InduCult (English version)

Illustration photo

Czech version

In the context of major societal and economic changes, Europe’s industrial societies have transformed into networked information societies that are increasingly based on knowledge-intensive services and creative industries. However, these developments are affecting territories in very different ways. Whilst urban agglomerations are preferred locations of the knowledge economy, smaller towns in rural environments become peripheralised. They often continue to have a small industrial base, but they do not equally succeed in attracting the knowledge economy.

InduCult2.0 brings together such regions with a distinct industrial past and present, situated outside major agglomeration areas in Central Europe. In the recent years, all of them have undergone deep transformation processes due to automation, adaptation to globalized production patterns and the opening of markets in the former state-led economies, thereby reflecting the growing economic and social disparities across Central Europe. The long economic predominance of industrial production has brought about a particular cultural setting in the project partners’ territories. It is made up of certain skills, attitudes, traditions as well as tangible monuments and artefacts. However, these regions are usually considered culturally less attractive and they are not utilizing the existing industrial culture to their full development potential.

The concept of Industrial Culture, fundamental to the project, is innovative by itself: So far, industrial culture has been a term used as a synonym for industrial heritage. Only recently, a re-interpretation as Industrial Culture has been heralded, going beyond heritage issues by including contemporary or upcoming cultural and creative resources. Whilst some aspects of this conceptual framework of Industrial Culture are already applied in some places, there is no comprehensive outline available yet. The strategic and scientific outputs of InduCult2.0 will for the first time provide a full overview of the potential of this concept. Pilot actions will prove its practical capability and serve as examples for exchange.

With InduCult2.0, we want to revive the cultural spirit of long-standing industrial regions in Central Europe. Together with local stakeholders, we rediscover and develop the positive elements of industrial communities. Specifically, project partners intend to:

The County Association of Local Action Groups (LAGs) of Karlovy Vary Region (KSMAS KK) will promote the added value of „Industrial Culture´s concept“ by defining it and disseminating its ideas. KSMAS KK will create an industrial identity and more attractive culture, which is connected with industry, through the realization of two pilot actions in the region. These pilot actions are planned for the purpose of verification of the concept. The first pilot action will focus on promoting and presenting production processes which are connected with regional industry (mobile show-cases as exhibitions of traditional procedures of production in the various factories). As a part of the second pilot action, cultural action will be organized which will present the traditions of regional industry to the public. Industrial Culture is often connected with Creative Industry which is not often prevalent in the Czech Republic. The aim is to get the term of Creative Industry into public awareness. This term can be explained as the utilization of human creativity for more attractiveness of industry.

Some of the project outputs can be viewed here:

T1.3.1_InduCult2.0 Regional argumentation paper

T3.3.1 InduCult2.0  STUDY OF SCHOOL INITIATIVES

If you are interested in other outputs, please contact us.

Link to the central web page of project InduCult2.0: HERE

This project is supported by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme funded under the European Regional Development Fund.