We visited Pärnu to share experiences from the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024

Yesterday, August 13, representatives from all Pärnu County municipalities signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding in the garden of Wasa Resort, confirming their readiness to bid for the European Capital of Culture title for 2036. The agreement was signed by representatives of the City of Pärnu and the municipalities of Tori, Häädemeeste, Lääneranna, Põhja-Pärnumaa, Saarde, and Kihnu. Through this agreement, all seven municipalities affirmed their shared goal and willingness to cooperate.

Following the signing, Annela Laaneots, head of Tartu 2024, presented insights and experiences from the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 to the participants. “We are happy to share the experiences of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 so that future candidates can take our insights into account when preparing their bids, should they wish to do so,” said Laaneots. “Sharing experiences and knowledge with prospective candidates is a best practice among European Capitals of Culture.”

“There is a well-known truth: you can go faster alone, but you go further with like-minded people. We have a ten-year journey ahead of us, and naturally, to reach our goal, the city and county municipalities must join forces. I attach great importance to the journey itself: everything we achieve along the way—whether it is a new dance troupe, a cultural society, a cultural center, or anything else people wish to create—will remain for our people. That is what matters most. And even if Pärnu does not win the title for some reason, the journey will have left us with far more than we had when we started. That is where I see the true value of moving forward together,” said Pärnu Mayor Kristel Voltenberg.

The agreement is a statement of good will; the parties will specify concrete cooperation arrangements, roles, and resources in separate documents as the process unfolds.

The day concluded with a joint discussion among the participants, mapping out the major challenges facing the Pärnu region and considering how the journey toward becoming a European Capital of Culture could help address them.

The signing of the agreement was part of the preparatory work in the Pärnu region ahead of the official launch of the European Capital of Culture competition. At this stage, the focus is on building partnerships, organizing sectoral working groups, and establishing an evidence-based foundation for the application. The identified challenges and the results of the discussions provide input for future work—helping to guide the topics that working groups and partners will address in depth over the coming months, ensuring that the entire Pärnu region benefits from the journey, not just in the event of winning the title.