted by citizens’ organisations and cultural agents, and subsequently selected by the Drafting Committee for the bid.

3. This concept is structured as follows.

Theme I: Córdoba in the World highlights the links between the city, its immediate surroundings and its wider setting, underling its historical heritage and what that heritage can contribute to contemporary society. This theme comprises three sections:

1. The Córdoba Paradigm: focuses on tolerance, human rights, and respect for others; it reflects on those events where it is essential that dialogue should prevail over violence.

2. Córdoba routes: will explore the relationship between the city and other cities around the world that bear the same name, highlighting Córdoba’s importance in the Discovery of America, and the significance of exile and immigration.

3. Córdoba-Poland: a set of programmes produced jointlyjointly by the candidate cities of the two countries.

Theme II, Culture, the European common denominator, refers to the fostering of dialogue and the enhancement of contemporary culture in all its different forms, as a shared link between the countries of Europe. It comprises four programme areas:

1. The Word: devoted to cultural activities seeking to explore the word in its broadest, polysemous sense: spoken, written, sung; language, publishing, translation.

2. Art and the Senses: a set of highlycontemporary projects; bold, multidisciplinary, multisensorial.

3. Science and Conscience: examines aspects of reason, faith and science within the ECoC programme.

4. Mixed Cultures: creation, from the perspective of difference and the mixing of cultures.

Theme III, The City and the Days, defines the role of cities in general, and of Córdoba in particular. Aims to structure a programme focussing specifically on the problems faced by today’s cities, and on citizen participation. It is divided into:

2. Revolutionising the Everyday: fostering reflection on the city in all its guises, and on the use of common spaces for culture.

3. Rivers of participation: examines citizen participation in the European Capital of Culture, likening it to a river of creation.

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VIII Strategy for citizen involvement and communication “Cities are made up of many things: memories, desires, signs of language; they are places of trading, which is what all the books on economics say, but the trading is not just of goods, there is also a trading of words, desires, memories”. Italo Calvino. Invisible cities.

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ne of the main criteria for designating a European Capital of Culture, as set out by the European Union, is the participation of ordinary people in terms of awakening the interest and enthusiasm of the wider populace.

The strategy for civic involvement and communications is accordingly a key part of the action plan for Córdoba bid.

Since 2004, the Córdoba bid has embarked upon a series of steps aimed at informing and raising awareness among local people regarding the Córdoba 2016 project. These steps include:

To communicate with the aim of raising awareness and sharing, to inculcate a general sense of ownership, to generate enthusiasm and awaken feelings of pride and belonging at a local level and, above all, at a European level… this in itself constitutes quite a challenge. If we manage this we shall undoubtedly open doors to further success. Involving the people of Córdoba will provide a source of energy and vitality that will pervade all aspects of the Córdoba 2016 project – and the reason we can be so sure is that the results already obtained from the participatory experiences celebrated to date prove it.

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The European Capital of Culture project, with its inherent tendency to cut across cultural boundaries, inevitably impacts other spheres: economic, social, tourist and political. It requires a great deal of hard work, with several years of preparation for the bid, the pre-selection process, four years of work once selected, one year of celebrations and another devoted to closure. In terms of involving the population at large, this represents a considerable challenge.

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The creation of a corporate logo for the bid.

The use of this logo on all Córdoba City Council’s official documentation.

The use of public transport as a means of disseminating the bid and enhancing its visibility, and the use of the logo in documentation related to cultural activities.

The creation of a website (www.cordoba2016.es).

The collection of endorsements both from the general public and from prominent figures.

The creation and development of educational units aimed at primary and secondary students, working in collaboration with teachers.

The organisation of a series of presentations, lectures and seminars in Córdoba involving people with responsibility for cities that either have been, or aspire to be, European Capitals of Culture, with the purpose of establishing channels of cooperation and exchanging and contrasting good practice. The following cities have taken part: Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Helsinki (Finland), Mons (France), Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Salamanca (Spain), Essen-Ruhr (Germany) and Bruges (Belgium).

After this first phase of dissemination, the percentage of the population reporting awareness of Córdoba’s ambition to become the 2016 European Capital of Culture reached 93%, while 64.3% stated that they supported the bid. A month before the official presentation seemed to be the right time for an in-depth assessment of the degree of knowledge and approval on the part of the public1. The results have been more than satisfactory. Here are some of the findings from the most recent opinion poll and some comparisons with the poll carried out in 2008:2 · ·

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97.2% of respondents know that Córdoba is presenting its bid for 2016.

The most well-known activities organised in support of the bid are: the Courtyards Festival (84.5%), the White Night of Flamenco (77.9%), the International Guitar Festival (70.4%), and Cosmopoética (50.6%).

Attendance at, or participation in, any one of the cultural activities connected to the bid has risen by 3.5% compared to 2008, and has now reached 70.2%.

The positive assessment of the activities on the part of the participants or attendees has climbed to 92.1%.

Observatorio de conocimiento y valoración sobre el proyecto de la Capitalidad Cultural Córdoba 2016. Instituto de Investigación Global 3E Consultoría Estratégica. Córdoba, May 2010

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Observatorio de conocimiento y valoración sobre el proyecto Córdoba 2016. MB Global. Córdoba, September 2008

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Compared to 2008, the number of respondents claiming to identify with the ECoC project to a fair or large extent has risen by 10.6%.

Respondents award the management and presentation of the bid project to date an average score of 6.77, 0.85 points above the average score in 2008.

The average score for the degree of confidence in Córdoba being designated 2016 European Capital of Culture is 7.31, almost half a point above the average score in 2008.

Running in parallel to efforts to encourage participation and a sense of inclusion, the communication and marketing strategy has been one of the main strands of Córdoba’s bid. This strategy is based not only on communicating a series of cultural activities, with varying results and degrees of success, but also on the ambition to create a new model of the city in which it is permanently wedded to culture in a participative and sustainable way.

This chapter lays out the communications plan to be implemented for Córdoba 2016, which aims to make use of all the tools available and, above all, those linked to new technologies. However, the rapid development of this sector suggests the importance of erring on the side of caution: new formats and media will undoubtedly emerge in the years to come and offer even more possibilities for involvement and communication.

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n Córdoba – and indeed throughout the southern Mediterranean – the concept of the fiesta is deeply rooted in the popular imagination and is intimately connected to the idea of celebrating, sharing, communicating and taking part in something. Many of the fiestas are anchored in tradition, and most are connected, in one way or another, to religious celebrations. The natural backdrop is the city itself; its avenues, streets and squares reflect the socio-cultural expression mutually shared, felt and enjoyed by the citizens of Córdoba.

Religious festivals such as Easter, as well as popular fiestas such as the Crosses, the Courtyards (“Patios”) and the Nuestra Señora de la Salud Fair in May, not only bring together thousands of residents and visitors but also represent an extraordinary collective effort of preparation, organisation and participation rarely to be found elsewhere.

With the aim of promoting and raising public awareness of Córdoba’s bid for the European Capital of Culture, a series of projects and cultural activities have been carried out that specifically encourage public participation.

Perhaps the most positive consequence of this has been a movement towards a certain model of the city in which artistic expression is geared towards distinct sections of the community. The effect has been to bring new networks to light, based predominantly on a philosophy of openness and with public space as the principal ingredient. This is a public space where digital networks thrive, the most important place for creation and communication for such groups.

The following programmes are especially worth emphasising in terms of the degree of public participation and inclusion already achieved: ·

Cultural events such as the White Night of Flamenco have succeeded in getting people to turn out in their multitudes (260,000 attended the third edition of the festival in 2010). Thronging squares, streets, gardens, parks and a host of public spaces, they have flocked to see live flamenco performances and soak up flamenco culture. This would not be possible without the commitment and support of a vast array of associations and bodies in the production, management and development, from the Flamenco Artist’s Association and all the flamenco groups in Córdoba and the rest of the province, to the active participation of neighbourhood associations, the local Association of Hotel and Catering Companies (Hostecor), the “Rafael Orozco” School of Music, the Association of Brotherhoods, dance academies, music schools etc. All this creates a social and participative network and brings the city – which forms the backdrop to the event – closer to residents and visitors than ever before.

Volunteers preparing to celebrate the Europe Day Festival

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The participatory dimension of Cosmopoetica is also worth highlighting, since participation is one of the keys to its success and the reason it won the National Prize for the Promotion of Reading in 2009. The real protagonists of this poetry festival are members of the public themselves: they take part in poetry workshops, composing poems that are subsequently published and exhibited, organising activities that are incorporated into the programme, displaying verses on their windows and balconies or debating about poetry and literature with invited authors. There is always space in the programme for local poets and writers who, together with nationally renowned authors, form a key part of the festival, while a host of cultural associations implement proposals they themselves have designed. Special attention is paid to minorities, with events organised by immigrants, disabled people, youth groups and so on.

In keeping with this type of programming aimed at fostering public participation, the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation has been organising since 2009 a range of cultural projects with two well-defined objectives: meeting and responding to the challenge of citizens wanting to participate in the bid; and incorporating the festive spirit into the European Capital of Culture as a way of recognising popular support. Success has been universally overwhelming. The willingness of the people of Córdoba to actively take part in projects is beyond question.

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The City as Stage: 4 cultures + 4 elements = 4 public art interventions in urban spaces (July-October 2009): This project served as a test case for measuring the strength of volunteers’ goodwill, because one of the performances was a collective sculpture (the artist calls them ‘social sculptures’) by MUMA, which called for the collaboration of 250 volunteers. Working with the artist and under his coordination, the volunteers would place and light 20,000 candles in Capuchinos Square. Just ten days after the call for volunteers went out the response was extraordinary: more than 300 volunteers of all ages attended a meeting and subsequently participated with great enthusiasm in the creation of this singular collective work of art, simultaneously supporting the Córdoba 2016 project.

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16 Icons for 2016 competition (September-November 2009): The aim of this initiative was to open a window for local creators to enable them to reflect, via their own suggestions, upon the values that inspire the bid and its connection with the values that make up Córdoba’s imaginative space. No fewer than 106 proposals were submitted, a number that attests to the willingness of young Córdoba artists to become part of and shape the definition of the bid through the creation of new contemporary symbols for the city.

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The Sky Within My House. Contemporary Art in the Courtyards of Córdoba (October 22-November 29, 2009):

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Europe Festival: Córdoba Dresses in Blue (8 and 9 May, 2010): Similarly, the bid has fostered a spirit of participation through events such as the Europe Day Festival. A total of 53 cultural activities, organised by 75 associations and neighbourhood groups, were held throughout the city, bringing culture to residents’ very doorsteps and making citizens themselves the protagonists.

This international contemporary art exhibition held in the courtyards of Córdoba provided another clear instance of resident participation. 16 courtyards were involved, eight in private hands and the other eight in public ownership. The public institutions showed their support from the outset, as did the owners of the private courtyards, who offered their houses to host and exhibit contemporary works of art in an extraordinary gesture of generosity, effectively putting their own dwellings at the disposal of Córdoba 2016.

The rationale of the project was to invite the entire city to celebrate Europe Day, while at the same time trying to ensure the greatest possible degree of participation from institutions and citizens. It was put together for and by local people, as it was they themselves who proposed the activities and thronged the streets dressed in blue. The whole of Córdoba wore the colour of Europe.

This important and internationally-acclaimed exhibition would not have been possible without the commitment of the two associations of courtyard owners (Asociación de Amigos de los Patios Cordobeses and Asociación de Patios Cordobeses Claveles y Gitanillas), the Andalusian Regional Council (Córdoba Archaeological and Ethnological Museum, Córdoba Museum of Fine Arts), the University of Córdoba (Faculty of Arts), Córdoba City Council (Córdoba Municipal Archive, Julio Romero de Torres Museum), CajaSur (Viana Palace), the Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment (IMDEEC) and the courtyard owners Rafael Barón, Manuel Cachinero, Blanca Ciudad, Luisa María García, Araceli López, María Isabel Navajas and Julia Sesma.

The project started at 20:16 on 8th May, when a choir of students comprising 60 voices and accompanied by the Youth Orchestra of the “Rafael Orozco” School of Music sang and played the European hymn in Tendillas Square. Ambassadors and diplomatic representatives in Spain of 12 of the 27 EU states plus representatives from local and regional authorities and news media were in attendance.

Following this performance, a wide programme of recreational and artistic activities was held simultaneously in 14 venues, covering all the city’s districts.

Public participation took different forms:

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People decorated their balconies with blue flags in support of Córdoba 2016 and took to the streets to enjoy the festivities dressed in blue.

Public institutions and private companies lent their support and presence.

All the schools in the city took part.

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The various departments of Córdoba City Council, especially the Citizen Participation Department, acted as catalysts and coordinated the participation of the residents across the entire city. · Córdoba’s many community societies and associations were collectively the main star of the project. More than 60 came up with their own proposals and filled the city with activities intended for all audiences: concerts, choral events, exhibitions, collective projects, debates, parades, games and so on. · Youth groups. · Córdoba 2016 volunteers.

This marks a shift from a project conceived as enabling participation to a project belonging to the people, one that is inherently participatory. This confirms the positive results stemming from the initial strategy of building a bid project that simultaneously runs top-down and bottom-up. The idea has been to give Córdoba 2016 a presence in every shop, office, home and restaurant in the city. On some occasions, such as the decision to decorate the Córdoba May Fair with the colours of Córdoba 2016 – blue and yellow – this has been a deliberate intervention. On other occasions, it has relied on a partnership with the people of Córdoba.

As a way of highlighting the many events and performances held by the various neighbourhoods in Córdoba to celebrate the Europe Day Festival, an exhibition entitled Citizenship and Cultural Capital: In Córdoba we all create culture! was arranged. On 26 June, in one of the main thoroughfares of the city, the cultural and artistic output of the festival was displayed in photographs, together with a sample of some of the works concerned. The event was supplemented by the distribution of information regarding the Córdoba 2016 project, performances of music, shows for children and workshops.

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Cultural projects for young people

Many specific cultural projects targeting young people have used the bid as their springboard, working in collaboration with the Youth Department and the Mayor’s Office of Córdoba City Council.

The Youth Department has been carrying out initiatives aimed at encouraging creativity among young people, through innovative schemes such as the 24-student Rehearsal Courses, for which the former premises of the Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment (IMDEEC) will be turned into rehearsal rooms for young musicians or aspiring actors wanting to rehearse; basic training will also be provided in other fields.

Meanwhile the Mayor’s Office is planning to implement a new project under the name of Circular. This features a 1957 Douglas DC-7 aeroplane, 36 metres long and weighing 33,000 Kg, which has been converted into a cultural vehicle. The programme of events will be drawn up by the young local and European artists in collaboration with local cultural groups with the aim of promoting the work of young emerging artists. It underscores a firm commitment to contemporary art and has the twin themes of accessibility and sustainability running all the way through it.

The ideals inspiring this project are: 1 Eclecticism, creative freedom and the free exchange of ideas. It is envisaged that in this regard it will be a magnificent platform enabling young European artists to exchange their creative ideas and experiences.

2 The promotion of culture among young people as a recreational and leisure choice.

3 Respect for the environment by recycling waste material, using it in productions and promoting healthy habits and lifestyles.

Numerous local institutions do a superb job in keeping with these efforts, and offer a wide range of assistance to youthful creativity that over the last decade has paid real dividends. A clear example of this is the Antonio Gala Foundation, which for over eight years has been awarding residency grants to young creators from various backgrounds. For its part the Rafael Botí Foundation has been awarding sculpture grants to young artists born or living in the city or province of Córdoba for 15 years, as well as giving significant economic support to the creative projects of local artists regardless of age.

The city council has also contributed with the Córdoba Fine Arts Grant, an important award in financial terms and linked originally to the Ángel Prizes for painting, as well as providing a powerful boost to Andalusian creators through the Andalusia Regional Council’s Iniciarte programme. Taken together, and despite the effects of the economic crisis, they constitute an important set of initiatives that have helped to support the work of emerging artists.

Work by Jesús Zurita (detail), Calle Oficios. Rafael Botí Fine Arts Biennial, 2008 Encuentros 09 workshop. Public Domain, by Roger Bernant

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Sport and the European Capital of Culture

Since 2004 the Municipal Sports Institute (IMD) has carried out programmes in support of Córdoba’s bid to be European Capital of Culture. This organisation immediately embarked upon an internal process of distribution of responsibilities and consciousness-raising, with the aim of subsequently demonstrating the importance of securing the designation. Sport is thus seen as a crucial means for transmitting the bid’s European values to the population at large. To this end, since 2003 the Municipal Institute of Sport has incorporated the Córdoba 2016 logo into all its advertising and media-related activities as a clear symbol of its support for the bid.

These efforts have borne fruit. They have succeeded in convincing the city’s leading sports figures to unanimously take on board the idea that Córdoba is capable of taking the project forward with distinction. Evidence for this support is conspicuous in the way many clubs have incorporated ‘Córdoba 2016’ into their own names and teams, particularly in sports such as basketball, handball, badminton, athletics and swimming.

The biggest football team in the city, Córdoba FC, which plays in the Spanish Second Division, has signed up to the Córdoba 2016 project in support of the bid.

All these teams act as ambassadors for the city and help to promote the bid elsewhere, at national and international sport events and competitions.

Córdoba Half-Marathon World long-jump champion Niurka Montalvo taking part in an exhibition opposite the Roman Bridge

The vast majority of sporting events held in the past few years have carried the Córdoba 2016 name and logo.

These include the International Padel Tennis Tournament, the Spanish Duathlon, the ATP Open Tennis Tournament, the Spanish National Football Tournament, a mountaineering expedition to Everest and an underwater round the world challenge. The most important and high-profile sports figures from Córdoba have taken part in national and international competitions using the Córdoba 2016 emblem on their sportswear and equipment; and have gone to the lengths of proselytising on behalf of the project at various public events they have attended, thus becoming ambassadors for Córdoba’s bid.

All these elements of Córdoba’s sports scene support the bid, emphasise its importance and win a multitude of endorsements through the many competitions, tournaments and championships held in Córdoba.

The city is fortunate in having an ample sports infrastructure, significant organisational capacity and an established network of associated bodies. Sport is practiced in all of Córdoba’s neighbourhoods and districts; the city hosts national and international events with all the concomitant undertakings, and nurtures high-profile sportsmen and women from a range of sporting disciplines.

Córdoban sportsmen and women thus transmit the values of solidarity, team-spirit, tolerance and self-sacrifice intrinsic to all sports, and foster values of participation, citizenship and self-development in younger generations. These are values that in turn underpin Córdoba’s bid, and are amply supported and exemplified in the world of sport.

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The Córdoba 2016 Endorsement Programme

Sport is undoubtedly an important part of the driving force for development when it comes to promoting the bid in all spheres of the city and beyond; the decision therefore by the executive committee of the European University Sports Association to make the University of Córdoba the venue for the 1st European University Championships, taking place in the city between 13 and 21 July 2012, is an extremely important one.

This event will be based on the model of the Universiade, or World Student Games, and will bring together over 3,000 university sportsmen and women. Representing their universities, they will compete in men’s eleven-a-side football, women’s seven-a-side football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s handball, men’s and women’s seven-a-side rugby, men’s and women’s beach volleyball, men’s and women’s table tennis, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s badminton, and men’s and women’s five-a-side football.

Córdoba is thus set to become the capital of European university sport for ten days by dint of an event that will moreover serve to strengthen ties between the continent’s young people and give a further boost to the Córdoba 2016 campaign.

From the moment the city’s Cultural Capital Office opened in 2003, its managers were clear that the most important asset of the bid process would be the direct involvement of Córdoba’s citizens. So an endorsement programme was put in place in which everybody could take part. From ordinary citizens to Nobel prizewinners; from local bodies to European foundations; universities, city councils, companies and associations – slowly but surely, the list of supporters endorsing the bid has steadily grown, and can be consulted at www. cordoba2016.es.

The Endorsement Programme is one of the most visible mechanisms for supporting Córdoba 2016. Its main virtue is that it involves a voluntary act of goodwill, easy to do, but transcending the local. By 22 June 2010, Córdoba’s bid had attracted over 133.929 completely identifiable and registered endorsements. They include endorsements from renowned figures representing all branches of knowledge, all cultures and from throughout the world. The city has received the explicit support of scientists, musicians, men and women of letters, novelists, essayists, humanists, philosophers, poets and princes. And, above all, the support of thousands of ordinary citizens who cherish the city of Córdoba either as home or a place to visit, and value the bid.

The website, the endorsement literature, social networks and word of mouth have all given voice to a groundswell of support for Córdoba and its bid; the affection that many throughout the world feel for Córdoba, its history and its people has done the rest.

Collecting endorsements at the Córdoba Stand, FITUR 2010

Most of the prominent supporters have given their endorsement after discovering at first hand the particular nature of Córdoba’s bid. An awareness of what Córdoba has meant over time in the construction of Europe, its tendency to unify civilizations and different cultures and its role as bridge between West and East no doubt all had a bearing on their decisions, but other factors would have weighed with them.

They also cherish the Córdoba of the here-and-now, its potential for the future and the importance cultural gestures of all types are accorded in the construction of the city. In fact, many of these figures have come on board after visiting the city and participating in a cultural project with international scope.

Among the large number of people supporting the Córdoba 2016 project certain names stand out: from the world of literature, writers such as Nobel prize-winners Seamus Heaney, Derek Walcott and Dario Fo; poets of the stature of the late Ángel González (winner of the Príncipe de Asturias prize, Cervantes Prize winners Juan Gelman and Antonio Gamoneda, as well as the president of the Jorge Luis Borges Foundation, María Kodama.

The film and theatre worlds also show their support.

Among a great number of endorsements, the names of Pedro and Agustín Almodóvar, Nuria Espert, Arthur Penn, Pilar Bardem, Vicente Aranda, Icíar Bollaín, and José Luis Garci stand out, and many other directors, actors and producers have also voiced their support.

The world of music has also found its place in the project. Local musicians, such as the entire Orchestra of Córdoba, as well as prominent national and international musicians of the calibre of Joan Manuel Serrat, Bob Dylan, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Zubin Mehta, Leo Brouwer, Tomás Marco, Gilberto Gil, Lorenzo Palomo, Silvio Rodríguez, Ainhoa Arteta, Joaquín Sabina, Paco de Lucía, Enrique y Estrella Morente, Manolo Sanlúcar and many more have lent their support.

From the art world, messages of support have arrived from the painter Miquel Barceló, the curators María Corral, Juan Manuel Bonet and Gerardo Mosquera,and the ballet dancer and choreographer Josef Nadj.

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Figures from other creative, academic and political spheres have endorsed the bid by Córdoba in the past few years: Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Nobel prize-winner Rigoberta Menchú, Rem Koolhaas, Shlomo BenAmi and Sami Naïr to name but a few.

The press and media are meanwhile represented by such names as Gemma Nierga, Juan Luis Cebrián, Ana Rosa Quintana or Fernando González Urbaneja.

These are just a small sample of all those who have lent their endorsement to Córdoba 2016.

Institutional supporters include the Príncipe de Asturias Foundation and the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Other institutions such as the Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Organisations (CEOE), the Higher Council of Architects of Spain, the General Society of Authors and Publishers of Spain (SGAE) and the Andalusian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FAMP) have all followed suit, as have various associations, companies and sports clubs.

Famous sons and daughters of Córdoba, whether by birth or adoption, have also lent their support and become goodwill ambassadors for the city and its bid.

This list, although not comprehensive, includes: Miguel Ángel Moratinos (politician and diplomat), Antonio Gala (writer), Pablo García Baena (poet), Vicente Amigo (musician), Fosforito and El Pele (both outstanding flamenco singers), Manuel Concha (cardiovascular surgeon), Miguel Valcárcel (researcher), Carlos Castilla del Pino (psychiatrist), Equipo 57 (Spanish art collective), Elio Berhanyer (fashion designer), Ginés Liébana (painter and writer), Juana Martín (fashion designer), Juana Castro (poet), Manuel Benítez El Cordobés (bullfighter), Juan Serrano Finito de Córdoba (bullfighter), Joaquín Cortés (dancer), Josefina Molina (film director), Felipe Reyes (sportsman), Rafael Álvarez El Brujo (actor), Pablo García Casado (poet), Joaquín Pérez Azaústre (writer), Elena Medel (poet and cultural manager), José Daniel García (poet), Salvador Gutiérrez Solís (novelist), Vicente Luis Mora (writer), Tico Medina (journalist), Gerardo Olivares (filmmaker), Fernando Tejero (actor), Paco Peña and Merengue de Córdoba (flamenco guitarists) and many more.

But exceeding the institutions and prominent figures from the world of culture – in number if not in fame – are the thousands of ordinary men and women who see Córdoba as a worthy recipient of the honour of being a European Capital of Culture in the twenty-first century; a century in which, more than any that has gone before, it is the people who build civilisations. They provide another 133.929 reasons for the ECoC bid. Support of this kind is the best that any city can hope for: from people near and far who share a real belief in our bid.

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Group of volunteers at the offices of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation

The Córdoba 2016 Volunteer Programme

The city of Córdoba has over 45,000 people registered with the Andalusian Registry of Volunteers, which represents over 13% of the citizens, another fact attesting to the participatory and supportive culture of the people of Córdoba.

The 2016 Volunteer Programme takes its place within a much broader context of citizen involvement. The principle of popular participation has constituted a key element of this bid from the outset, and volunteering, insofar as it is considered a task founded on free, responsible and altruistic commitment on the part of the volunteers, without any personal obligation or monetary compensation, is no exception.

Since 2009 there has been a recruitment process and a series of activities involving volunteers that have served as a training exercise in the event of Córdoba’s bid being successful. The ultimate goal is to assemble a stable team of volunteers committed to the bid and capable of meeting the challenges of the EcoC head-on.

An application form has been designed for recruitment, which can be accessed and sent via the website as well as at many of the city’s private and public buildings.

The main aim of the Programme is to tap into the widespread goodwill and the desire to play an active part in achieving the designation, instilling a sense of civic pride, fostering social cohesion and improving communication channels between the cultural figures and the people of Córdoba.

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In order to fulfil these aims, the 2016 Volunteer Programme is based on the following elements: 1 Careful consideration in advance regarding the task of volunteers: number of volunteers; time; dedication; working hours; responsibilities; profiles.

2 Planning: profiles of the people needed; timetables of activities; a volunteer registration card; a commitment form; ‘welcome’ material; basic training material.

3 Recruitment: website form; bulletins; word of mouth; social networks; University links.

4 Incorporation and reception: specific duties and placement; delivery of material; team introductions; rosters.

5 Motivation and recognition: training meetings and shared activities; photos and videos; personal appreciation; communication of results.

In order to establish the various volunteer profiles, the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation is collaborating closely with the Citizen Participation Department of Córdoba City Council. This department boasts technical staff specialising in socio-cultural development who work in direct and permanent contact with a range of civic groups via municipal teams distributed throughout the city’s neighbourhoods.

The first step was to create, in partnership with these professionals, the 2016 Córdoba Mobilisation Committee, made up of specialists directly involved in the initiatives and activities related to the bid. Among their duties are those of fostering, stimulating and channelling the willingness to participate in the project.

Next, a unique volunteering structure was created which brings together various levels of involvement and unites diverse sections of the community. The following volunteer categories have been established, reflecting each volunteer’s degree of individual commitment: ·

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Córdoba 2016 Cultural Activists. These are Córdoba people who, having signed the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation register of volunteers, have been chosen to collaborate actively in all the cultural projects the Foundation organises and deems appropriate. Other duties are to inform and canvass the general public regarding the 2016 European Capital of Culture and act as conduits for the project, for which they will receive suitable training.

Córdoba 2016 Averroes Volunteers. These are Córdoba people who have signed the register of volunteers but do not form part of the group above.

Their chief mission will be to provide specific and prompt support to the cultural activities organised by the Foundation and implemented by the Córdoba 2016 Cultural Activists.

Córdoba 2016 Maimónides Volunteers. The University Foundation for the Development of Córdoba Province (Fundecor) has encouraged students at the University of Córdoba to sign up with the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation’s register of volunteers.

The university volunteers will promote cultural activities related to the European Capital of Culture among primary and secondary school students.

The Volunteer Programme is already reaping dividends, proof of which is the enthusiastic involvement of volunteers in a host of events organised to date, as well as the growth in the number of volunteers, which now totals 182 as at 22 June 2010.

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he marketing and communications strategy constitutes one of the main pillars of Córdoba’s bid in this information age. It follows that communication must be integrated into all parts of the ECoC project management. We are dealing with nothing less than forming a vision of the city, in other words a commitment to the future, and subsequently communicating this vision to the people via all means available.

The attainment of the 2016 European Capital of Culture is linked to a new concept of the city and its socio-economic development, one that has culture as its central axis. The public communication of this phenomenon inevitably relies on the concepts of ‘city marketing’ and ‘country branding’, both related to the strategies that cities put into practice to seduce inhabitants and visitors alike, allowing them to compete with other cities.

This process can give rise to a magnetic effect, attracting people and resources that end up reinforcing local structures and providing a better quality of life for the city’s residents. Córdoba intends to use the visibility provided by this opportunity to reap long-term benefits.

One of the basic principles of corporate communication is the concept of universal communication. This entails strategically considering all communication tools and organising them into a single and coherent programme.

It is therefore of great importance that the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, as the central body, should express itself with a single voice, a single image and an unambiguous discourse on a diversity of affairs. This is essential if the message is to be transmitted without distortion.

A range of communications tools and instruments will be used in a balanced manner, appropriate to the various channels and media as well as the different groups of users we are trying to reach. It is necessary to bear in mind that channels of communication are now enormously diverse, and this has brought a fragmentation of the audience.

In fact, communications management nowadays has developed its own tools. The booms in information and communication technologies, accompanied by the emergence and unstoppable rise of the Internet, social networks and digital environments have created new channels, forms and users, as well as revolutionising communications strategies. These phenomena will of course be integral parts of the Córdoba 2016 communications policy, with a significant commitment to all the new technologies available. The Digital Córdoba project was set up to undertake an exhaustive exploration of the available technological channels that can be recruited to promote the project.

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Goals of the communication strategy:

This requires an analysis of the type of message, its extent and nature to ensure an appropriate use of all channels and media. Something as vast as the European Capital of Culture, which ranges from relatively mainstream content and messages to a significant degree of specialisation, encompassing interests that at times have only a tangential connection to the cultural programme (such as tourism), entails that no medium can be ignored, whether traditional or pioneering.

It is not a matter of establishing a temporary hierarchy between these strands, but rather achieving a mix of balanced development. We recognise that our communications project has to tackle the necessity of communicating a single large event with unique characteristics and dimensions, which simultaneously consists of multiple events of manifold sizes and natures. Meanwhile, the event is preceded by a situation that also requires communication and is in itself a priority: the European dimension of the ECoC and its manifestation in Córdoba.

Communciations strategy in social networks Press conference at the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation

To reposition Córdoba in the landscape of consciousness, so that it is perceived both inside and outside Spain as a dynamic city with a vibrant cultural life. · To re-launch the city’s profile from a European standpoint and achieve international recognition. · To change the way citizens see their own city, enhancing self-confidence, sense of identity and civic pride. · To promote the city as a cultural destination on a national and international scale, especially within the European Union. · To persuade the local public to join in with the cultural activities, especially sections of the population that are usually excluded or difficult to access. ·

To succeed in these important challenges, we are lucky enough to have a pre-existing framework: the idea of Córdoba derived from history, which allows the construction of a new identity, for locals as much as for Europe and the rest of the world, built on the foundations of an immensely rich historical and cultural legacy. This is the essence of the slogan carried by the bid’s formal letter of presentation: Córdoba, Europe: The future has roots.

The marketing and communications strategy presented here has been implicit in most of the work carried out since 2002 and, in a systematic way, since the creation of the Cultural Capital Office and the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation. It goes without saying that the strategy will step up a gear from the moment the designation is conferred, and will be developed during the four years preceding the year, emphatically intensifying in 2015. We are aware that this preliminary period is the key to success regarding ECoC communication.

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General principles of the marketing and communication strategy

In the period immediately following the designation of Córdoba, the media strategy, above all locally, will centre mainly on the management of expectations, with a view to highlighting the continuity of the process and ensuring that the enthusiasm of local people and the thrust of the project itself do not wane after designation. The development phase is a critical and difficult moment for any European Capital of Culture, since it is at this point that promises have to be turned into tangible realities.

At a European and broader international level, this bid entails a series of activities to be carried out between 2012 and 2015 (see chapter VI), which will place a special emphasis on reinforcing the city’s visibility and perception, assuming it is chosen. It is a strategy of global reach that consists in devoting each of the years, from the time of designation up to 2016, to a different continent, in such a way that between 2012 and 2015 the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania will be honoured, while 2016, year of the European Capital of Culture, will be dedicated to Europe itself.

The programming of proposals and activities from each continent will be complemented by a range of institutional interventions and arrangements tending to establish the contacts and partnerships needed for appropriate communication and diseemination of Córdoba as ECoC in 2016. National organisations and institutional, cultural and economic representatives of the continents in question will thus be invited to discover the city and, at the same time, presentations will be held in each of the continents with the aim of promoting and publicising the Córdoba 2016 project and its values.

We believe that these activities will serve as useful preparation for the communications tools to be used in 2016 and as a way bringing up to speed those who will carry out most of the work during the year itself, when the programme of events will be at its most intense.

We also recognise that the preparation itself will generate a significant demand for information. For at least two years prior to 2016 the audience will be kept informed about what to expect. This will require a specific communications set-up dedicated to serving the media from 2015 onwards.

We also recognise that the preparation itself will generate a significant demand for information. For at least two years prior to 2016 the audience will be kept informed about what to expect. This will require a specific communications set-up dedicated to serving the media from 2015 onwards.

To cater to the needs of journalists who arrive to once the European Capital of Culture year has passed the marketing and communications apparatus should ideally be kept going until at least the end of the first half of 2017. This would reinforce the results obtained from the events in terms of image and communication. A report will be drawn up with the purpose of recording the work carried out and the impact achieved by the project.

1 The communications policy will operate in three spheres simultaneously:

Other tools of dissemination that will be used at a local and regional level include the website (www.cordoba2016.es), press releases, advertisements in local and regional media, printed materials and outdoor advertising. The website is fully translated into three languages (Spanish, English and Polish). The bid has set out to recover the .com and .eu domains with the aim of constructing a definitive version of the ECoC portal.

a The local and regional sphere Clearly, close collaboration with local and regional media is essential in order to underpin the project, achieve widespread popular involvement as well as obtain a high level of awareness among ordinary people regarding what the European Capital of Culture entails.

Running alongside this, a municipal television channel, TVM, is seen as a useful tool for broadcasting via digital terrestrial television and coming under the remit of the Institutional Relations Department. With the infrastructure already available, the channel could provide both information to the local audience as well as furnishing images for other media. A partnership agreement with the public sector Radio Televisión de Andalucía will also be necessary. This has two mainstream free-to-air television channels, several international channels as well as three radio stations: Canal Sur Radio, Andalucía Información and Canal Fiesta Radio.

Three local newspapers (Diario Córdoba, El Día de Córdoba and ABC Córdoba) are strongly involved in the bid and since 2009 have been members of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation as “collaborating bodies”, ensuring that relations with these media organisations are very fluid, as indeed they are with television, radio and digital broadcasting companies.

One level of information dissemination will be the city of Córdoba in general, which will help to ensure the sustainability of the messages beyond EcoC year. In the local arena, we believe that a key part of promotion lies in supporting small cultural operators to help them in promoting their own events within the context of the European Capital of Culture. It is an essential strategy to ensure that cultural promoters, audiences and news media receive a single, clear and consistent message, thus avoiding the multitude of messages that lead to audience confusion.

b The national sphere Establishing collaboration agreements with large national media groups is especially important, since many of them have interests in both press and broadcast media. They include Prisa (El País, Canal Plus, Cadena SER), Vocento (ABC, El Semanal) Radio Televisión Española (RTVE) and Unidad Editorial (El Mundo, VEO TV).

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Key aspects of the communication plan

Nor should we forget the important role of news agencies, circulating information to hundreds of media companies and subscribers throughout the world. We are working on a collaboration agreement with Agencia EFE, the foremost international Spanish-language news agency and one of the most important in the world, for the dissemination of news in print and broadcast media at a national and international level, but, above all, at a European level.

As a means of raising awareness at a national level, the bid envisages the development of the AVE Córdoba project, which is aimed both at local people and at visitors from other Spanish cities that form part of the high speed train network. An information desk will be sited in all the relevant stations publicising Córdoba 2016 and its cultural programme, while live events will be broadcast. It amounts to a cutting edge advertising campaign that will roll out from 2015 onwards to help spread the message of Córdoba’s status as European Capital of Culture to a wide audience, assuming the city is chosen. The visual identity that is currently used will be renewed by means of an open competition for designers. It is planned to exhibit the results, at least partially, in the preparatory activities between 2011 and 2015.

c The European and international sphere Here the city should aspire to the driving seat, rather than settling for a secondary role of mere spectator or marginal actor.

To this end it will be essential to run marketing campaigns that promote the city and its cultural programme to visitors and tourists, placing special emphasis on those activities that underline the European dimension of the project and events that cross national boundaries.

In order to enhance the European visibility of the campaign, we plan to create a European network of ambassadors for Córdoba 2016 comprising journalists from the 27 member states of the European Union, who will be charged with the task of transmitting information about Córdoba and its cultural programme in their respective countries.

Press trips are also planned for groups of European and international journalists with the aim of deepening their understanding of the area and encouraging them to experience its many charms.

Presentations and exhibitions in foreign cities (such as at international tourism fairs), receptions of international missions, advertising campaigns on international television stations and websites, articles in international publications and the distribution of printed materials are all being considered. The plan is to focus efforts especially on cities that will host the European Capital of Culture between 2011 and 2015, to reap the benefits of synergy with the communication campaigns of the cities already designated.

Most of the work will be carried out from the Communications and Participation Office of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation or from the body that is finally responsible for the planning and implementation of the activities. This by no means rules out the idea of contracting a communications and public relations agency with European scope. Such an agency will help us to publicise the European Capital of Culture in a more efficient way both at a national and international level, by providing the necessary expertise and, above all, facilitating access to national and international media that otherwise would be much more difficult to reach.

Avoiding conflicts between promotional campaigns operating on different levels and initiated by different teams, and to achieve the highest level of coordination, will require fluid and transparent communication. Feedback must travel in a bottom-up direction, in such a way that the national and international campaigns are connected and redesigned in accordance with what is happening on the ground in Córdoba, taking into account the opinions of both residents and visitors.

2 Dissemination of the information will take place on two levels:

a Communication regarding the Córdoba 2016 project in general, with the aim of raising awareness of the city’s nomination as well as the most important proposals and activities. b Communication and promotion of activities included in the European Capital of Culture programme. The tools used will include the website, social networks, press, radio, television and media campaigns, publications and billboards and posters.

3 A segmented strategy will be implemented and various communication channels used to reach different target audiences:

a The general audience (local, regional, national, European and international). b Regular spectators and consumers of cultural activities, estimated to be around 5-10% of the population at large (local, regional, national, European and international). c Groups meriting special attention: children, the elderly, women, groups at risk of social exclusion and the disabled. With respect to this last group, the organization plans to integrate within its communications strategy, in collaboration with associations that work in this field, elements that permit the inclusion of disabled people in the information process and subsequent enjoyment of the programmed activities. d Cultural organizations and creators who, due to the participatory nature of Córdoba 2016, will be included within the internal communications process.

1 Firing the imagination of the general public and audiences Marketing and public relations techniques are fundamental tools for promoting greater participation and full acceptance of the ECoC project. Getting ordinary people involved is a two-way process. They and the community leaders who represent them need to be well-informed about the questions at issue, and the better informed they are the better they will be able to shape the proposals themselves.

In Córdoba’s case, the fruit of the policy of inclusion has been to generate a profound sense of goodwill towards the bid and a working method that has participation as its heart.

Inspiring audiences also involves strategies for influencing people’s opinions and interests and involving them in the world of culture, ensuring an active participation in an array of activities, while seeking to integrate special interest or marginalised groups that are harder to reach (children, the elderly, women, groups at risk of social exclusion, the disabled and so forth). The marketing and publicity campaign must be made especially broad and appealing, and be linked to an arts programme likely to ensure a high level of participation in ECoC year.

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Celebrating the Europe Day Festival

2 Acknowledging differences If the objective of communication is to reach people and make them participants in the performances and programmes included in the Córdoba 2016 project, differences between citizens have to be taken on board. Men or women, young or old, residents or visitors – they all need to have their interests considered and met. For this reason, the segmentation of different audiences is essential. Cities that excel at marketing themselves are those that understand the diversity of their citizens and turn that diversity to their advantage. The use of new information and communications technologies will be of immeasurable help in achieving our goal.

3 Institutional reinforcement One of the positive by-products of the bid process has been the reinforcement of lines of communication between the different administrative institutions in both the city and province of Córdoba. Cohesion between local cultural organisations has to be consolidated at internal institutional level (management and staff); this may be a force for greater integration in other spheres (employment, tourism, public services, etc.), helping to achieve objectives through the chanelling of information, the strengthening of values and practices, the construction of standards and symbols that identify this as the project for a shared city, all of which will foster closer relations with local people.

Similarly, coordinating the communications services of the institutions pertaining to the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation and affiliated institutions will represent an important step forward, ensuring a single and coherent message regarding the European Capital of Culture. A stable and permanent coordination committee will be created.

4 Shared objectives The aim is for the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation and people of Córdoba to build a shared vision of the future. This can only be done if both parties are willing and able to place their issue on the agenda of public opinion, so that local people and the ECoC organisers are involved in a feed-back loop which will undoubtedly enrich the project.

5 Strengthening the image and the positioning of the Córdoba 2016 project Any image is a projection of institutional identity, and its main aim should be to reach out more effectively to citizens at all levels, and especially in Europe. The bid has worked from the outset to improve the dissemination and awareness of the project among the people of Andalusia and Spain.

From the moment the designation is announced, this determination will be transferred to Europe and the rest of the world.

1 Communication and the Press One of the main tasks that a Press Office assumes nowadays is the creation of publicity, which is understood as the activity of obtaining unpaid editorial copy by creating or disseminating news in print and audiovisual media with the specific purpose of improving corporate image and recognition.

Events on a very large scale such as the European Capital of Culture attract the attention of news media due the rich and varied news stories being generated by such events, which in turn excite public interest.

Over the period prior to pre-selection, the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation is maintaining permanent contact with the local, regional and national media (press, radio, television and Internet) in order to circulate information of interest, thus ensuring that both local people and more distant audiences are kept abreast of developments. The following tools are used to this end: databases of cultural, entertainment and tourist media; placement of events in agendas and schedules; the preparation of press kits with multimedia support; press trips; press releases and press conferences.

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In time, the Press Office should aspire to become a channel of communication in itself. In order to ensure that Córdoba 2016 has a direct channel of communication with the citizens and with the visitors expected, the plan is to put out a weekly publication to be distributed free of charge during 2016, with a special issue to be released at the end of December 2015 and a summary of activities in January 2017.

The same publication will be offered in electronic format, to be sent to local subscribers as a weekly email. This publication will also be accessible through www.cordoba2016.es.

Other important possibilities are dedicated radio stations (see the Radio Collage project in chapter VII) and a web-based television channel where the main events of the European Capital of Culture year could be broadcast and stored as a permanent database to be accessed subsequently through the website.

2 The Internet and digital communication Web applications and digital communication will be treated under the heading of a project named Digital Córdoba. At the pace that new information and communication technologies are developing, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly which will be the tools available to the European Capital of Culture in 2016.

Channels will almost certainly exist whose capacity and scope we are currently unaware of. We believe that the important thing is to adopt a working method that allows the incorporation of any future tool into the communications strategy.

At a time when users are taking possession of networks and the Internet – by socializing them – the traditional marketing and communications strategies and practices are breaking down and new ways of communicating with audiences need to be found.

Now a new type of marketing has appeared; more creative, more social, viral, one that integrates these new spaces and media: marketing 2.0.

New technologies mean that communication is no longer a one-way process between a transmitter and a receiver: the receivers themselves have become transmitters. Message feedback is a reality that cannot be ignored; Digital Córdoba has therefore been established as a fundamental part of our communications strategy.

This project will be based on the application of the following strategies:

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In the context of wanting to produce a closer relationship between the Córdoba 2016 project and its audience, in such a way that reciprocal and transparent communication allows collaboration with both residents and visitors, a presence in the 2.0 environment is essential.

One of the strengths of the 2.0 environment is its capacity to tailor messages to suit market segments – in this case, local residents, visitors and European citizens – and ensure a constant interaction of the campaign with the target audience; in this context, one of the challenges will be to find a way of making communication as personalised as possible.

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Design of an e-marketing plan: Study of the communication channels and the message, in order to ensure a digital project integrated into the project’s philosophy.

Sending communications. E-mail marketing: Generation of content and graphics (bulletins, newsletters and e-mails) adapted to the Internet, as well as personalised and mass mailing.

Marketing in search engines. SEO and SEM positioning: positioning strategies in search engines, whether naturally (SEO) or paying by means of contracting sponsored links through pay-perclick campaigns (SEM).

Viral Marketing campaigns: A powerful word-of mouth publicity tool based on the creation of relationships and contacts through people who contact or recommend us. Viral marketing works in several formats (e-mail, video and photography competitions, conventional advertising and so on), which always, however, share the aim of making an impact on the target audience.

Monthly management of on-line reputation: Online reputation involves the perceptions of Internet users of an organisation, product or service based upon experiences they have had, heard or shared. Through social networks and platforms, these opinions are capable of circulating at great speed, and continuously managing and monitoring reputation is a self-evidently important task.

Channels that already exist and can be optimised are:

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The website In late 2009, Córdoba 2016 launched its new website, maintaining the domain www.cordoba2016.es, and replacing the former website, which had been in operation since 2004. The new site has received over 100,000 visits in the last year.

The current website is divided into three large sections: Capital, European and Culture, in which the commitment of Córdoba 2016 is explored in its various aspects. It is accessible in three languages: Spanish, English and Polish (Polish because a Polish and a Spanish city will share the title of European Capital of Culture in 2016.

Córdoba 2016’s website is currently well positioned in the main search engines, which bodes well for Córdoba’s ECoC bid.

Part of the website is a Press Section, where material is constantly uploaded (announcements, press releases, press kits, press accreditations etc.) and access is simple and straightforward.

As an aid to time-pressed journalists, attached to each press release will be a sound file, which can be used by broadcasters, and images (static at first, and when resources become available, television images) so the material received is complete and ready to be released by news media and websites (which are increasingly influential).

The multimedia system also allows the retransmission of the most important institutional events as well as important performances within the Córdoba 2016 programme.

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The Press Office should aim to be a source of information for ordinary people as well as professional journalists. This will entail releasing news on the Internet immediately, using short texts accompanied by high-resolution images and graphic and audiovisual resources, as well as additional documentation that may be downloaded or linked to via hypertext and links.

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Portals and Social Networks Tools such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, social networks, aggregators and so on allow users to become the means of communication whereby they themselves decide on the content to be published, its classification and distribution.

Social Media Marketing (SMM) outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Tuenti, Flickr and YouTube provide a clear opportunity to engage in a twoway dialogue with our target audience in a personalised way.

The www.cordoba2016.es website lies at the heart of this on-line campaign, but social networks are the vox populi. We believe that citizen involvement will confer quality and credibility to the project. It is on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, forums and blogs that the allimportant popular endorsement is to be found, a contagious chain reaction that propagates at the speed of a broadband connection.

Córdoba 2016 already has official profiles in the most popular social networks. The official Córdoba 2016 page on Facebook had over 9,740 fans, Tuenti 9,641 and Twitter 111 as of 22 June 2010. Comments are updated and the bid’s cultural activities and programme is publicised on a daily basis, the Icons 16 and the Cosmopoetica 2010 poetry festival being cases in point. What is most surprising is the great response from users of these networks; there has been an endless stream of positive comments, messages, photos and videos in support of the city. The followers of Córdoba 2016 are the real stars of the bid.

The bid has initiated activities created for and by social environments such as The Dictionary of Córdoba Speech, which comprises words and expressions that are uploaded daily. Facebook and Tuenti were also used to encourage local people to dress in blue to celebrate Europe Day. Twitter is the other star platform for becoming an opinion-shaper in cultural terms. Córdoba is already actively tweeting and has created accounts such as @Córdoba_2016 to spread the word among users. Other networks such as YouTube, Vimeo and Flickr, which focus on photos and videos, are digital libraries in which supporters can upload photographs and streaming videos with positive messages on a daily basis.

In YouTube, viral videos are displayed such as the one featuring a scuba diver supporting Córdoba 2016 by travelling around the world – “Yo apuesto por Córdoba 2016” (“I support Córdoba 2016”) – and Flickr already has over 700 photos reflecting the city’s artistic, cultural and creative sides.

To supplement this work, still in its early stages, a specific Internet strategy will be developed, which will be based on the following:

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Videomarketing

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A positioning study for 2.0 networks.

A marketing plan for social networks.

The design of SMM channels and platforms.

The creation of content for SMM. Inclusion and maintenance in relevant portals.

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Mobile Internet

Videomarketing consists in the design, recording and editing of video for YouTube. It offers the possibility of transmitting an innovative and interactive message in a low cost way to a huge number of people. Actions envisaged include:

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Original soundtracks.

The creation and optimisation of a dedicated YouTube channel.

Maintenance of the YouTube channel.

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Mobile Marketing The mobile phone has also become a very efficient transmission medium. Mobile marketing is based on any marketing technique that is carried out via the mobile phones of the audience we want to address. Tools include:

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SMS and MMS system: Some institutions routinely use the mobile phone short message service (SMS) as a system of alerts to invite journalists to events, as well as sending small items of news to reporters.

Smartphone terminals: offer similar potential to social networks in terms of opening up access to large groups of distributed users, thus multiplying the effects of marketing.

Podcasting: This communications tool consists in creating a channel featuring audio or video files that are downloaded by the user and viewed or listened to whenever and wherever required. A versatile communications tool, the key to its success resides in the power and freedom that it provides the user.

Bluetooth campaigns. Bluetooth wireless technology is a short-range communications system that allows connectivity between remote devices. This type of marketing campaign uses mobile phones as reception nodes.

The fusion of the Internet and television, and the sum of its applications and techniques, have opened up the possibility of having our own television channel with the advantage that the user may view our content whenever and wherever required. It would also provide us with real time statistics and optimise interactivity opportunities as well as segmenting the audience, which until now has been unattainable. It is worth highlighting that the city plans to create a wifi cloud that will connect all cultural centres and allow universal access to the Internet during the 2016.

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3 Design and corporate image Just like any other project of this scale, the Córdoba 2016 bid needs its own visual identity that would enable it to be recognised immediately in Córdoba and beyond, and to distinguish it from other European-scale initiatives. The need to generate a strong corporate image was quickly recognised as a means of identifying the city and conveying some of its key values in a powerful, reliable and innovative way.

The design that eventually emerged from a competition process was based on an intercultural building familiar to all who know Córdoba, the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral), which combines Islamic, Graeco-Roman, Baroque and Renaissance architectural styles.

The logo reproduces the dome over the mihrab at the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral), an octagonal structure in marble and stucco with brightly coloured Byzantine mosaics on a gold, bronze, copper and silver background. The logo features the blue and yellow of the European Union, as well as a star – an implicit indication of the UE. Later the Córdoba, Europe: The future has roots strap line was added in reference to the need to build the city’s future on the foundations of its past, firmly centred in the context of Europe.

During the preliminary phase of this bid, the logo has been given enormous exposure, which has served to build awareness of and identification with the project both inside and outside the city.

The logo’s introduction phase has now concluded satisfactorily; since 2002 it has had widespread exposure and has now taken root in the public consciousness. Use of the logo by entities, companies and institutions with a link to the project will in future be permitted on a case-by-case basis.

Allowing merchandising companies to reproduce the logo free of royalties is seen as a good way of extending awareness of the project, always on the proviso that the companies are subject to strict quality control. Merchandising is seen as just another area of the dissemination policy.

The second stage in the development of the visual identity was completed in 2009. Designers were again encouraged to submit their ideas for a new, modern visual image for the bid based on two of the key themes highlighted in the pre-selection dossier: Córdoba as a place of participation and a meeting point for cultures.

The bid’s new visual identity, designed by the Córdoba studio é (sic) makes reference to the city’s great symbolic value as a meeting point for cultures, at the same time as involving ordinary citizens by asking them to submit words in their handwriting.

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The design, which identifies the Córdoba 2016 project and distinguishes it from the other bids, offers a striking image of the city and of the citizens’ commitment to the European Capital of Culture, and will serve to present the bid both in the city and beyond (at regional, national, European and international level).

The aim of the design, inspired by visual poetry, is to encourage people to participate, and to feel a sense of ownership and pride in the efforts of their city at this decisive moment of the process, a few months before the pre-selection dossier is submitted.

The new graphic identity, based on the handwriting of hundreds of ordinary people, is nothing less than a homage to the written word as well as being a collective contribution. A key advantage is that it is designed to be renewed and will therefore retain a certain freshness of impact over the course of the whole European Capital of Culture project. This is a fundamental principle of the bid: the ECoC has to be a stable event throughout the course of the year, undergoing continual renewal with every new activity.

Apart from its originality, the identity is notable for its flexibility, in terms of both supports and of audiences. It can be adapted to fit various audiences (children, teenagers and the general public) and can be used on a variety of platforms – the Internet, online software, conventional graphic media and so on.

Henceforth all individual campaigns, whether subject-specific (aimed at, for example, specific audiences) or time-specific (relating to one-off meetings and programmed activities), will come under the umbrella of this new identity. It will last until it is replaced by the definitive image to be used in 2016.

In keeping with the new image, Córdoba 2016 has revamped its website, making it more dynamic and modern, and embracing participation as the essence of its identity.

4 Publications A wide range of printed material – posters, leaflets, catalogues, flyers – will be produced to publicise the various activities for a variety of audiences. Most will be published in at least three languages: Spanish, English and Polish.

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The explosive emergence of the Internet in recent years has completely changed the advertising landscape, creating new channels and formats no advertiser can afford to ignore. The greater the size of an undertaking – the European Capital of Culture being a case of a large-scale project – the better it is suited to the Internet, with its global reach. The Internet also brings significant potential cost savings and the ability to segment and target specific audiences.

It will be necessary to increase the presence of the Córdoba 2016 brand gradually, and in all markets, at local, regional, national and international level, until reaching a crescendo in the year of European Capital of Culture itself. Considerable effort will be required to ensure that the impetus does not wane during ECoC year; this can only be done by maintaining the volume of advertising.

6 Institutional relations

5 Marketing and Advertising The Communication and Participation Departments will also take charge of such important areas as advertising, direct marketing, sponsorship and merchandising. An undertaking of the size and scope of the European Capital of Culture requires a significant advertising outlay and demands both national and international campaigns.

Institutional Relations will be exploited as a means of maintaining links with opinion-formers and leaders of social groups, economic groups, businesses and local and regional government departments.

Responsibilities will include:

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Reception and Information This includes the tasks of receiving visitors, providing information to the general public and overseeing the volunteer programme.

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Public Relations and Protocol This involves organising events, giving presentations about the bid, in Spain and other European countries, receiving official visitors, attending international fairs and so on.

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Evaluation and Impact This involves continuously monitoring the development of the project, providing valuable feedback to the rest of the communications structure, and analysing the impact of the event on the city over the short, medium and long term.

Córdoba thus plans a comprehensive and integrated communications strategy that takes all audiences into account, paying special attention to people who, for whatever reason, find themselves removed from the rewards that the enjoyment of culture brings. By harnessing new technology we believe we can reach a wide audience locally, regionally, nationally and at the wider European level.

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Chapter VIII summary

1. Participation is a hallmark of Córdoba 2016 bid, and the strategy put in place to get people involved is a key means to achieving that end. A dedicated committee composed of people with extensive experience of animating the public will have specific responsibility for these tasks.

5. Córdoba has implemented a programme encouraging people to become one of three types of volunteer – Cultural Activists, Averroes Volunteers and Maimonides Volunteers. An especially important part of this programme involves working with young people through schools and universities.

2. Public involvement has been achieved by means of specific cultural projects that require the direct participation of the audience. These have been successful even when the nature of the cultural collaboration has been unconventional.

6. The communications policy is viewed as a key tool in performing all tasks of dissemination, its tasks including attending to the public and relations with institutions. It will carry out its functions locally, nationally and internationally.

3. An eclectic range of projects aimed at young people has succeeded in presenting culture as a valid freetime activity. Sport has also been used as a means of promoting new social and cultural dialogue.

7. The Press Office will aim to operate as media outlet for other media outlets, collecting and providing information to journalists and keeping the public well informed. A press centre will be set up with all the technical equipment and support required.

4. The Endorsement Programme, which had received 133,929 messages of support as at 22 June 2010, has been especially gratifying. These endorsements, properly identified and documented, have come from a huge range of people, from ordinary members of the public to Nobel prize-winners, filmmakers and poets. They underscore Córdoba’s aspirations to be recognised as a meeting point of cultures.

8. Córdoba 2016 has enthusiastically embraced new technology both through its website and through social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter and Tuenti. We plan to continue this work using all available platforms and channels. An integrated and comprehensive plan has been drawn up – Digital Córdoba – with specific measures for all communications channels.

9. Córdoba 2016 has a well-established visual identity, selected through an open competition. Its key themes are the meeting point of cultures, the connection with Europe and inclusive participation in the project. A definitive launch campaign will be carried out in the year of the European Capital of Culture.

10. The Press Office will be responsible for evaluating the project, dealing with the public and relations with institutions.

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IX Convergence of the city’s political agendas “Desire is the starting point of all achievement; not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything”. Napoleon Hill “Cultury is not a luxury, but a necessity”. Gao Xingjian

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n 2010, the preparations for Córdoba’s bid to be European Capital of Culture in 2016 will celebrate their tenth anniversary. We are now in the final stretch of a long-distance race that began in the year 2001, when the Córdoba Business Confederation (CECO) launched the idea of undertaking a long- term challenge. The bid would not have been possible without the coordinated effort and committed involvement of countless players, ranging from public institutions to a variety of social and economic bodies, from the city’s cultural agents to the entire population.

First, in order to carry out the preliminary work required for the bid, a Special Cultural Capital Committee was created, together with a number of working groups. The Committee was made up of representatives from the City Council, the Andalusian Regional Council, the Provincial Council, the University of Córdoba, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Royal Academy, the Al Zahara Federation of Neighbourhood Associations, and the trades unions CCOO and UGT. In 2002, these organisations signed a joint manifesto supporting Córdoba’s ECoC bid.

The political institutions took the first step, by creating at an early stage the structures required to develop the bid. Since 2002, when the Municipal Corporation adopted in plenary session the decision to work towards Córdoba’s designation as European Capital of Culture, the project has undergone various natural changes.

However, as the project continued to grow, Córdoba 2016 soon needed an operational structure with greater administrative capacity, in order to centralise all the activities aimed at achieving ECoC status. This gave rise, in 2003, to the creation of the Cultural Capital Office – reporting to the Mayor’s Office and responsible for coordinating the project. The Office’s main role has been to publicise and promote the bid, and to support existing cultural events as well as foster new proposals, encouraging the creation of a whole network of cultural operators and agents focussing on the project.

Over time, as the project assumed ever greater dimensions and ever greater importance for the city, it became apparent that a new body was required to channel the political agendas and inputs of the four major public institutions in Córdoba. Thus, on 7 June 2006 the Córdoba City Council, the Provincial Council, the Andalusian Regional Council and the University joined forces to create the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, as a stable structure representing all the institutions.

This enabled the participating bodies to speak with a single, coordinated voice, to symbolise a huge joint effort in a single discourse, with a single aim and a single image. As a result, the key institutions representing the different of government did something more than simply back Córdoba’s bid for 2016. They decided to create, develop and jointly administer the bid, regardless of any possible political differences. The union of the various administrative institutions under a single name and logo has provided this ambitious project with the strength and symbolic power that it deserves.

From the outset, the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation brought together – and continues to bring together – in a single political agenda the varied views of a whole range of institutional and social forces that joined to support, and give a citizen-based meaning, to this bid.

All these institutions have worked together, in a coordinated manner, to prepare the technical and operative resources required by the bid; they have all taken part in the drafting of the Cultural Programme, and together they have shaped the project’s discourse, as well as promoting the city and its cultural activities.

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1 The Córdoba Cultural City Foundation

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he CCCF’s organisational chart reflects the involvement of the four founding board members (Córdoba City Council, Córdoba Provincial Council, the University of Córdoba and the Andalusian Regional Council). Each of the four institutions appoints representatives, who together comprise the Board of the CCCF, its governing body .

The Board of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation currently consists of 17 members: four representatives from each of the founding institutions, together with Manuel Pérez Pérez as President of the Advisory Commission. The Mayor acts as Chairman of the Board, whilst the President of the Córdoba Provincial Council acts as Vice-Chairman.

The Advisory Committee, a consultative organ of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, comprises a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 15 members: four cultural specialists nominated by the founding institutions, and the remainder independent experts appointed by the Board. The Committee meets regularly to coordinate the cultural programmes devised by the city’s various organisations, and to regulate relations with representatives of local and regional groups. It also deals with other matters relating to the organisation and logistics of cultural events devised by the CCCF itself, such as security, authorisation for the use of public spaces, use of infrastructure, training plans, etc.

After defining the work procedures and coordination channels that would govern the work of the CCCF, Carlota Álvarez Basso was appointed manager in 2008, on the strength of her solid national and international career as a cultural manager..

CCCF BOARD FOUNDING INSTITUTIONS

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

CCCF STAFF

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Chairman: Manuel Pérez Pérez

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Manager: Carlota Álvarez Basso

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Members: Mª Dolores Baena Alcántara Carmen Fátima Blanco Valdés Juan Carlos Limia Mateo David Luque Peso Javier Martín Fernández Alfonso Muñoz Fernández Manuel Pimentel Siles Diego Ruiz Alcubilla Octavio Salazar Benítez María Serrano García

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Publicity and Promotion: Francisco Aguilera Fuentes

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Press and Communications: María José Martín Gordillo

Administration and Secretariat: Nicolás Molina Josende

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City Council: Andrés Ocaña Rabadán (Chairman) Rafael Blanco Perea Rosa María Candelario Ruiz Manuel Pérez Pérez (Chairman of the Advisory Committee) Juan José Primo Jurado

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Provincial Council: Francisco Pulido Muñoz (ViceChairman) Elena Cortés Jiménez José Mariscal Campos Mª José Montes Pedrosa

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Andalusian Regional Council: Mª Isabel Ambrosio Palos Joaquín Dobladez Soriano Rafaela Valenzuela Jiménez Juan Torres Aguilar

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University: José Manuel Roldán Nogueras Manuel Torres Aguilar Angelina Costa Palacios Ramón Montes Ruiz

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Founding institutions: Córdoba City Council, Provincial Council, Andalusian Regional Council, University of Córdoba Córdoba City Council

The origins of Córdoba City Council date back to the thirteenth century; since then it has undergone several changes, perhaps the most radical of which came with the return of democracy and the constitution of the first democratic Councils in 1979 following the collapse of the Francoist dictatorship.

From the outset, the city’s democratic corporation made citizen participation in municipal administration one of its top priorities, a policy that continues today.

At the same time, successive Councils have focussed on a number of core strategies: balanced urban development; the redressing of social and urban inequalities, the provision of facilities – including cultural and civic facilities – and the preservation of heritage monuments, as a result of which UNESCO declared first the MosqueCathedral (1984) and then the Old Town (1994) World Heritage sites.

Since the 2007 municipal elections, the City Council has been currently governed by a coalition the United Left party (IU-LVCA), and the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), under a new mayor, Andrés Ocaña Rabadán (IU-LVCA).

It was the City Council that began the early preparations for the bid. Earlier, a great deal of work had been done between 1983 and 1987 in support of the ECoC bid submitted for 1992. The idea was taken up again in 2001, when the Council in plenary session created the Special Cultural Capital Committee. In 2003, the Second Strategic Plan for Córdoba (the Third Millennium Plan), a City Council Initiative, recognised the Córdoba 2016 project as a core strategy for the development and regeneration of the city, and recommended that a joint working-party be created, with representatives from the various institutions, and that a technical report be drafted on the project.

To implement these recommendations under the Strategic Plan, the City Council created the Cultural Capital Office in 2003. The Office immediately set to work on a publicity and promotion campaign, and also worked on the creation of a joint working party and the preparation of a technical document. In 2006, the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation was established, with representatives of the City Council, the Provincial Council, the Andalusian Regional Council and the University of Córdoba. In 2007, a White Paper on Cultural Capital Status was drawn up by a team of experts from the University of Córdoba; this document was finally published in 2008, and became the road-map for the whole process. Another document, entitled Córdoba, Europe. The European Dimension of Córdoba1 highlights the city’s importance as a hub for the great cultures and civilisations that lived together harmoniously in this area, and a vast treasure and historical heritage to Europe.

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Córdoba: City council, 2009.

Although these are the key milestones in the City Council’s participation in the process, it should also be noted that it continued to work on a number of initiatives, often in conjunction with the Cultural Capital Office; the City Council has been, from the outset, the largest provider of resources, both human and financial, for the ECoC project, which demonstrates its profound commitment to the bid.

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The Córdoba Cultural City Foundation

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Manifesto declaring the province’s support for Córdoba’s bid to be European Capital of Culture in 2016

Provincial Council

The Provincial Council was created in the nineteenth century, but its mandate was redefined under the current national Constitution. It joined the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation in 2006, in order to enhance the presence of the province of Córdoba in the 2016 project. The Provincial Council is currently governed by the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, and its president is Francisco Pulido Muñoz. Other parties represented are the United Left party and the Popular Party.

Over the last few years, the institution has been active in organising cultural activities, both directly and through the Rafael Botí Fine Arts Foundation; events organised include the exhibition of entries to the 4th “Pilar Citoler” International Contemporary Photography Award, the Periphery programme – a series of cultural activities held in various towns and villages of the province – the Digital Ocean project, and the Animacor International Animation Festival.

Last April, the Córdoba Provincial Council held a meeting with mayors of the province with a view to their supporting the bid; at the meeting, the mayors of 69 towns and villages signed a Manifesto supporting Córdoba’s bid to be European Capital of Culture in 2016.

This testifies to the widely-held view that the city and province should lend their unanimous support to this project.

The manifesto was signed by the representatives of the following municipalities: 1 Adamuz 2 Aguilar de la Frontera 3 Alcaracejos 4 Almedinilla 5 Almodóvar del Río 6 Añora 7 Baena 8 Belalcázar 9 Belmez 10 Benamejí 11 Bujalance 12 Cabra 13 Cañete de las Torres 14 Carcabuey 15 Cardeña 16 Castro del Río 17 Conquista 18 Doña Mencía 18 El Carpio 20 El Guijo 21 El Viso 22 Encinarejo (Local Autonomous Body) 23 Encinas Reales 24 Espiel 25 Fernán Núñez 26 Fuente la Lancha 27 Fuente Obejuna 28 Fuente Palmera 29 Fuente Tójar 30 Guadalcázar 31 Hinojosa del Duque 32 Hornachuelos 33 Iznájar 34 La Carlota 35 La Guijarrosa (Local Autonomous Body)

36 La Granjuela 37 La Rambla 38 La Victoria 39 Los Blázquez 40 Lucena 41 Montemayor 42 Montilla 43 Montoro 44 Monturque 45 Moriles 46 Nueva Carteya 47 Obejo 48 Palenciana 49 Palma del Río 50 Pedro Abad 51 Pedroche 52 Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo 53 Posadas 54 Pozoblanco 55 Priego de Córdoba 56 Puente Genil 57 Rute 58 Santa Eufemia 59 Santaella 60 Torrecampo 61 Valenzuela 62 Villa del Río 63 Villafranca 64 Villanueva de Córdoba 65 Villanueva del Duque 66 Villanueva del Rey 67 Villaralto 68 Villaviciosa de Córdoba 69 Zuheros

Córdoba is one of the candidate cities for the status of European Capital of Culture in 2016, and has been working since 2000 to achieve this objective.

The European Commission lays down that candidate cities may associate a regional area to their programme.

The undersigning Mayors, as representatives of their local councils in the

province of Córdoba, wish to record their commitment to the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, based on the following principles: · They consider that the designation of Córdoba would provide a major social and economic stimulus for the towns and villages of the province of Córdoba. · They are aware that the contribution of the province – in terms of its historical monuments and cultural heritage – will do much to enhance Córdoba’s bid to be European Capital of Culture. · They hereby pledge to work jointly with the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation to achieve this collective goal. · Coordination with the local authorities of the municipalities involved will be carried out in close cooperation with the Córdoba Provincial Council, ensuring the greatest possible collaboration between all the institutions concerned. · They pledge, that if the city is designated European Capital of Culture in 2016, every local council will do its utmost to support the project from the outset, backing the individual cultural programmes outlined in the pre-selection dossier. · They pledge to publicise the document Córdoba in 16 Mode, that defines the guidelines to be followed and summarises the philosophy behind the bid. · They pledge to encourage the participation of their citizens in the cultural events organised for that purpose.

Córdoba, 9 April 2010

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The Córdoba Cultural City Foundation

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The Córdoba Cultural City Foundation

Andalusian Regional Council

University of Córdoba

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 establishes a territorial configuration of the Spanish State that recognises and guarantees the right to autonomy of the various people and regions that comprise the State. Within this framework, Andalusia constitutes an Autonomous Community composed of eight provinces, with a total population of over eight million people.

Founded in 1972, the University of Córdoba is the third oldest in Andalusia, direct heir to an intellectual legacy centuries old. Its most recent predecessor was the Free University, which operated in Córdoba in the nineteenth century. However, it is also heir to an educational, cultural and scientific tradition dating back to the Roman Empire, and especially to the Caliphate era, when, long before the emergence of the first universities under the shadow of the cathedrals, structured formal courses were already being taught under the arches of the Mosque, and the work of classical authors and essayists was being translated.

Since the first Statute of Autonomy was approved in 1981, the Andalusian Regional Council has been the political and administrative body responsible for organising the self-government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia.

The Andalusian Government comprises Parliament, the President’s Office and the Governing Council, which is divided into 13 Departments. The Department of Culture is responsible for safeguarding and preserving Andalusia’s cultural and historical heritage, for fostering contemporary cultural creation, and for shaping regional cultural policy, laying down permanent, democratic and participatory guidelines intended to enhance the quality of life of the people of Andalusia. The President of the Andalusian Regional Council is currently José Antonio Griñán, of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, which at present has a majority in the Andalusian Parliament. The Popular Party and the United Left party also have seats in Parliament.

From the outset, the Andalusian Regional Council has played an active role in the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, as one of the founding institutions in this joint venture which shares the common aim of achieving European Capital of Culture status for Córdoba in 2016.

Since 2006, when the founding institutions joined forces, the Andalusian Regional Council has provided four representatives to the Board of the Foundation, and has made an annual contribution to its funding. In doing so, the Andalusian Government has endeavoured to demonstrate its present and future commitment to Córdoba’s ECoC bid.

The University of Córdoba currently has around 20,000 students, registered at the University’s various Faculties and affiliated centres. It is a leading centre for food- and agriculture-related studies. Tuition and research are divided into three main areas: Agricultural and Food Science & Technology (on the Rabanales campus); Health Sciences (in the hospital area); and Legal & Social Sciences and Humanities (in the city centre and the Old Town). The University also has a Polytechnic Institute (in the mining area in the north of the province). It is, according to various indicators, one of Spain’s most prestigious research centres, and is currently leading one of ten Projects of International Excellence recognised in Spain. The Chancellor is José Manuel Roldán Nogueras.

Due to this passion for learning and to a centuries-old tradition, the University of Córdoba has a special commitment to Culture, in a city universally known for its historical and artistic heritage, which was the zenith of civilisation during the Caliphate period, and is also a model for dialogue and coexistence between civilisations, elements that the University embraces.

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Partnerships in the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation

An objective such as European Cultural Capital status would be inconceivable and non-viable without the presence of the university. Hence, from the outset, the University of Córdoba has offered full collaboration and support to the project promoters and has worked tirelessly as a Member of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation Board. Such is its involvement that the offices of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation are located in the headquarters of the former Vice-Chancellor’s Office. This, and the activity of the various branches and bodies of the university community, serve to illustrate the active part played by the University in this project, in providing expert assessment, contributing and supporting projects, promoting conferences and activities, offering its facilities, raising funds, backing publications and collaborating in all initiatives directed towards the 2016 bid.

At a Board Meeting on 13 July 2009, the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation approved the Regulations Governing the Participation of Partner Organisations in the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation; these regulations provide for project partnerships with new organisations and social agents. The regulations lay down the conditions for the admission of partners, of which three categories are established: ·

·

·

Public-interest bodies. Admission to the Board is available to those bodies meeting the following requirements: they must be institutional, economic or social bodies, with local representation, and they must have been officially declared of public interest. Once admitted, they can be represented on the Board by no more than three representatives. The minimal annual contribution in order to have one representative on the Board is €20,000; for two representatives, €80,000, and for three, €160,000.

Private partners. These are any private bodies considered to be of interest for the project. The minimal annual contribution in order to have one representative on the Board is €160,000 for two representatives, €320,000, and for three, €500,000.

Collaborating bodies. These are people or companies that have expressed interest in working actively with the Foundation. The minimum annual contribution in order to be granted this status is €10,000 either in cash or in kind, through the provision of services deemed by the Foundation to be of interest; the value of the services is assessed to ensure its equivalence to the cash amount established. These bodies are in no circumstances entitled to a seat on the Board.

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Manifesto of Córdoba’s Entrepreneurs in support of Córdoba’s bid to be designated European Capital of Culture in 2016 The undersigned companies, representing the vast majority of the productive sector of Córdoba city and province, hereby express their strong support for Córdoba’s bid to be designated European Capital of Culture in 2016. To this end: They recognise the essential impact of designation as European Capital of Culture in 2016 on the city and province of Córdoba, as a catalyst for its economy and thus for its workers and the citizens in general.

They offer their strong support to Córdoba’s institutions in order to achieve that Social and economic support for the project

To date, nine Córdoba companies have been accepted by the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation as Collaborating Bodies: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

ABC Córdoba Diario Córdoba El Día de Córdoba Comercial Piedra Trujillo Formación e Innovación Rural (FIR) Montealto Fundación Bodegas Campos Andalusian Institute for Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC) 9 Real Círculo de la Amistad

goal.

They pledge that, if the city is designated European Capital of Culture in 2016,

Of the many meetings held with the city’s social and economic agents, attention is drawn to a meeting between the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation and various local and provincial business representatives. During the meeting, the Chairman of the Foundation, the Mayor Andrés Ocaña, set out the key strategies of the bid and outlined the impacts and benefits of ECoC status for the city as a whole.

every company will do its utmost to provide financial support for the project from

This meeting led to the signing of the Manifesto of Córdoba’s Entrepreneurs in support of Córdoba’s bid to be designated European Capital of Culture in 2016. A total of 27 companies from all over the province signed this manifesto, thus declaring their support for the bid; among them were the Córdoba Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Fundación Bodegas Foundation, the Cruzcampo Foundation and the SánchezRamade Foundation.

behind the bid.

the outset, either through direct funding for the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation or through sponsorship of specific cultural programmes organised by the Foundation or as part of the ECoC calendar of events.

They pledge to make their workforce fully aware of the document Córdoba in 16 Mode, that defines the guidelines to be followed and summarises the philosophy They undertake to encourage their workers and customers to take part in the cultural events scheduled for that purpose.

They undertake to ensure that the quality of their products will enhance the image of Córdoba in Spain and the rest of the world.

Córdoba, 24 February 2010

The Manifesto was signed by: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Alimentación Peninsular Argos Impresores Cervecería Gran Capitán Comercial Piedra Trujillo Conde Robledo 2003 SL Corbasa Corporación Montealto XXI Corporación Empresarial de la Universidad de Córdoba 9 Covap

10 Firga 11 F&J Martín Abogados 12 FMF Joyeros 1950 13 Fundación Arruzafa 14 Grupo Eurosemillas 15 Grupo Campos de Córdoba 16 Grupo Muñoz Cubero 17 Grupo Rioma 18 Grupo Sánchez Ramade 19 Grupo Vitalia Plus

20 Hospital Arruzafa 21 Iberfinanzas Consulting 22 Instituto de Oftalmología Arruzafa 23 Jícar 24 MB Global 25 Moreno SA 26 Movimientos y Nivelaciones 27 Navisa Industrial Vinícola Española y Viñedos Cobos

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Organisational and financial structure for 2016

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2 Organisational and financial structure for 2016

C

órdoba’s ECoC bid involves creating a framework for administration and governance capable of organising, implementing, promoting and financing the programme with maximum guarantees. It is taken as read that the ECoC is more than just a programme, in that it involves numerous aspects both of the city and of its management. It is important, for the public credibility of the project, to adopt specific measures to demonstrate its financial transparency, so that – if the bid is successful – citizens will know exactly how the money invested in the course of 2016 is to be spent.

Three major areas of work can be defined for the body created to manage the ECoC project: ·

·

·

Collaboration between administrative institutions; creation of partnerships with institutions, private companies and society at large.

Preparation and implementation of the ECoC, in terms of programming, promotion and financial management.

Financing for the ECoC.

The body responsible for implementing the project

The aim is to ensure that the managing body has the tools required to meet effectively the following management objectives: 1 Structure and ensure cooperation between the various administrations involved.

2 Coordinate the integration and participation of those entities or institutions that are not part of the Administration but are considered essential in preparing for the ECoC. 3 Furnish channels for cooperation and negotiation between all the institutions and other bodies involved in, or related to, the various aspects of the ECoC and its programme of events.

4 Create and boost social and economic support for Córdoba 2016 5 Manage the proper funding of the ECoC, through the provision and acquisition of economic resources.

6 Prepare a programme which covers in detailed and specific terms the content of the projects presented in the pre-selection dossier.

7 Create a professional, specialised staff responsible for the proper development of the ECoC and its programme.

8 Manage the ECoC programme with due regard to the principles of austerity, quality, transparency and efficacy.

9 Manage the material resources and infrastructure for which the body managing the Córdoba 2016 project may be responsible.

10 Ensure the effective promotion of the European Capital of Culture and its programme.

The management model selected for the implementation of the European Capital of Culture will need to be agile, versatile and able to work successfully in the three major areas outlined above; a given management model may prove highly suitable for one area of work, but unsuitable for the others.

In 2006, Córdoba’s institutions created the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation as the body responsible for managing the ECoC bid; the Foundation has proved itself efficient and well-managed. Since the Foundation already exists, has achieved positive results, and is willing to continue, there are plenty of reasons why the Foundation should go on to implement the ECoC if the bid is successful. This would have three major advantages.

The most evident advantage is flexible management.

An event on this scale requires a versatile approach that cannot be guaranteed by other types of legal body, such as a consortium, due to the legal framework through which this kind of body is regulated.

The second advantage lies in the legislative framework regulating fiscal incentives for sponsorship and patronage, and its practical application to donations, gifts and contributions that may be made to the Foundation for the financing of Córdoba 2016. Of particular interest in this respect is Article 25 of Law 49/2002, which regulates the tax regime for non-profit-making bodies and tax incentives for sponsorship and patronage (Official State Gazette 307/2002, of 24 December 2002), whose provisions regarding corporate partnership agreements for activities of general interest include the following:

“For the purposes of this Law, the term “corporate partnership agreement for activities of general interest” will be held to refer to any agreement by which the body referred to in Article 16 [foundations are specifically mentioned in Article 16], in exchange for financial support for activities carried out in compliance with the aims of that body, undertakes, in writing, to publicise – by any agreed means– the participation of the partner in those activities”.

Given the need for flexible management, coupled with the legal provisions regarding tax incentives for patronage and sponsorship, the ideal option would clearly be to maintain the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, which is already capitalising upon the synergies created during the preparation of this bid.

The third advantage concerns human resources. In a long-term project like the ECoC, it is clearly wise to bear in mind the benefits of having a ready-formed, experienced team of professionals who are thoroughly familiar with the project and fully involved in it.

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Organisational chart

If specific legislation were to be approved declaring the ECoC an “event of exceptional public interest”, the current management instruments would meet the requirements as laid down in Law 49/2002. This public-interest declaration would clearly be of great benefit for Córdoba 2016, since it would enable application of the tax incentives provided for in Article 27; to obtain this declaration – which would require the approval of a specific law – is a key priority objective in terms of year-round funding. Indeed, if the law is not modified before 2016, its provisions will generate most of the financing available through sponsorship and patronage.

Section 2 of Article 27 states that: “The Law which will approve each of these programmes will regulate at least the following: a the duration of the programme, which can be up to three years. b The creation of a consortium or designation of an administrative body which will be responsible for implementing the programme and which will certify the suitability of the expenditure and investments made with regard to the programme’s plans and objectives.

The said consortium or body will include representatives of the public administrative institutions with an interest in the event and, in all cases, a representative of the Ministry of Finance.

Certification can only be issued if the representative of the Ministry of Finance votes in favour”.

It would appear that the Foundation – which already exists – would be acceptable as an “administrative body” within the terms of the legal provision stipulating the type of body to be create. The Foundation would enable a certain degree of management flexibility, with regard both to the application of rules and to the management of human resources, making it the ideal type of body for the purpose in question. Should this not be possible, and given that the viability of one key source of finance is currently being analysed, the legal form of the Foundation would be modified to turn it into a Consortium.

In order to guarantee the responsible management of public resources, the foundation – or any other body responsible for managing the ECoC – will create the necessary support instruments to go even beyond the strict application of current legislation. A Code of Good Practice will be approved to cover the appointment of Foundation staff and the contracting of services, taking into account the principles of competition, merit, capacity and publicity. The key documents and the annual budgets will be made widely available. External auditors will be appointed to prepare annual statements of the Foundation’s accounts before, during and after 2016. Specifically, if this ECoC bid is successful, a report will be published – and will be available to the public – detailing the management of external and internal resources during 2016. A specific document will also be published for sponsoring partners, to provide them with direct information on the application of the resources placed in the hands of the Foundation for the organisation of the European Capital of Culture in 2016.

The organisational structure adopted for the implementation of the ECoC seeks a fundamental balance between programming, coordination, promotion and funding. In synthesis, it is a four-pillar structure covering: art-related aspects, promotion, finance & administration, and sponsorship management. (see Fig. 26) Each pillar covers one of the four areas of work in which the management of the project will be divided: · · · ·

Content: developing a programme of activities.

Promotion: ensuring that everyone knows about the project.

Financial and administrative management: the “engine-room” of the project.

Sponsorship: providing the essential basis for sponsorship and patronage

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FIG. 26

Organisational chart of the European Capital of Culturee Source: Personal compilation.

ORGANS OF GOVERNMENT FOUNDING INSTITUTIONS

NEW PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BODIES FOUNDATION BOARD

Córdoba City Council Córdoba Provincial Council Andalusian Regional Council University of Córdoba

The organisational structure of the body which will in future be responsible for managing the Córdoba 2016 would be as follows:

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MANAGEMENT ORGANS

ECOC MANAGEMENT CÓRDOBA 2016 SPONSORS’ CLUB - macrosponsorship - microsponsorship

Director General General Coordinator Objectives, results and finance Commission

EXECUTIVE ORGANS

Promotion and Participation Directorate

Artistic Directorate

Programme coordination

Participation and Volunteers Technical Office

Music

Financial and Economic Management

Publications, Advertising and Image

Communications and Press

Sponsorship Management (outsourced)

Economic and Financial Directorate

Institutional Relations

Management of European Projects Management/ Human Resources

All Programme Areas

Performing Arts

Audiovisual art and new technologies

Exhibitions

Literature and thought

ECoC/city/ province

1 Organs of Government: · Founding institutions. Currently: Córdoba City Council, Córdoba Provincial Council, the Andalusian Regional Council and the University of Córdoba. · New public and private bodies invited to join the project (including Ministries and companies,…) · The Foundation Board or, should a Consortium eventually be created, the Board of Directors.

This will comprise members of the two bodies indicated above. · Executive Committee. The Executive Committee has been created as the first link for the representational organs (Board/Board of Directors), given the need for a management body with executive powers, which can operate flexibly and take rapid decisions.

2 Management organs of the ECoC: · Director General. A professional with recognised prestige, responsible for directing the project, and for establishing the basic structure required to ensure smooth communications between the governing bodies and the executive organs.

This person will draw up the European Capital of Culture programme and will direct the technical team responsible for its implementation. · General Coordinator. This person will be responsible for the executive management of the project and the programmes, and for directly supervising the three specific directorates which will form the basic support group for the Director General. The Directors of the three areas will need to form a well-coordinated core with a clearly executive character, in which relations will be predominantly horizontal.

3

Executive Organs: 1 Artistic Directorate 2 Promotion and Participation Directorate 3 Economic and Financial Directorate

4 Sponsorship management: fund-raising and sponsorship management will be outsourced to a specialist company.

It should be stressed that the ECoC seeks to promote citizen participation, through the creation of two departments which will be specifically responsible for this area. In the proposed organisational structure, issues relating to citizen participation will be shared between programming (since activities proposed by the citizens will be implemented) and institutional relations (which covers citizen volunteers). Those responsible for programming will provide the necessary assessment and support to ensure that grass-roots proposals are of suitable quality; those responsible for institutional relations will take appropriate measures to increase the number of activities proposed by local grass-roots organisations and associations during the years prior to the ECoC. With a view to increasing citizen participation in the programme for 2016, and to facilitating the management and governance of relations between the ECoC and the citizens, the al-Zahara Federation of Neighbourhood Associations will be given an integral advisory role within the organisational structure. The Federation, an independent body, is the city’s largest residents-association representative; its membership currently comprises 101 neighbourhood associations which are active in all the urban and periurban districts of Córdoba.

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Organisational and financial structure for 2016

Staff structure: overview and functions

Artistic Directorate

This section provides a summary of the main departments and their functions; it should be noted, however, that the organisational structure as a whole will comprise 40 staff members.

The priority target for the resources channelled into the ECoC is the art-related area, since much of the content will be artistic in nature. Staff will be expected to devote all their efforts, as a team, to drawing up and implementing a programme of artistic activities which – though not the sole content of the programme – will account for a large share of it.

This department should be the mainstay of the organisation of ECoC activities. Given its prominent role, two intermediate levels have been created: Programme Coordination and Technical Office management. Their functions, which will cover the various areas of the programme, are as follows: · Programme coordination: To develop and supervise the executive production of programmes in the various areas, and endeavour to rationalise the technical processes required for that purpose; and to manage the production of content from an organisation standpoint. This department will be responsible for organising rehearsals, arranging travel for artists and companies, receiving the artists taking part in the various events, insurance, transport of works of art, and so on. As indicated earlier, once the projects to be included in the programme have been selected, the Foundation will appoint a person to assess, advise and supervise the implementation of the activities proposed by external agents, to monitor their implementation and to ensure that they are of suitable quality. The positive experience of previous Capitals of Culture will be taken in account, particularly that of Luxembourg 2007, which achieved particularly effective management in this area. This area is referred to as ECoC/City/province.

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Promotion and Participation Directorate

The programme coordination section will comprise six working areas:

1 2 3 4 5 6

Music Performing arts Audiovisual art and new technologies Exhibitions Literature and thought ECoC/city/province

·

The Technical Office: is responsible for the unified management of infrastructure and facilities, management of the technical production of the programme, and maintenance and rationalisation of existing resources. Department responsible for all aspects of installation, management of equipment, facilities and infrastructure, as well as the recruitment of the temporary staff required to implement the programme. This office will deal, in a coordinated and unified manner, with the needs of the various areas with a view to making the best and most rational use of resources and avoiding the duplication of work and equipment. The ECoC programme is likely to give rise to multiple needs at the same time. Several events are likely to be scheduled for the same day, so that equipment will need to be put up simultaneously at various venues, or will need to be erected in one venue whilst a performance is taking place at another. The Technical Office will be aware of the needs of the various areas, and will be responsible for ensuring an even-handed distribution of material and resources; contracting additional resources where necessary.

The Technical Office will comprise four areas:

1 2 3 4

The Promotion and Participation Directorate and its working areas are seen as a structure which should function equally effectively at local, regional, national and international level, and especially at European level. In other words, both within the city and beyond the city, addressing those who have already decided to attend ECoC events, and those who have not yet decided; the hosts and the guests; the volunteer helpers for Córdoba 2016 and the visitor; the artist and the spectator; those who participate in person in Córdoba, and those who can only take part at a distance.

For this basic reason, it was decided that a single Directorate should take responsibility both for clearlydefined activities related to the media and to design issues, and for more open-ended activities such as hosting, customer services and volunteer services. Equal importance will be attached – within the same working context – to Internet-based promotion and participation initiatives, to social networks and to any new tools which may emerge between now and 2016. Accordingly, and in line with our policy on this issue, the idea is to bring the events to the attention of media professionals, the public and the volunteer services. Promotion is thus seen as an overall strategy, to be implemented physically at local level, or virtually, at global level.

The Directorate will comprise four areas: ·

·

· Exhibition area Performing arts area Musical Area City area

·

Communications and Press: Press, management of the Córdoba 2016 website and digital communication (Digital Córdoba).

Publications, advertising and image: Publications; design and monitoring application of the corporate logo; publicity and marketing.

Institutional relations: Protocol and public relations; organising receptions, welcoming and informing visitors; evaluation and overall view Citizen participation and volunteer services: to work very closely with the Artistic Directorate area designated ECoC/City/Province.

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fig. 27

Elements of Financial Control Source: Personal compilation.

Objectives, Results and Finances Committee Sponsorship Management Directorate

Economic and Financial Directorate

Communications Directorate

2012-2014 Economic and Financial Directorate

Sponsorship management

The core function of the Directorate will be the economic and financial management of all aspects of the ECoC. It will be responsible for all activities relating to the preparation and implementation of budgets, administration, apportioning and management of resources, accounting, financial management and controls, as well as matters relating to human resources, in terms of financial dealings, training and monitoring of occupational hazards, it will also supervise fund-raising activities.

Given the financial requirements, it is deemed essential to create a specific department responsible for sponsorship deals that will generate the resources required to sustain the activities envisaged under the ECoC programme. This department will be responsible for securing, managing and maintaining sole sponsorship deals with private companies and public, state and international institutions wishing to support the project. This task should be outsourced to a company specialising in securing sponsorship; however, that company will work closely – within the ECoC organisation structure – with three specific Directorates:

Pre-ECoC Design OBJECTIVES

With the Director General, who will be responsible for institutional relations. · With the Economic and Financial Directorate, which will be responsible for budgeting and accountancy issues. · With the Promotion and Participation Directorate, in order to maximise the impact of sponsorship and patronage.

Post-ECoC Public

The control system will be relatively simple, as well as being efficient, functional and strict, taking into account the large sums of money to be handled, and the high degree of computerised handling envisaged; the overall aim is that the ECoC project should be transparent and in the public domain. (see Fig. 27)

Other

Projects Investments Accountancy Expenditure

2015-2016

Budgets

·

If the bid is successful, the Economic and Financial Directorate will be established immediately, and will be working both before and after the ECoC. It will be expected to work smoothly with the company responsible for Sponsorship Management, and with the Promotion and Participation Directorate. Representatives of these departments will form the Objectives, Results and Finances Committee.

Private

Analysis and Deviation 2017

Computerised

A professional will be appointed to manage the funding of European projects; this person will be accountable to the head of the Economic and Financial Directorate.

During ECoC Estimated income

Pre-ECoC Results

During ECoC Post-ECoC External Audit

Details of how it will work are provided below: 2012 -2014. First stage: the Objectives, Results and Finances Committee will set out the objectives to be pursued before, during and after the ECoC. These objectives will be published by the Promotion and Participation Directorate.

2015-2016. Second stage: the Economic and Financial Directorate will be the “engine-room” of the ECoC. It will draw up the budget, coordinate estimates, and manage income, expenditure, investment, accountancy and human resources. It will endeavour to correct any departures from the budget, and to achieve positive financial results.

2017. Third stage: An external audit will be held, and the results of the whole process will be made public.

The commitment of the founding institutions to the ECoC 2016 project is evident in the financial contributions made to the project over the last two years; it is envisaged that these will continue until the end of the selection process, i.e. at least until 2011. These contributions have not only served to enable a stable management body to be created; they have also helped to sustain the Foundation and its promotional activities, and to develop a common, shared programme entitled Córdoba in 16 Mode, whose content has been prepared earlier.

Essentially, this proposal seeks to structure the cultural life of the city and province of Córdoba around an aim that is shared by everyone: that Córdoba should have the right cultural environment, and that suitable conditions should be created for Córdoba to be a success as European Capital of Culture in 2016.

Since the 2011 budgets of the institutions that together make up the Foundation will not be approved until late 2010, the following diagram has extrapolated this year’s figures to next year. However, if Córdoba passes the pre-selection stage, the budget for 2011 will receive considerably more backing and will be increased with a view to ensuring Córdoba’s final designation.

Bid phase: 2009-2010-2011

These tables and diagrams show the contributions made to the Córdoba 2016 project by each of the founding institutions over the last two years, and also the way those contributions have been used. Although to date most of the financing for the bid has been provided by Córdoba City Council, since the programme is primarily municipal in scope, a number of additional local social and economic agents have – as indicated earlier – joined the project as collaborating bodies since the creation of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation.

1.149.271,88€ 208.236,00€ 0,00€ 0,00€ 5.559.572,66€

50.000,00€ 50.000,00€ 0,00€ 0,00€ 1.253.483,08€

Andalusian Regional Council University of Córdoba Donations Collaborating Bodies

5.559.572,66€ 0,00€ 0,00€ 0,00€ 5.559.572,66€

580.473,54€ 324.697,12€ 348.312,42€ 1.253.483,08€

Management and operation Communications and Promotion Personnel

6.813.055,74€

348.312,42€

324.697,12€

580.473,54€

5,11%

4,77%

8,52%

5.559.572,66€ 81,60%

1.423.460,95€

440.125,95€

336.000,00€

647.335,00€

0,00€

(*) EVENTS PROGRAMMED CORDOBA IN 16 MODE 2009: Modernstars, Pilar Citoler Photography Prize, Forum on Diversity and Interculturalism, Cosmopoética, Córdoba in May, White Night of Flamenco, Guitar Festival, The City as Stage : 4 cultures + 4 elements, Pressjovem, Scarpia, Eutopía, The Sky Within My House, Animacor, Beyond the Barbed Wire, The City of All Time, 16 Icons for 2016.

Programmed Events

% Total

% Total

% Total

1,18%

1,66%

3,06%

8.420.486,83€

440.125,95€

336.000,00€

647.335,00€

5,23%

3.99%

7,68%

6.997.025,88€ 83,10%

TOTAL

8.420.486,83€

100.000,00€

140.000,00€

258.236,00€

1.094.271,88€ 12,96%

1.086.500,00€ 12,90%

5.741.478,95€ 68,18%

TOTAL

6.997.025,88€

1.283.460,95€

440.125,95€

266.000,00€

577.335,00€

0,00€

Running costs, Promotion and Personnel

0,00€

0,00€

208.236,00€

1.044.271,88€

1.036.500,00€

4.708.018,00€

Events held as part of “Córdoba in 16 Mode”

6.997.025,88€

0,00€

0,00€

0,00€

6.997.025,88€

Events held as part of “Córdoba in 16 Mode”

2011 (estimated)

1.283.460,95€

100.000,00€

0,00€

50.000,00€

50.000,00€

50.000,00€

1.033.460,95€

Running costs, Promotion and Personnel

% Total

% Total

1,20%

0,00%

3,11%

8.280.486,83€

440.125,95€

266.000,00€

577.335,00€

5,31%

4,11%

6,97%

6.997.025,88€ 84,50%

TOTAL

8.280.486,83€

100.000,00€

0,00€

258.236,00€

1.094.271,88€ 13,21%

1.086.500,00€ 13,12%

5.741.478,95€ 69,33%

TOTAL

(**) EVENTS PROGRAMMED CORDOBA IN 16 MODE 2010: EU Film: 27 weeks, 27 countries, Pilar Citoler Photography Prize, Cosmopoética, Córdoba in May, White Night of Flamenco, Guitar Festival, Summer Cinemas, Periféricos, Eutopía, Océano Digital, Animacor, National Flamenco Art Competition, Photography Biennale, 16 Iconos for 2016 Exhibition, Cultures of Oil and Contemporary Art, Córdoba, a Reflection of Rome.

6.997.025,88€

0,00€

0,00€

0,00€

6.997.025,88€

Events held Running part of costs, Promo- as “Córdoba in tion and 16 Mode” Personnel 2010 (**)

6.997.025,88€

0,00€

0,00€

208.236,00€

1.044.271,88€

2010

1.423.460,95€

100.000,00€

140.000,00€

50.000,00€

50.000,00€

1.036.500,00€

Events held Running part of costs, Promo- as “Córdoba in tion and 16 Mode” Personnel 2009 (*)

TOTAL

0,00%

0,00%

3,79%

50.000,00€

2009

0,00€

EXPENDITURE

6.813.055,74€

0,00€

0,00€

258.236,00€

1.199.271,88€ 17,60%

1.102.141,80€ 16,18%

1.052.141,80€

50.000,00€ Córdoba Provincial Council

4.708.018,00€

4.253.406,06€ 62,43%

3.149.922,98€

1.103.483,08€

1.033.460,95€

TOTAL

2011 (estimated)

3 FINANCING AND EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE BUDGET

Córdoba City Council

Events held Running part of costs, Promo- as “Córdoba in tion and 16 Mode” Personnel 2010 (**) % Total

2010 Events held Running part of costs, Promo- as “Córdoba in tion and 16 Mode” Personnel 2009 (*)

Bid preparation phase: 2009-2010 and 2011

2009

InCOME

Source: Personal compilation.

IX

fig.28

354 Convergence of the city’s political agendas 355

356

IX

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IX

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3

FINANCING AND EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE BUDGET

3

FINANCING AND EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE BUDGET

357

Project implementation phase: 2012-2016

Analysis of the income and expenditure of other cities that have already been ECoC, including Stockholm 1998, Oporto 2001, Salamanca 2002, Graz 2002, Lille 2004 and Luxembourg 2007 (Palmer Report and the Ex Post Evaluation of 2007 and 2008 European Capitals of Culture, Final Report, ECOTEC, November 2009), suggests that the general budgets for the year ranged between €40 m. and €80 m. Given the current economic climate, and making a effort to achieve greater austerity by limiting costs, the budget forecast for Córdoba 2016 has been set at aronud €60 m.

·

If Córdoba is designated ECoC, four levels of funding are envisaged:

Given that the ECoC is a programme of regional and national interest – since the designated city will also be representing the region and the country for a year – and bearing in mind the data provided by ECOTEC,(Final Report, 2009), which analyses the results of Luxembourg 2007, Liverpool 2008, and Stavanger 2008 (Norway), it may be concluded that the contribution of the regional administration (Andalusian Regional Council) in 2016 should be around 25% of the overall budget, whilst the contribution of the national government should be around 30% of the total. In addition to existing relations with the Ministry of Finance, links would be established with other Ministries for the funding of specific projects: Culture; Education; Industry, Trade & Transport; and Science & Innovation.

·

·

Direct contributions to the budget by full members of the specific body created to manage the ECoC: public administration, all the local, provincial, regional and national institutions belonging to the management foundation or consortium.

The European Commission Melina Mercouri Prize and other EU funding in the form of joint financing of European projects through policies and community programmes.

·

Sponsorship and patronage in the form of transfers from private companies at local, national and international level. Donations.

Resources generated by the foundation or consortium itself through royalties, sale of tickets, sale of publications, merchandising, etc.

As founding institutions, the local and provincial councils and the University of Córdoba will continue to contribute the sums approved in their own respective budgets.

The contribution of the European Commission would comprise the current value of the Melina Mercouri Prize (€1,500,000), plus an estimated €300,000 in the form of cofinancing for part of the ECoC programme through European projects based on EU networks or programmes, including: Culture 2007-2013; Lifelong Learning; Europe for Citizens; Youth in Action; Euromed Heritage IV; Media, URB-AL 2007-2013; UrbAct, INTERREG; European Neighbourhood and Partnership, ESF (European Social Fund).

The sponsorship and patronage section requires more detailed analysis, since contributions from this source will make up a large proportion of the total ECoC budget. According to the final European Commission report (ECOTEC Final Report, 2009), private funding for Luxembourg 2007 accounted for roughly 8% of the total; for Liverpool 2008 (United Kingdom) this figure rose to 10.2%, and for Stavanger 2008 (Norway) it climbed to 21.4%; the previous European Commission report, drawn up by Palmer/Rae Associates in 2004, also estimated private funding at around 13% of the total. Accordingly, it is safe to estimate that private-sector funding should lie between 8% and 15% of the total budget.

It would be realistic to suggest that Córdoba might aspire to private funding for 13% of the total project budget.

It would appear perfectly feasible for the Government to support fund-raising and sponsorship attraction through the application of the same tax benefits approved for major events (these benefits were approved specifically for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and for the America’s Cup, and were also planned for Madrid’s Olympic bid for 2016)2. Extension of those tax incentives to the European Capital of Culture would provide an immense boost to fund-raising among private companies. At the same time, the placing of the Córdoba 2016 brand all over the world will clearly enhance the marketing policies of many Spanish and European companies which have – or hope to have – business interests in Poland or Eastern Europe, the Arab countries, or Latin America: it will also benefit those companies with an ongoing cultural sponsorship or patronage programme.

2 On 5 May 2008, the Prime Minister announced that the tax incentive scheme would be extended to the Madrid 2016 bid.

All financial sponsorship funds paid to the Olympic Organising Commmittee (COJO) in support of Madrid’s bid to host the Olympic Games would be considered for tax purposes as contributions to a non-profit-making body. All revenue obtained by that body would also be tax-exempt.

358

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IX

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3

FINANCING AND EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE BUDGET

3

FINANCING AND EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE BUDGET

fig.29

fig.30

Córdoba 2016 income and expenditure forecasts

Schedule of expenditure 2012-2016

Source: Personal compilation.

Source: Personal compilation.

INCOME

EXPENDITURE Córdoba City Council 20%

Córdoba Provincial Council 5%

60.000.000€

Cultural Programme 60%

Other income 2%

50.000.000€ 40.000.000€

Various private sponsors 13%

30.000.000€ 20.000.000€

European Union* 3%

0€ National Government 30%

Management and running costs 10%

University of Córdoba 2%

If Córdoba is designated, i.e. once the uncertainties are removed, the first aim will be to arrange for the ECoC in 2016 to be declared “an event of general interest” by the Ministry of Finance, since it is hoped that most funding will come from the private sector, and this would be stimulated by volume-related tax relief on contributions to the ECoC made by private companies.

Sponsorship will be structured through the Córdoba 2016 Sponsors Club, in which the rules governing participation, contributions, use of the ECoC logo, right, obligations and value considerations will be established by the competent body in compliance with the principles of flexibility and transparency.

Flexibility means that contributions may be either generic or specific to one or more events. Transparency involves the commitment of the ECoC management body to provide the sponsors with detailed information and justification of the way their money has been spent.

Sponsors will receive regular information, and also a final report containing a breakdown of expenditure.

Two types of sponsorship will be established, depending on the size and scale of the contributions:

·

10.000.000€

Others 4%

Andalusian Regional Council 25%

·

359

Macrosponsorship: sponsors whose operations are regional, national, or international in scope.

Microsponsorship: sponsors operating only at local level.

2012

Personnel 13%

2013

2014

2015

2016

Communications and Promotion 13%

Finally, revenue will be generated by the Foundation itself during 2016 through royalties, ticket sales, sale of publications, merchandising, etc.

In conclusion, expenditure and income for Córdoba 2016 will be distributed as follows: (see Fig. 29)

INCOME Córdoba City Council 20% Córdoba Provincial Council 5% Andalusia Regional Council 25% University of Córdoba 2% Spanish National Government 30% European Union * 3% Private sponsors 13% Other income (ticket sales, merchandising, etc.) 2% TOTAL INCOME 100,00%

EXPENDITURE Cultural programme Management and running costs Communication and Promotion Personnel Others

60% 10% 13% 13% 4%

Thus, if Córdoba is designated ECoC, the timing will be as follows: (see Fig. 30) EXPENDITURE 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 % 2016 Cultural programme 6.000.000,00€ 6.000.000,00€ 7.000.000,00€ 10.000.000,00€ 36.000.000,00€ 60% Management and running costs 1.500.000,00€ 1.600.000,00€ 2.000.000,00€ 4.000.000,00€ 6.000.000,00€ 10% Communication and Promotion 400.000,00€ 450.000,00€ 500.000,00€ 1.500.000,00€ 7.800.000,00€ 13% Personnel 500.000,00€ 550.000,00€ 600.000,00€ 2.500.000,00€ 7.800.000,00€ 13% Others 150.000,00€ 200.000,00€ 250.000,00€ 600.000,00€ 2.400.000,00€ 4% TOTAL EXPENDITURE 8.550.000,00€ 8.800.000,00€ 10.350.000,00€ 18.600.000,00€ 60.000.000,00€

360

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3

FINANCING AND EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE BUDGET

3

FINANCING AND EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE BUDGET

361

FIG. 31

name old town

Investment in cultural infrastructure

Special mention should be made here of the major investments in cultural infrastructure made over the last few years by local, provincial, regional and national public administration institutions with a view to providing Córdoba with the cultural facilities appropriate to a European city of its size. We can proudly assert that the current map of cultural infrastructure provides adequate coverage for the city’s various cultural and artistic requirements: exhibition halls and centres, theatres, Congress Centre, etc.

Precisely because the investments and facilities required for the ECoC (as outlined in Chapter 6) are already in place, we can claim, unreservedly, that Córdoba has done its duty well, will have sufficient capacity in terms of infrastructure to embark upon an extensive, varied programme of events for 2016 which will be truly international in scope, and will be able to guarantee the quality and excellence of the events organised for the ECoC.

In this sense, it should be noted that the ECoC management body will have no say in the management or adjudication of large-scale cultural infrastructure, but will advise on the temporary fitting-out of buildings and premises which will be hosting ECoC events.

Expected investment in cultural infrastructure for 2016 is outlined below3: (see Fig. 31)

Promoter

cost

Góngora House – Centre for Góngora Studies

2008

Córdoba City Council

879.546€

Orive Palace and Chapter House

2009

Córdoba City Council

1.113.962€

Posada del Potro- Fosforito Flamenco Centre and Museum

2010

Córdoba City Council

856.868€

Iniciarte Hall - Department of Culture, Andalusian Regional Council

2010

Andalusian Regional Council

Tourist Reception and Visitor Centre

2010

Andalusian Regional Council

Pepe Espaliú Contemporary Art and Architecture Documentation Centre

2010

Córdoba City Council

Extension of the Córdoba Archaeological and Ethnological Museum

2010

Ministry of Culture

9.325.605€

The Rafael Botí Art Centre

2011

Córdoba Provincial Council

1.878.989€

The Mudéjar House – permanent headquarters of the Arab House and the International Institute of Arab and Muslim World Studies

2011

Córdoba City Council

2.854.372€

The Teatro Góngora

2011

Córdoba City Council

4.486.135€

The Bullfighting Museum

2011

Córdoba City Council

3.011.514€

Royal Mews – Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs

2012

Córdoba City Council

57.625.956€

The Teatro de la Magdalena

2012

Córdoba City Council

2.127.230€

The Diocesan Museum, Mosque-Cathedral

2012

Episcopate

5.300.000€

The Contemporary Architecture Foundation and the San Pablo Block

2013

Contemporary Architecture Foundation

2.000.000€

Restoration of the Convent of Santa Clara, The future City Museum

2014

Córdoba City Council and Caja Madrid Foundation

6.377.000€

The Synagogue Visitor Centre 3 Source: Córdoba City Council Town Planning Department

opening date

Being planned

—

— 5.554.019€ 371.545€

—

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FINANCING AND EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE BUDGET

THE RIVER AND THE CULTURAL RIVERBANK

THE DISTRICTS

Promoter

cost

2012

Andalusian Regional Council

23.657.001€

Córdoba Congress Centre (Palacio del Sur)

2013

Córdoba City Council

67.000.000€

Córdoba Museum of Fine Arts

2013

Andalusian Regional Council

The Guadalquivir Watermill Network (Completed projects: Molinos de Martos, Molino de San Antonio and Molino de la Alegría)

2015

Córdoba City Council

3.212.908€

The Children’s City

2007

Córdoba City Council

2.500.000€

The Victoria Marquee

2007

Córdoba City Council

1.174.532€

Lepanto Central Municipal Library

2008

Córdoba City Council

5.091.414€

Open Citizens’ Activity Centre

2010

Córdoba City Council

4.800.000€

Environmental Education Centre

2011

Córdoba City Council

1.600.000€

Restoration of the Axerquía open-air theatre

2010

Córdoba City Council

7.932.505€

The New Professional School of Music

2011

Andalusian Regional Council

5.333.256€

—

State Public Library

2012

Ministry of Culture

The School of Arts and Popular Culture

2013

Córdoba City Council

5.801.800€

Archaeological sites and parks

12.350.967€

2013

Córdoba City Council

2.839.744€

The La Asomadilla Park

—

Córdoba City Council and Andalusian Regional Council

7.100.000€

The New Provincial History Archive

—

Ministry of Culture, Córdoba City Council and Andalusian Regional Council

—

Córdoba City Council

1.170.000€

2009

Andalusian Regional Council

23.375.000€

The Fidiana Art Centre GREATER CÓRDOBA

opening date

Córdoba Centre for Contemporary Creation (C4)

name

Museum and Institutional Headquarters of the Madinat al-Zahra Archaeological Complex

total

—

278.701.868€

Given the foregoing, and although a detailed breakdown of the costs for some infrastructure is not yet available, since work is still only at the planning stage – such as the New Provincial History Archive and the Synagogue Visitors’ Centre – and therefore reliable figures are not yet to hand, it is reasonable to conclude that projected expenditure on new infrastructure for the ECoC 2016 project will exceed €278,701,868.

363

365

Chapter IX summary

1. Córdoba 2016 has succeeded in channelling the political agendas of all the city’s institutions towards a single shared challenge. This joint approach gave rise to the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation, formed by the Córdoba City Council, the Córdoba Provincial Council, the Andalusian Regional Council and the University of Córdoba, with the backing of private companies and civic associations. This is the ideal vehicle for developing the project.

2. In 2002, following the decision to submit a bid for ECoC, the City Council began by setting up a Special Cultural Capital Committee. Later, it established the Cultural Capital Office, which works to promote the cultural programme and is responsible for the management of the process, working directly with the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation. These two bodies have jointly supervised the preparation of this Pre-selection Dossier, and have generally managed the bid.

3. All the city’s institutions have contributed resources to the Córdoba 2016 bid, in the form of funding, or through coordinated programming, or by placing their premises and staff at the service of the ECoC bid.

4. A great deal of work has been done to promote the project and to encourage the active interest of the whole of local society. For example, various channels have been established to allow local companies to participate within the structure of the Córdoba Cultural City Foundation. Córdoba’s leading companies have signed a manifesto declaring their support for the Córdoba 2016 project, and a similar manifesto has been signed by the representatives of 69 towns and villages in the province.

A series of meetings has been scheduled with a view to promoting the core concepts of the bid amongst the leading civic associations and in the media.

5. The Córdoba Cultural City Foundation is run by a Board comprising representatives of the founding institutions, and is chaired by the Mayor of Córdoba.

An Advisory Committee evaluates the decisions adopted. An Executive Committee has also been created to allow matters to be handled smoothly.

6. The General Directorate of the Foundation will have maximum executive responsibility. Specifically, it will be responsible for a General Coordination unit covering the following area directorates: Artistic, Promotion and Participation, Economic and Financial, and Sponsorship Management.

7. The Artistic Directorate, a major pillar of the whole structure, will be responsible for coordinating and producing the programme of events, and the Technical Office (which will cater for the material requirements for each event). The Promotion and Participation Directorate will adopt an integrated approach to promoting the event, through the media and through new digital formats, and will also be responsible for customer services and volunteer services, both within and beyond the city. The Economic and Financial Directorate will be responsible for management, budgeting and accountancy, and human resources. A Sponsorship Management Directorate will be established, and will work closely with the other areas.

8. Córdoba already has a programme of regular contributions from all the founding institutions that make up the Board of the Foundation; these contributions are intended either to cover running costs or to cover the cost of joint cultural events included in the programme Córdoba in 16 Mode.

9. It is essential that the Government apply the same tax incentives for sponsorship that it has already applied to other major sporting events, such as the Olympic Games.

If Córdoba is designated ECoC, four levels of funding are envisaged: Direct contributions to the budget by full members of the specific body created to manage the ECoC: public administration, all the local, provincial, regional and national institutions belonging to the management foundation or consortium.

The European Commission Melina Mercouri Prize and other EU funding in the form of joint financing of European projects through policies and community programmes.

Sponsorship and patronage in the form of transfers from private companies at local, national and international level. Donations Resources generated by the foundation or consortium itself through royalties, sale of tickets, sale of publications, merchandising, etc.

Since the investments and facilities required for the ECoC (as outlined in Chapter 6) are already in place, we can claim, unreservedly, that Córdoba has done its duty well, will have sufficient capacity in terms of infrastructure to embark upon an extensive, varied programme of events for 2016 which will be truly international in scope, and will be able to guarantee the quality and excellence of the events organised for the ECoC.

x conclusions

X

Conclusions

368

X

369

Conclusions

“There are those (...including the authors of this book) who think that pluriethnicity and multiculturalism are sources of economic and cultural richness for urban societies. But even those who are alarmed by the disappearance of social homogeneity, and by the social tensions to which that gives rise, must accept the new reality: our societies, in all latitudes, are and will be multicultural, and cities (especially large cities) are where the greatest degree of diversity is concentrated. Learning to live together in that situation, knowing how to manage cultural exchange on the basis of ethnic difference, and tackling the inequalities caused by discrimination, are essential aspects of new local policy in the conditions brought about by new global interdependence.”

Jordi Borja and Manuel Castells, La ciudad multicultural.

T

he city of Córdoba, in bidding to be designated European Capital of Culture in 2016, is in a position to organise the events comprising this international encounter, thanks to considerable planning work by local institutions and, above all, to the enthusiasm of its citizens, who have taken this project to their hearts. The idea of launching this bid, which dates back to 2001, has given clearer shape to an ongoing project intended to transform the city, the area and the local economy with a view to addressing a shared challenge: to make Córdoba a European landmark in 2016. The city can provide all the material structures required and, above all, has the backing of local society; the citizens feel that their chance has come, and that this is the time to move forward. Córdoba’s bid comprises rather more than just a series of cultural activities whose implementation is to a greater or lesser extent assured. It offers the international jury a programme that seeks to go beyond 2016, and that has already borne fruit; a chance to enhance the links between Córdoba and a range of European networks within the context of a society based on knowledge and creativity.

Córdoba has no wish to become something that it is not now, and has never been. The project set forth in this Cultural Programme is based, first and foremost, on the historical and symbolic heritage of a city that has always been a crossroads, a place for dialogue between different civilisations and beliefs. The city seeks to build on its Roman, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Gypsy foundations, in order to regain the central role it has enjoyed at other times in history. Secondly, the programme marks an attempt to establish a more solid model of city, able to generate a contemporary outlook by blending the ancient, the modern and the renewed. Córdoba is a medium-sized city, located within the Mediterranean sphere of influence; over the centuries, it has become a symbol of peaceful coexistence between peoples in many parts of the world, and has played a key role in the international flow of people and ideas. All this is summed up in the slogan for this bid: Córdoba, Europe: The future has roots.

The Córdoba 2016 project will not be feasible without the active involvement of local people. This bid relies on a long-standing participatory tradition, on a community approach to life in all its forms, that is clearly expressed in this shared enterprise. There are solid grounds for this reliance. According to the Observatory on Awareness and Evaluation of the project, the vast majority of local people are aware of the bid, and are willing to support it; at grass roots, there is growing confidence that the bid will be successful.

Nor will the 2016 ECoC programme have any meaning if it is not readily available to the whole of local society and indeed to all European citizens, regardless of their material and social access to culture. Equal opportunities in terms of access to the events scheduled are at the core of the work plan. Nobody must be excluded on the grounds of disability, age, income or social status. Culture generates cultural habits which, once acquired, cannot be taken away; the city therefore has a moral duty to address a broad public through appropriate careful planning. The events included in the Cultural Programme take into account the needs of many people with impaired mobility or limited access to culture for economic reasons.

This bid does not seek to conceal the fact that Córdoba is a city facing economic and social problems, like all cities in southern Spain whose labour market has been particularly badly hit by the economic crisis. Culture and Europe, in that sense, offer an opportunity for socioeconomic regeneration. There is a widespread conviction that the ECoC will foster diversification, create jobs, break down barriers, and provide the technological tools required to revitalise a stagnant economy. The bid will help to make culture a driving force in the local economy, by generating new professional profiles across the whole cultural value production chain; this, in turn, will encourage the development of a new city brand with international scope.

For many years, the city has made a specially determined effort to improve its connections with the surrounding area, and to provide the infrastructure required to strengthen the links between culture, heritage and tourism. Córdoba is well connected by major motorways and high-speed train, and its airport is currently being enlarged to receive international flights. Hotels have improved significantly, both in capacity and in quality, over the last few years, and Córdoba has become the sixth most popular cultural-tourism destination in Spain. This has been helped by its recognition as a World Heritage city, by its wealth of superb monuments – such as the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral) and the Madinat al-Zahra complex – and by the exploration of niche markets relating to religious, intercultural and language-learning activities.

The Córdoba 2016 project focuses on strengthening the city’s material and intangible assets. In material terms, the project seeks to create new cultural infrastructure and to take full advantage of long-term improvements in facilities which will still be meaningful after 1 January 2017; indeed, many of those facilities will be available for the preliminary activities scheduled for the period 2012-2015, intended to endow the project with a truly international profile. The infrastructure plan is intended to enhance public use of the banks of the River Guadalquivir, through initiatives such as the Córdoba Congress Centre and the Centre for Contemporary Creation, both part of a major project known as the Cultural Riverbank scheme; as a result, the Guadalquivir will regain its role as a channel of communication, which helped to make the city what it is today. A city-wide network of facilities has been drawn up, with a view to redefining the private and public use of space, fostering a more creative approach to the city’s streets and squares.

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At the same time, the project seeks to empower creators and cultural groups; the idea is that anyone who has a good idea should be able to put it into practice, either with public support or through the arrangement of private patronage or sponsorship. Today, Córdoba has one of the widest and most vibrant cultural programmes in Spain, largely because the 2016 challenge has encouraged support for traditional activities like the International Guitar Festival, whilst facilitating the creation of new events, such as Cosmopoética, which are already achieving renown in their specific fields. The whole process will be scientifically monitored; the economic, cultural and social impact of 2016 will be measured and evaluated through two different programmes (PIC 16 and LATIC16), and the results will be made available to future candidate cities. There will be a focus on fostering new links, on joining networks, forming strategic alliances and embarking on joint productions.

In short, the programme will transcend narrow city limits to become truly international in scope.

The Córdoba 2016 project is thoroughly and fervently European; this is apparent in the framework of 20 objectives set forth in this dossier. The programme takes as self-evident the idea that there are no various Europes; rather, there is a single community characterised by its need to transcend individual and collective differences. It also fulfils the criteria for meeting the major challenges that Europe will face in the future. Contemporary society requires that citizens understand each other and coexist peacefully; that local authorities strive to integrate their citizens as something more than mere consumers or taxpayers; that new strategies be implemented to deal with specific problems; and that production comply with environmentally-friendly criteria.

These are the four pillars of Córdoba’s bid: interculturalism, participation, innovation and sustainability.

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The vehicle for this transformation will be the programme of events (a brief outline is provided here), based on the concept of The Constellations of Córdoba. The programme takes for granted that the city forms part of a hugely important geographical network, that the past cannot be fully understood except from a contemporary perspective, that heritage and diversity are two sides of the same coin. The various themes of the programme reflect Córdoba’s ability to play a role in today’s world, by contributing to processes in which violence is replaced by dialogue. The programme highlights The Córdoba Paradigm as a formula – still valid today – which in the past allowed people of different religions to live together in peace, and by doing so to reach new pinnacles of achievement in the arts, in the sciences, and in philosophy.

The programme also stresses the importance of the word – in its broadest sense – as a vehicle for communication and creation, and the importance of art in all its multiple facets as the accumulation of sensations, and on the mixing and merging of cultures and creations.

Finally, it is intended to encourage a reflection on the city and the citizens, on possible ways of helping people to contribute their experience to the community as a whole. Every citizen is an element that helps to define the city’s personality, and to cope with the challenges facing Europe today.

Poland will play a major role in the programme of events, since a Polish city will also be designated European Capital of Culture in 2016. There has been no need to forge new links between Córdoba and Poland: history records relations between the court of Abd alRahman III and the first Polish king, Mieszko I. Today, many local businesses have large-scale projects in place in a number of Polish cities, and over the last few years economic relations have been strengthened by a series of trade missions, while educational links have been reinforced by international exchanges fostered by the University of Córdoba. The 2016 project has sought to enhance existing cultural exchanges with a view to establishing joint programmes before and during 2016.

All the city’s public institutions, and all its civic groups and associations, have worked in one way or another to ensure that Córdoba regains its rightful place in Europe. The Córdoba Cultural City Foundation will centralise the events scheduled during ECoC year, since it is a forum involving the city’s major political and cultural players. The 2016 project has the support of the towns and villages of the province of Córdoba, and of private companies which have undertaken to provide funding.

This Cultural Programme is itself the fruit of a joint effort by many people, and has been evaluated by international experts; as a result, it embodies the aspirations of a whole society.

Córdoba is not making this bid because it is the fashionable thing to do, nor because it has a fancy to organise a few events, nor as a reason for creating costly and unnecessary infrastructure. The 2016 project is a realistic, shared challenge; it offers a chance of improving the outlook for future generations; it will help to build synergies between a splendid past and a future still to be written. Behind this pre-selection dossier are the people of Córdoba; they have made a huge, voluntary effort to show Europe the best of their city, and to overcome the problems that have undermined its development. We have travelled for a long time, almost ten years, in search of a dream that was worth dreaming. We are confident that this dossier is a good piece of work, the fruit of a massive combined effort; tremendous devotion and resources have been invested in this collective aspiration to be European Capital of Culture in 2016. Let us, therefore, continue along this positive and fruitful path with a smile on our faces.

Annexes

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Córdoba – Basic Data

CORDOBA: BASIC DATA

How to get to Córdoba

LOCATION

POPULATION

COUNTRY Spain

45.828.172 inhabitants

AUTONOMOUS REGION Andalusia

8.302.923 inhabitants

PROVINCE

Córdoba

803.998 inhabitants

CAPITAL

Córdoba

328.428 inhabitants

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

37º 53’ North, 4º 46’ 4º 46’ West

HEIGHT ABOVE SEA LEVEL

106 metres

A) National and International

SURFACE AREA Córdoba City: 1.255,24 km2 Province: 13.550 km2 POPULATION DENSITY: CITY OF CORDOBA

261,65 inhabitants per km2

Population pyramid, Córdoba city, 2009 Age distribution Source: Córdoba population statistics, distribution by age group.

Córdoba City Council, data obtained 1 January 2009

15.000

10.000

5.000

0

0

Railway infrastructure1

5.000

Over 84 80-84

10.000

15.000

Córdoba has had a high-speed rail service since 1992, with the inauguration of the Madrid-Córdoba-Seville line. According to the state railway company Renfe, a total of 50.7 million passengers have travelled on the line to date.

The Spanish government’s commitment to extending the high-speed network across the country puts Córdoba in a central position, not only because of its connection with the capital city, Madrid, but also because of its direct connection with Barcelona and other regional capitals in the north of Spain and, when the line is completed between Spain and France, cities in the rest of the continent. This new network brings us considerably closer to the major European capitals.

75-79

The trains are remarkable for their frequency as well as their speed: a train leaves Madrid for Córdoba every half an hour. The service creates what is effectively an uninterrupted link between the two cities.

70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

· · · · · ·

Córdoba-Madrid by AVE (high-speed train): 1 hour 45 minutes (one train every half an hour) Córdoba-Ciudad Real by AVE: 40 minutes Córdoba-Puertollano by AVE: 42 minutes Córdoba-Zaragoza by AVE: 2 hours 35 minutes Córdoba-Lleida by AVE: 3 hours 35 minutes Córdoba-Barcelona by AVE: 4 hours 40 minutes

Only direct services were used for the purposes of this table. The high-speed network has been significantly extended thanks to state initiatives. Cities such as Valladolid and Valencia also now benefit from the advantages of this technology. Spain is one of the leading countries in the world in the use of this type of transport.

The high-speed train network also links Córdoba to cities with intercontinental, international and national airports, which give Córdoba travelling times that are extremely competitive on a national scale of comparison.

These links are as follows:

30-34 25-29

With Madrid (Madrid-Barajas Airport)

20-24 15-19

·

10-14 5-9 0-4

No. Women

Córdoba’s main high-speed rail links with the rest of Spain are currently as follows:

No. Men

1 See Fig. 1, page 19.

Connection by high-speed train journey lasting one hour 45 minutes via Atocha station. Madrid-Barajas is the largest airport in Spain, and the fourth largest in Europe, with 50 million passengers per annum. It is the continent’s main gateway to Latin America.

How to get to Córdoba

How to get to Córdoba

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Airport infrastructure

With Málaga (Málaga-Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport)

B) Regional

·

Córdoba occupies a strategic position in the railway network in southern Spain. The line from Madrid forks in Córdoba, heading respectively for Málaga and Seville, from where there are services to Huelva and Cádiz.

In future there will be high-speed link from Antequera, in Málaga province, to Granada, a project that will be completed with the Transverse Rail Link, a line that will connect Huelva and Seville with Granada and Almería and form the new backbone for the Andalusian rail network.

50-minute connection via María Zambrano station, and in the future a direct connection with the airport terminal is planned. Málaga airport, recently revamped, is the fourth largest in Spain and the twenty-second largest in Europe, with 13 million passengers every year. It plays an important role in serving tourism for the whole of the Andalusian coast.

With Seville (Sevilla-San Pablo airport) ·

45-minute connection via Seville-Santa Justa highspeed train station. Seville-San Pablo airport is the twelfth largest in Spain with 4.4 million passengers a year. It offers flights to the Canaries, North Africa and major European cities.

This investment has the potential of producing great benefits for the ECoC, in the event of Córdoba being chosen. It brings the number of visitors who will be able to travel to Córdoba to participate in cultural activities – even returning to their homes the same day – to four million, i.e. half the population of Andalusia.

Aside from the 330,000 people living in Córdoba and the 800,000 inhabitants of the wider province, the main cities of Andalusia will have journey times of between one and two hours once the network extensions mentioned above are completed. These cities are: · · · ·

Seville: 700,000 inhabitants and a metropolitan area of 46 municipalities and 1.5 million people.

Málaga: 560,000 inhabitants and a metropolitan area with 1.5 million people.

Granada: 240,000 inhabitants.

Jaén: 120,000 inhabitants.

This reduction in journey times to neighbouring cities will undoubtedly improve the mobility of all Andalusians. The existing lines enable passengers to travel from Córdoba to Seville in 40 minutes, to Málaga in 60 minutes, to Granada in 90 minutes, while the journey time to Jaén promises to be very similar.

Córdoba has an airport dating from the 1950s, six kilometres from the city centre, classified as a ‘third category’ airport. In aeronautical terms it is an aerodrome open to national and international traffic from countries party to the Schengen treaty, but does not have air traffic control services.

The railway network in Andalusia is thus made up of a combination of high-speed lines and other systems such as those that serve Cádiz, Huelva and Jaén. The journey to Cádiz takes two hours 45 minutes while the journey to Huelva takes one hour 52 minutes.

The Spanish government, through the publicly-owned company AENA, is tackling the lack of operating infrastructure through a modernisation programme for the current airport, with an estimated budget of €100 million. The work includes the extension of the existing runway, a new terminal and the infrastructure necessary for receiving national and international flights.

Part-way stations in the province of Córdoba have been added to these regional high-speed lines, which benefit or will benefit surrounding municipalities. The CórdobaMálaga high-speed line stops at Puente Genil, while to the north of Córdoba a station is being added in the area of Los Pedroches, in the town of Villanueva de Córdoba.

In addition there is a connected system of mid-distance and local train services, currently being improved with a planned transfer of responsibilities from the Ministry of Public Works to the Andalusian Regional Council. There are plans to establish a permanent service in the Guadalquivir Valley that will improve connections between provinces as well as helping to protect the environment.

Córdoba currently has a local train service, running every ten minutes, connecting the city’s main station to the university campus at Rabanales.

Among other things it is currently used for military flights, passenger charter flights, aerial photography, flying courses, parachute clubs, crop-spraying flights and organ transplant flights for Reina Sofía Hospital.

The extension works in progress will firmly place Córdoba on the map of national and European public civil airports. They are set to finish prior to 2013.

With the extension of its runway and apron, the airport will be suitable for normal short-haul aircraft. It will be possible to fly to Córdoba from Europe and North Africa.

Currently the number of travellers coming to Córdoba via the airport is very small, for the reasons mentioned.

Of those who travel to Andalusia by aeroplane, the majority of Córdoba’s visitors come via the airports in Seville (142 km.), Málaga (159 km.) and Granada (237 km.).

Córdoba airport plays a role in health, leisure, courier and spraying operations.

How to get to Córdoba

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379

Access by road Source: Dirección General de Carreteras

Access by road

Córdoba is connected to the rest of the country by an excellent network of roads, ensuring ease of access for private and public vehicles alike. The A-4 dual motorway, connecting Madrid with Cádiz, runs next to the city, north of the A-92 (which crosses Andalusia) and the N-432 which runs diagonally from Badajoz via Córdoba to Granada. There is also the recently-built Costa del Sol dual motorway, the A-45, which has brought the cities of Córdoba and Málaga even closer together. The N-331 had previously been the road used for this journey.

Other projects deriving from this plan that will lead to improvements in transport connections are an upgrading of the A-431 in the Guadalquivir Valley, linking Córdoba and Palma del Río; improvements in access routes to Puertollano and Ciudad Real (Castilla-La Mancha) via the N-420 and the creation of the A-306 trunk road between El Carpio (Córdoba) and Torredonjimeno (Jaén).

The continuous programme of improvements in the secondary road network is also very important because these roads are essential in maintaining connections between the municipalities and the provincial capital.

Three projects will improve this strategic position even more radically. The first is the A-81, an ambitious motorway that will link the Extremadura region, near the border with Portugal, and Granada in the east of Andalusia. In the north, this motorway will connect with the A-43 running between Puertollano (Ciudad Real) and Mérida. The A-81 will improve Córdoba’s traffic circulation, thanks to a new section for heavy goods vehicles that will thus run further from the built-up area. The second important project is the Córdoba-Toledo motorway, currently at the pre-planning stage, which will improve the Iberian Peninsula’s north-south transport links. Finally, it is worth highlighting the projects that make up the Infrastructure Plan for Transport Sustainability in Andalusia (Spanish acronym: PISTA), which will strengthen road links in the region, with schemes such as the Olivar motorway linking Úbeda (Jaén) and Estepa (Seville), passing through Córdoba province en route.

The principle approach roads to the city of Córdoba are the A-4, A-45, N-331, N-432, CO-31, CO-32, A-431, A-3051 and the CP-021. There are by-passes to the south, east and west of the city. The most recent to come into service was the western by-pass, which includes a new crossing over the Guadalquivir, christened Andalusia Bridge. This road enables convenient and practical access to the expanding areas at the edge of the city. The western by-pass, which is in the process of being built, will connect the A-4 with the industrial areas to the west of the city crossing the new Ibn Firnas Bridge, dedicated to the first man to attempt to fly. A northern by-pass is also planned; this will complete the ring-road going all the way round the city and will be built by a public-private initiative with an initial budget of €220 m.

The city of Córdoba, aware of the importance of energy sustainability, has made a significant commitment to promoting public transport and modes of transport that minimise pollution.

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CULTURAL PROGRAMME CREDITS EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS Chairman

Andrés Ocaña Rabadán, Mayor of Córdoba Vice-Chairman

Francisco Pulido Muñoz, President, Córdoba Provincial Council Ex officio Board Members Isabel Ambrosio Palos, Andalusian Regional Council Representative in Córdoba José Manuel Roldán Nogueras, Chancellor, University of Córdoba Board members representing Founding Institutions Representing the City Council

Rafael Blanco Perea Rosa Candelario Ruiz Manuel Pérez Pérez Juan José Primo Jurado Representing Córdoba Provincial Council

Elena Cortés Jiménez José Mariscal Campos Mª José Montes Pedrosa Representing the Andalusian Regional Council

Joaquín Dobladez Soriano Juan Torres Aguilar Rafaela Valenzuela Jiménez Representing the University of Córdoba

Angelina Costa Palacios Ramón Montes Ruiz Manuel Torres Aguilar Management Carlota Álvarez Basso, Manager, Córdoba Cultural City Foundation Manuel Pérez Pérez, Director, Cultural Capital Office Drafting Committee Mª Dolores Baena Alcántara, Director, Córdoba Archeological and Ethnological Museum Javier Flores Castillero, Cultural manager, artist and exhibiton curator Pablo García Casado, Director, Andalusian Film Institute; writer Eugenio González Madorrán, Architect Carlos Hernández Pezzi, Architect Alberto Martín Expósito, Art critic and exhibition curator.

General Coordinator of the Salamanca European Capital of Culture, 2002; at present Cultural Coordinator at the University of Salamanca Juan Miguel Moreno Calderón, Professor of Piano and Director of the “Rafael Orozco” School of Music Pedro Ruiz Pérez, Professor of Spanish Literature at the University of Córdoba Octavio Salazar Benítez, Professor of Constitutional Law and Director General for Culture at the University of Córdoba

Advisors to the Drafting Committee Francisco Aguilera Fuentes, Staff member, Córdoba Cultural City Foundation Juan Carlos Limia Mateo, Staff member, Department of Culture, Córdoba City Council Javier Lucena Domínguez, Staff member, Cultural Capital Office External advisors Monika Bonet Poliwka, Adviser, Polish affairs Guy Dockendorf, Director General of the Ministry of Culture of Luxembourg, Vice-President of Luxembourg, European Capital of Culture 1995; chairman of the organising board of “Luxembourg and Greater Region, European Capital of Culture, 2007”.

Mercedes Giovinazzo, Chair, Access to Culture Platform; Director, Interarts Colin Mercer, Independant consultant Eduard Miralles, Head of International Cultural Relations, Barcelona Provincial Council; Chairman, Interarts Antonio Taormina, Director, ATER Formazione Collaborators Eloisa Acosta Fernández, Department of Youth, Córdoba City Council Juan Aljama Morilla, Accessibility Office, Projects Service, Town Planning Department, Córdoba Carmen Fátima Blanco Valdés, Lecturer in Italian Philology, University of Córdoba Pedro Caro González, Municipal Office, Old Town Luis Carreto Clavo, Chairman, Córdoba Business Confederation (CECO) Anabel Carrillo Lafuente, Chair, Social Council, University of Córdoba Antonio J. Castillejo Carmona, SurGESTIÓN, Córdoba Joaquín Criado Costa, Director of the Royal Academy of Science, Art and Literature of Córdoba Mohammed Dahiri, General Coordinator, Department of Social Welfare, Consumer Protection and Public Health, Córdoba City Council Paula Estebaranz Berzal, Director General for Equality, Youth and Cooperation, Córdoba City Council José Manuel Fernández Martín, Director Pro-Immigrant Association (APIC)-Andalucía Acoge Fuensanta García de la Torre, Director, Fine Arts Museum, Córdoba Quim Larrea Cruces, Chairman Surgenia, Andalusian Technological Design Centre Foundation Francisco López Gutiérrez, Adviser, Villamarta Theatre, Jerez Rocío López Lozano, Director, Department of Citizen Participation, Córdoba City Council Juan Luis López Vázquez, Director, Spanish Tourist Office in Rome

Javier Martín Fernández, Lawyer, Chairman of Bodegas Campos Foundation Juan Pedro Monferrer Sala, Lecturer in Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Córdoba Antonio Molina Flores, University of Seville Pedro Montero Tordera, Manager, University Foundation for the Development of Córdoba Province (FUNDECOR), University of Córdoba Eduardo Moyano Estrada, Manager, Andalusian Institute of Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC) Juan Muñoz Bellido, Manager, Córdoba Green Areas /Association for the Social Defense of Adolescentents and Children (ZOVECO/ ASDAM) Rogelio Palacios Chups, Director, Andalusian Youth Institute, Córdoba (IAJ) Francisco Paniagua Merchán, Manager, Department of Town Planning, Córdoba Carlos Pardo García, Cultural manager Manuel Pérez Cortés, General Coordinator, Mayor’s Office, Córdoba City Council Rafael Pérez de la Concha Camacho, Department of Tourism and World Heritage, Córdoba City Council Mª José Peña Vélez, Director, Rural Training and Innovation (FIR) Manuel Pimentel Siles, Director, Editorial Almuzara Valentín Priego Ruiz, Chairman, Córdoba Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment (IMDEEC) Antonio Ramos Pemán, Manager, Tourist Board, Córdoba Provincial Council Ángel Ramírez Troyano, Andalusian Institute of Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC) Gaia Redaelli, Director, Contemporary Architecture Foundation Federico Rodríguez Ardila, Manager, Córdoba Tourist Board Diego Ruiz Alcubilla, Manager, Rafael Botí Fine Arts Foundation Rafael Ruiz Pérez, Director Municipal Public Libraries of Córdoba Francisco Ruiz Montero, Culture expert, Comarca Valle del Guadiato María Serrano García, Director Madinat Al-Zahara Interpretation and Management Centre Miguel Ángel Troitiño, Complutense University of Madrid Mercedes Tirado Pastor, Culture expert, Córdoba Provincial Council Antonio Vallejo Triano, Director, Madinat Al-Zahara archeological site

Collaborating bodies Andalusian Institute of Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC), Córdoba Córdoba Business Confederation (CECO) Contemporary Architecture Foundation, Córdoba Interarts Foundation, Barcelona Other bodies involved Andalusian Youth Institute, Córdoba (IAJ) Bodegas Campos Foundation Citizen Participation Department, Córdoba City Council Córdoba Green Areas /Association for the Social Defense of Adolescents and Children (ZOVECO/ASDAM) Córdoba Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment (IMDEEC) Córdoba Tourist Board Department of Arabic Studies, University of Córdoba Department of Social Welfare, Consumer Protection and Public Health, Córdoba City Council Department of Tourism and World Heritage, Córdoba City Council Department of Town Planning, Córdoba Editorial Almuzara Fine Arts Museum, Córdoba General Coordination, Mayor’s Office, Córdoba City Council General Directorate for Equality, Youth and Cooperation,Córdoba City Council Madinat- Al Zahara Archeological ComplexSite Madinat Al-Zahara Interpretation and Management Centre Municipal Public Libraries of Córdoba Museum and Institutional Headquarters of the Madinat alZahara Archaeological Complex Pro-Immigrant Association (APIC)-Andalucía Acoge Rafael Botí Fine Arts Foundation Royal Academy of Science, Art and Literature of Córdoba Rural Training and Innovation (FIR) Tourist Board, Córdoba Provincial Council University Foundation for the Development of Córdoba Province (FUNDECOR), University of Córdoba Youth Department, Córdoba City Council

Edition

Photography

Juan José Fernández Palomo María José Martín Gordillo Rafael Ruiz Gómez de Aranda

Rafael Alcaide Tete Álvarez Raúl Aparicio Lola Araque Rafael Barrios Pilar Barrionuevo José Luis Caballano Álvaro Carmona Rafa Carmona Ezequiel Castellanos Toni Castillo Guillaume Cattiaux (Flickr) Arturo Chamorro Luis Colmenero Raúl Gaitán José F. Gálvez Rafael García Castejón Alfredo Infante García-Pantaleón HBarrison (Flickr) Juan López Juan Manuel López del Prá Rafael Madero Cubero José Martínez Rafael Mellado

Style

María José Martín Gordillo Editorial coordination

Belén Medina Baquerizo Editorial Assistance

María de los Angeles Fernández Cantueso Rafaela de la Haba Boyer Nicolás Molina Josende Antonio Prior Sánchez Manuel Rueda Úbeda Graphics coordinator

Braulio Valderas Pérez Photographs courtesy of

ABC Córdoba Asociación Fotográfica Cordobesa (AFOCO) El Día de Córdoba

Edition, English version

Mauricio Mergold Valerio Merino Stephanus Meyer José Antonio Modelo Rafa Montes José Moreno Miguel Ángel Moreno NASA (Craig Maythew y Robert Simmon) José Carlos Nievas Samira Ouf Randomskk (Flickr) Bruno Rascão Alicia Reguera Antonio Rueda Cornelia Steffens Stig Ove Voll (Flickr) Surizar (Flickr) Juan Manuel del Toro Braulio Valderas luc.viatour (Flickr)

Paul Edson Translation

Traducciones Eurolingua S.C., Córdoba Paul Edson Araceli Montero Valdivia Hartley Moorhouse Design and layout

é, Córdoba Printing

Brizzolis, Madrid

Córdoba, june 2010 Copyrights © Of this edition, Fundación Córdoba Ciudad Cultural © Of the texts and the translations, their authors © Of the photographs, their authors The Córdoba Cultural City Foundation has made every possible effort to locate the copyright holders of the photographs published here. We apologise in advance for any error or omission, which will be rectified in subsequent editions.

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