Cities of culture with ambitions

Copenhagen's Mayor of Culture and Recreation, Pia Allerslev, recently visited her counterpart, Senator Reinhard Stuth, Hamburg's Mayor of Culture and Media. The purpose of the meeting was to exchange experiences and expectations for cultural collaboration across the Fehmarnbelt Region once the fixed link across Fehmarnbelt has been completed. The visit has inspired Pia Allerslev to strengthen the two cities' future collaboration.

Both parties agree on the need for a fixed link as well as on the benefits inherent in stronger cultural collaboration between the two cities following the completion of the fixed link.

Copenhagen and Hamburg both have great cultural ambitions and the German Senator and the Danish Mayor share the view that a healthy cultural infrastructure is an important pre-requisite for a vibrant cultural life and as a platform for creativity and innovation.

“Culture builds bridges between regions,” Pia Allerslev commented after the meeting. “But culture should not be an alibi that can be used to promote the Fehmarnbelt Region if genuine cultural collaboration doesn't exist.”

“After my visit to Hamburg, it was clear that there are more similarities than differences between our two cities. There is great potential for exploiting these similarities for everyone’s benefit.

“At the same time, we’ve already learned many lessons since the opening of the bridge to Sweden – good and not so good. We can, of course, use these when we embark on the new “Culture Bridge” or “Culture Tunnel” project. In this way, we can help to create a strong region in Northern Europe comprising Hamburg, Malmö and Copenhagen and its surrounding areas.

"There are many strategic aspects to consider in terms of which aspects to focus on. As Mayor of Culture and Recreation, I think it's natural to begin with culture and then move on to growth. It’s all part and parcel of the same thing.

”Last but not least, it would be fantastic if all these good ideas and initiatives could be linked together by high-speed train services from Copenhagen to Hamburg so that the physical distance becomes just as short as the distance between our ways of looking at cultural life.”