News

11 Culture and Resilience Action Plans received for 2026

We as the BSR Cultural Pearls project partnership are proud to share that 11 candidates have taken the final step on the pathway towards becoming BSR Cultural Pearls 2026 title holders by submitting their Culture and Resilience Action Plans (CuReAPs): Estonia: VormsiFinland: Kristinestad – KristiinankaupunkiGermany: Glücksburg, SchleswigLatvia: Cesvaine, RēzekneLithuania: Neringa, Pakruojis, VisaginasPoland: Krosno, Zagórz A big…

Smiltene Youth Collaboration with Artist fostering Pride and Local Identity at the Heart of the Community

Over the course of a week in August, young people from Smiltene, together with artist Viktorija Zeme, engaged in a creative project at Smiltene Active Recreation Park ‘Smiltiņš’, painting a park hut as part of a collaborative effort to shape the town’s new community space. The hut project is part of Smiltene’s broader activities during…

Meet the BSR Cultural Pearls Project at the European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels and online

From October 13-15, the European Week of Regions and Cities – Europe’s largest annual event for cities and regions – is taking place in Brussels, Belgium and online. Each year, policymakers, experts, and local leaders from across Europe come together to exchange ideas, share experiences, and explore solutions that strengthen regional development and cross-border cooperation….

Cultural Pearls Network Conference: Engage and Activate – Strengthening Communities through Culture in Płock

The city of Płock, Poland – one of the Cultural Pearls 2025 – hosted a vibrant international conference on culture-driven social resilience from 17 to 19 September 2025. Under the theme “Engage and Activate”, the Cultural Pearls Network and RESCOM partners came together for their second joint meeting, bringing together cultural actors, policymakers, and community…

BSR Cultural Pearls project hosts Strategic Roundtable during Macro-Regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days in Brussels

On 25 September, the BSR Cultural Pearls project had the pleasure of hosting a strategic roundtable during the Macro-Regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days in Brussels – bringing together stakeholders from all eight strategies (Alpine, Danube, Adriatic-Ionian, Baltic Sea, Atlantic, Western Mediterranean, Black Sea and Greater North Sea), political representatives, and cultural actors. The session…

Webinar: New Forms of Collaboration. Shaping CCI through Strategic Support and Cross-Sector Synergies

4th CuReAP Development Phase Webinar: New Forms of Collaboration: Shaping Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) through Strategic Support and Cross-Sector Synergies We invite you to join our next webinar on the topic of shaping CCI collaboration strategically and cross-sectoral. ur expert on these new forms of collaboration is Jorma Sarv, Strategy Consultant at Creativity Lab…

Culture for Resilience Forum 2025: Building stronger communities through culture

The Culture for Resilience Forum 2025 will take place in Varde, Denmark, from 25 to 27 November. The international event will explore how culture enhances resilience in municipalities and regions. Over three days, the programme will feature keynote speeches, hands-on workshops, a study trip, and the festive Cultural Pearls 2026 Award Ceremony — highlighting how…

Learning Session: Making it last. Sustainable Cultural Projects. Engaged Networks.

4th Pearl Learning Session: Making it last. Strategies for longterm sustainabilty in cultural projects and effective use of networks with expert Mieke Renders We invite you to join the upcoming Pearl Learning Session on the topic of long-term, sustainable strategies for cultural projects and effective use of networks. Our expert on ‘Making it last’ is Mieke Renders, Managing Director of Trans Europe…

Registration for BSR Culture for Resilience Forum 2025 is OPEN

Registration is now open for the final conference of the BSR Cultural Pearls project – Culture for Resilience Forum 2025, taking place from 25 to 27 November in Varde, Denmark.  Over three years, the project has empowered towns and cities across the Baltic Sea Region to use culture as a tool for building stronger, more inclusive…

Płock to Host Second Cultural Pearls Network Conference

From September 16–19, 2025, the city of Płock, Poland, will welcome the second Cultural Pearls Network conference. The event will bring together representatives from small and medium-sized cities awarded the BSR Cultural Pearls title in 2024 and 2025, as well as project partners from the BSR Cultural Pearls and RESCOM (Resilient Communities Learning Platform) initiatives,…