The European Capital of Culture is one of the European Union¿s most important cultural programmes, its significance transcending a narrow understanding of the cultural sphere. The scheme has been one of the foremost mechanisms contributing to the urban revival of European cities and increasingly close integration in many areas of social and cultural activity. The ECOC 2016 competition (2007-2011), entered by 11 Polish cities, took place in an exceptionally favourable context. The ECOC 2016 competition in Poland served as an impetus for many changes to take place in the participant cities. These particularly applied to the sociocultural sphere, encompassing such issues as a city¿s identity and social capital. Consequently, it became possible to create new urban narratives which also contributed to changes regarding the cities¿ images. In some cases, this could even be described as a real revolution which was able to take place as a result of unprecedented social mobilisation.

Pawe¿ Kubicki is a sociologist and works as an associate professor at the Institute of European Studies at the Jagiellonian University, Poland. His fields of interest are the sociology and anthropology of the city, European integration, nations and nationalisms in Central Europe.
Böena Gierat-Bierö is a political scientist and works as an associate professor at the Institute of European Studies at the Jagiellonian University, Poland. Her academic interests concentrated at cultural policies and European integration processes.
Joanna Orzechowska-Wac¿awska is a sociologist and economist. She works as an assistant professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of economics and sociology. Her current research focuses on the issues of national identity, contemporary nationalism and populism in Europe.

Introduction

1. The ECOC Programme and Urban Renewal

2. Research Premises and Methodology

3. Identity and Urban Narratives

The foreignness of cities as longue-durée heritage

The ECOC competition as a generational experience

Urban narratives

The image of the cities

Social capital

Lublin:

¿ód¿:

Katowice:

4. Cities' Cultural Policies in the Light of the ECOC

Competition

5. Urban Networks. Coalitions of Cities

From tournament of cities to coalition of cities

6. Infrastructure. New Cultural Institutions

Between Bilbao and Valencia

New cultural institutions in Poland in the light of the ECOC 2016

applications

The Katowice Culture Zone. Creativity in a modernist form

6 Contents

Gdäsk institutions: politics and culture

Szczecin and the "best buildings" in Europe and the world

Wroc¿aw's 'giant': the National Forum of Music

7. Europeanness and the Europeanisation of Polish Cities

The role of the ECOC competition in the debate on Europeanness

and Europeanisation of cities

The Europeanness of Polish cities in the light of the ECOC 2016

competition

8. Summary of Research

9. Appendix

Analysis of the applications of Polish cities bidding for the title of

European Capital of Culture 2016

Analysis of the initial programme briefs

1.Gdäsk: "Freedom of Culture. Culture of Freedom"

2.Katowice: "City of Gardens"

3.Lublin: "City in Dialogue"

4.¿ód¿: "(R)evolution of Imagination"

5.Poznä: "Poznä Cultural Storm"

6.Szczecin: "Power to Join"

7.Wroc¿aw: "Spaces for Beauty"

Cities in a process of change: redefining identity, re-evaluating the

function of the city, metamorphosis of the image

1.Gdäsk - an axiological discourse on freedom

2.Katowice: from industrial city to garden city

3.Lublin: generating local culture and aiming eastwards

4.¿ód¿: revolution versus evolution

5.Poznä: between economics and culture

6.Szczecin: cultural crossing of borders

7.Wroc¿aw: mental metamorphoses

Contents 7

Adaptation of European ideas (selected examples)

1.The "European dimension" criterion

2.The "City and residents" criterion

Innovativeness of the project (best examples)

Predicted short- and long-term consequences of implementation of

the ECOC 2016 projects

Bibliography