Developing the cultural life

by Ms Lise Thomsen and Mr Stefan B. Andersen

IN Kolding we see the cultural attractions as a very important factor in developing the municipality. The city also believes that development of its cultural life and a stronger cultural profile externally would support the overall development of the municipality by way of increased population as well as business activity. This goes hand in glove with our industrial policy of establishing the municipality of Kolding as the number one growth centre in Denmark.

Cultural attractions are seen as a very wide category, including e.g. theatres, museums, outdoor concerts and other happenings, sport stadiums, swimming pools and libraries, as well as a lively downtown area. We intend to create an interesting, harmonious town centre with a mixture of shopping venues, cultural attractions, educational offers, businesses and public residences. In the same spirit, happenings and events in public areas are used to create a lively downtown. This would include initiatives such as:

• The Kolding Cartoon Festival - three days of animation - with open workshops, cartoons in the movie theatre for the public schools, a downtown parade;
• Various small concerts throughout the town centre during the summer - Jazz, rock and pop;
• Eight major concerts with national entertain- ers in July and August, situated in the historic settings around downtown.

An interesting, aesthetic and well-balanced downtown will, of course, require urban preservation as well as creative development in the historic part of the city. By autumn 2007, the Nicolai cultural complex will be completed. Here, the historic buildings of an old school and the unique gathering space around the school yard will be reshaped into a modern cultural complex.

In 2006, a new Kolding Public Library was opened in the downtown as part of the policy to enhance the cultural attractions and educational offers. The library includes a large plaza free to be used for exhibitions and several conference rooms as well as smaller meeting rooms, all free of charge. And the location of the new library certainly enhances the liveliness of the downtown area. In 2006, the number of visitors has averaged 40,000 per month.