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A cultural programme moves beyond its first three cities
Poland is preparing to extend its Polish Capitals of Culture programme beyond the initial cycle covering 2026–2028. The Culture Ministry announced on 28 October that it will launch a competition for the title of Polish Capital of Culture 2030, with the first stage expected to begin in the first half of 2027.
The announcement gives the initiative a longer-term perspective at a time when its first edition is still under way. Bielsko-Biała is holding the title in 2026, followed by Katowice and the Upper Silesian–Zagłębie Metropolis in 2027, and Kołobrzeg in 2028. The programme is intended to give cities a national platform for culture while connecting artistic activity with local development and community life.
From one-off events to a continuing framework
The initiative was created after Poland’s competition to become European Capital of Culture 2029. Lublin won that contest, while Bielsko-Biała, Katowice and Kołobrzeg were also finalists. The national programme was designed to preserve the value of the work prepared by those cities and to provide them with an opportunity to realise parts of their cultural plans.
The National Cultural Centre, which operates the programme, describes Polish Capitals of Culture as an initiative supporting the cultural development and visibility of Polish cities. Its current framework combines artistic projects with questions of local identity, social integration, quality of life and the use of cultural resources in wider regional strategies.
That approach distinguishes the programme from a simple festival calendar. Each host city develops its own concept and uses its own cultural institutions, public spaces, artists and community organisations. The result is a sequence of city-based programmes rather than a single centrally imposed model.
Different cities, different priorities
Bielsko-Biała’s 2026 programme has focused on wellbeing, social relationships and the quality of everyday life. The city’s cultural concept links creativity with nature and community, reflecting its location between an urban centre and the Beskid landscape.
Katowice and the wider metropolitan area are scheduled to take over in 2027 with a programme titled “Play!”. According to the ministry, the concept is designed to encourage broad participation in culture. That emphasis is significant for a metropolitan area made up of many municipalities and neighbourhoods with distinct histories and identities.
Kołobrzeg is due to hold the title in 2028 under the theme “I Sea You”. Its programme is expected to connect culture with the Baltic coast, local residents, nature and environmental challenges. The three host concepts therefore place different aspects of urban and regional life at the centre: social wellbeing, participation and the relationship between culture and the natural environment.
What the 2030 competition may mean for Polish cities
The ministry has not yet published the full rules of the 2030 competition. It said that the detailed assumptions will be presented to local governments in Katowice on 2 December, when consultations are also due to begin.
The next stage could give municipalities time to develop cultural strategies in cooperation with residents, institutions and local creative communities. Preparing a bid for a national cultural title often requires cities to map existing organisations, identify underused spaces and define how culture can reach people outside established venues.
For smaller and medium-sized cities, such a process can also provide a way to articulate priorities beyond tourism promotion. Libraries, museums, theatres, schools, community centres and independent cultural groups may all become part of a broader local conversation about belonging and public life.
A national title with a local focus
The continuation of the programme does not replace Lublin’s role as European Capital of Culture in 2029. Instead, the Polish title is intended to create a parallel national framework for cities whose cultural potential may not fit the European competition’s timetable or scale.
The ministry’s decision means that the current sequence will not end with Kołobrzeg. More Polish cities will have the opportunity to present locally rooted cultural programmes, build partnerships and test ways of making public culture more accessible.
For residents, the value of the initiative will ultimately be measured less by the title itself than by what remains after the official year: stronger institutions, new collaborations, better use of public spaces and a greater sense that cultural life belongs to the whole city. The 2030 competition will now begin to take shape through the consultation process planned for December.
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