Illustration of the section: mons-2015

The Project

Why Mons 2015?

After Antwerp, Brussels and Bruges, Mons, the cultural capital of Wallonia, a city of heritage and design, a firm member of several cross-border and European partnerships, is playing the card of “Créaffectivité”, new technologies, and sustainable development dedicated by its contract with the future.

“Créaffectivité” is the thread linking all the projects marking the route to 2015. It consists of binding closely together the concepts of creation, creativity, in the most innovative sense of the word, with those of affectivity, solidarity, and active participation by the citizens.

The new technologies linked with art will also structure the 2015 projects, like the walkway signed by the architect Santiago Calatrava which, above the station, will link the two sides of Mons, its heritage, and its future development.

Finally, this project will be a long journey : new infrastructures already opened in Mons, in particular the Théâtre du Manège (classified by the newspapers Le Soir and De Standaard as the best architectural building of the French-speaking community) and the BAM/Beaux-Arts Mons. 

In addition, the projects we will be developing in Mons, as well as with our partners in Hainaut and the French and Flemish communities of Nord/Pas-de-Calais, all have a stake in the sustainable restructuring of Mons over time.

Where technology meets culture

The theme running through the event will be : « Mons, where technology meets culture ».
This will form a link between the city’s heritage and cultural past and its development as a centre for the digital technologies and arts, and will attempt, for example, to reduce the gap between baroque music and Google, Renaissance painting and Numediart, symbolist poetry and Microsoft. Going beyond words and symbols,  architect Santiago Calatrava will make this proposition a reality by designing the new Station as a link between the historic town and the town of technology. It is really a matter of guiding the town towards a new status which will benefit future generations.

Routes and compass rose

The territory involved in the event can be seen in a series of concentric circles drawn round Mons. These themed routes cross from side to side, signposting the trail to and from Mons of a series of events inviting visitors to stop by the wayside.
These stops become more frequent as one approaches Mons.

The first circle is the city of Mons itself with its 19 peripheral districts.

The second is the Province of Hainaut, of which Mons is the administrative centre.  The multiplicity of the interactions between these main districts and institutions makes it a territory with obvious partnerships.

The third consists of the other main towns of the French-speaking community (Brussels, Liège, Namur) which, if Mons is selected, must share in that honour, the main towns of the Flemish-speaking community who have expressed a wish to join the project, formalizing at this level the first cultural interaction between the two Belgian communities (Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Kortrijk, Mechelen), and finally the Nord Département, closely linked with the Province of Hainaut by a recent cultural agreement, in particular through the intermediary of towns which already partner Mons at various cultural levels, Lille, Valenciennes and Maubeuge.

I’ll be 20 in 2015

This is a truly educational and associative long-term project consisting of a vast operation to raise awareness in an age group of the concept of European Capital of Culture, on a forward-looking and symbolic theme « I’ll be 20 in 2015 ».



It involves every child who has gone into second year secondary in September 2008.
We are committed to following them through until 2015, regardless of the educational, geographical, or family circumstances of their future paths, offering them each year a series of special educational and entertaining activities which will give them a real feeling of belonging in relation to the coming event.
These young people also form a formidable network, ’ambassadors working within their families, their associations, and their sports clubs.
They will have name cards entitling them to a range of advantages including reductions for the cultural activities in the area.

Partnership with the Czech town

Mons has a clear wish to link up as closely as possible with the town – Czech in this case – which will be European Capital of Culture alongside it. In fact, every year, two European towns share the title of European Capital of Culture. In 2015, the second country to host a European capital will be none other than the Czech Republic.
The nature of the exchanges will obviously depend on the choice of town and the opportunities for partnership it presents.
Without waiting for the final selection by the European Commission, Mons has already started to forge links with the town of Plzen, twinned with the town of Liège in Belgium, an established partner of Mons.

We went with a delegation from Liège to Plzen, the first Czech town to have officially declared its bid for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2015.
Why a delegation from Liège? Because Liège has been twinned with Plzen since 1965 and, in the context of our partnership with Liège, we have been able to benefit from the close contacts between Liège and Plzen.  


Plzen is a town with industries, brewing, metallurgy, and electronics. It also has at its heart an historic town, which has grown up since the Middle Ages round the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, and is a city of heritage and traditions, which wants to open up to emerging cultures.
During many conversations, in particular with Mrs. Krejsova, the Cultural Attaché, Mr. Duchek, the Economic Affairs Attaché, and Mr. Petr Simon, the Plzen 2015 Project Manager, we have been able to draw up the guidelines for a future collaboration:

- the creation of an area for circulating cultural exchanges between Mons, Liège, and Plzen
- Development of new technologies on the Plzen Borka site: possible partnership with our own projects, Virtualis (development within the framework of digital technologies) and Numediart (links between universities and business) – hosting trainees in Mons and Liège – proposed specific workshops linked with digital technologies (image and virtual sound) in Plzen
- Contemporary performing arts: possible exchanges in the field of music (Musiques Nouvelles Ensemble: a programme dedicated to young Czech composers) or the theatre. Possible hosting of the Plzen Puppet Theatre.
- More general beer-related themes: from the heavy industry (Plzen - Pilsner Urquell) to the craft industry (Mons - Saint Feuillien)
- Participation by Mons/Liège in the Bonjour Plzen Festival, which annually focuses on the French language
- Discussions to be held on possible exchanges of exhibitions: design (glass, etc.), Art Nouveau, and so on.
- Exchanges and correspondence between young people from Plzen and Mons via the “20 in 2015” e-teaching platform.

From this stay, we have gained the impression of a strong and warm wish for collaboration but, of course, as in Belgium, the official decisions have yet to be announced. In addition, in the coming years we must expect further bids from the Czech Republic and thus the opening up of further potential for partnerships.

We have just gathered that the City of Ostrava is also planning to bid for the title of European Capital of Culture. We recently met the team Ostrava 2015 during the IETM meeting in Bratislava. Contacts have been made in the perspective of creating partnerships with this Czech city.

Partnerships with the other European Capitals of Culture

Participation in the European Capitals of Culture programme

Example : Luxembourg 2007 : Exhibition of City Sonics, creation of Othello (produced by F. Dragone), creation of Motion duo (choreography by Michèle Noiret), concert by the Musiques Nouvelles Ensemble, Migrations exhibition (selection of posters from the Political Posters Triennial).

We are currently in the process of establishing contacts with the Pecs 2010 and Tallinn 2011 teams.

In our partnership with Linz 2009, the following events either are scheduled or have already taken place:

- as part of the Academy of the Impossible, 4 workshops have been organised by the CECN in Linz during 2008 and 2009. The theme of these workshops is digital sound and images.
- in October 2009, Austrian writer Franzobel will be in residence at the Mons Ecole d'Interprètes Internationaux.
- the Festival au Carré welcomed the French production of Sterne by Martina Winkel.
- Ulrich Fuchs, the director of the Linz 2009 project, gave a lecture at Mons Métropole on 14 January 2009.