The battle for the title of European Capital of Culture (ECOC) 2026 culminates. Unusually, but especially interestingly, the city of Trenčín submitted its application for the final phase of the competition.

The application began its journey, the so-called BidBook, at Trenčín Castle. From the highest point in Trenčín, from Matúš's tower, it was brought to the ground by a climber Jaroslav Dutka by abseiling in a special bag. Subsequently, the book was taken over by the mayor of the regional town.

From the very beginning, the city of Trenčín has been supporting the Trenčín self-governing region with the regional tourism organization Trenčín region in an effort to obtain the ECOC 2026 title. "I am glad that the Trenčín County also put its hand to the work. Whether in life, in the family, in business, but also in politics, it is important to join forces so that you can achieve something. That is why I am pleased with the mutual cooperation of the region, the city of Trenčín, the city of Trenčianske Teplice and the University of Trenčín A. Dubček in Trenčín. I believe that together we have a chance of success. At the same time, I thank all the young, skilful people who are working on this project, " said the mayor of Trenčín, Jaroslav Baška. "I thank the Trenčín mayor and the regional deputies. Without their support, we could not be successful. If we ran only as a city, our chances would be slim. The support of the whole region is extremely important for us, " added the mayor of Trenčín Richard Rybníček.

The BidBook from Trenčín took the direction of Bratislava, where the Trenčín 2026 team handed it over to the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. The second and final round of hearings of the candidate cities is tentatively scheduled for December 7 and 8, 2021. In addition to Trenčín, the city of Nitra and Žilina are also fighting for the title.

Source: Dept. communication and international relations of TSK