Report: Cultivating Resilience – 2025 In Review
The 2025 Summary Report for the BSR Cultural Pearls project is now available, offering a comprehensive look back at the most prolific year of the Cultural Pearls initiative to date.
The report explores how the six 2025 titleholder cities harnessed the power of culture to address pressing challenges commonly faced by small- and medium-sized municipalities across the Baltic Sea Region. Through innovative Culture and Resilience Action Plans (CuReAPs) and a vibrant events programme, these cities demonstrated how cultural initiatives can foster social resilience and community cohesion.
The 2025 Summary Report captures insights and reflections from each of the six titleholders of 2025: Smiltene (Latvia), Helsingborg (Sweden), Peipsiääre (Estonia), Płock (Poland), Kaskinen-Kaskö (Finland) and Alytus District (Lithuania). The report showcases their unique approaches to overcoming challenges commonly faced by small and medium-sized cities: including depopulation, youth outmigration, and weakening community ties. From Kaskinen-Kaskö’s open wooden house tours, which revitalised local heritage, to Płock’s “culture-to-go” model, which brought cultural experiences directly to residents, the 2025 Cultural Pearls employed boundless creativity to strengthen their communities.
2025 marked the most competitive year in the initiative’s history, with an international jury selecting the six most innovative and impactful CuReAPs from 14 strong applicants. Each city has exemplified how culture can serve as a catalyst for resilience, offering actionable solutions that inspire municipalities across the region.
The report also highlights the enriching events programme of 2025, which included dozens of webinars, two network conferences in Helsingborg and Płock, and the Culture for Resilience Forum. Collaborations with the Resilient Communities Learning Platform (RESCOM) further enhanced the programme, fostering exchanges of best practices between the Baltic Sea Region, Ukraine, and Moldova. These events provided invaluable opportunities for peer learning, networking, and the dissemination of innovative solutions to shared municipal challenges.
As the Cultural Pearls Network transitions into 2026 as an independent initiative, the report offers a preview of what the four new titleholders – Glücksburg (Germany), Kristinestad-Kristiinankaupunki (Finland), Krosno (Poland), and Schleswig (Germany) – can expect from their title year. With a programme full of peer learning and exchanges, these cities are set to build on the successes of their predecessors and further strengthen their communities through culture.
We invite municipalities, policymakers, and cultural practitioners to explore the 2025 Summary Report and discover how culture can drive meaningful change. For municipalities inspired to join this growing network, the 2027 call for applications will open in March. Useful information and inspiration for prospective applicants is available on the Cultural Pearls resource page. Updated contact information is now available for the National Contact Points (formerly Mentors) and the new Cultural Pearls Network Secretariat.
