BSR Cultural Pearls

23/10/2026

🏅 Meet the jury selecting the BSR Cultural Pearls 2027!

The applications are in, and our jury has started its work! 🎉

This year, 11 experts from across the Baltic Sea Region will review the submissions and select the BSR Cultural Pearls 2027. Over the coming posts, you’ll find out who they are and how they work.

Today we start with Egija Salnikova, Ragnar Siil and Krista Petäjäjärvi.

🔹 Egija Salnikova

Marketing and communications expert in the cultural sector, currently exploring how Service Design can help improve and develop more human-centred social and public services.

“Having worked in cultural management and the arts for more than ten years, I am convinced that culture is one of the most powerful ways to nurture emotional well-being, strengthen our sense of belonging and connection to cultural heritage, and unlock our own creativity. I had the privilege of helping shape the BSR Cultural Pearls title, and I am delighted to see so many cities across the Baltic Sea Region embracing culture and co-creation with their residents as ways to strengthen community resilience and make their cities better places to live.”

🔹 Ragnar Siil

Founder and Director of Creativity Lab & Cultural Studies Laboratory.

Ragnar is a cultural policy and creative industries expert with more than 20 years of experience in the field. He served as Estonia’s Undersecretary for the Arts, chaired the European Union Expert Group on Cultural and Creative Sectors, and was one of the main architects of Estonia’s creative industries policy. Today he advises governments, cities and regions across Europe and beyond on cultural strategies and policy design, and he has served on the expert committee of the Baltic Culture Fund. He also takes part in European research and innovation projects on the future of cultural and creative industries policy.

🔹 Krista Petäjäjärvi

Head of the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (NDPC) Secretaria.

For nearly two decades, Krista has worked at the intersection of art, innovation, sustainability and societal development, advancing the role of artistic expertise in addressing complex societal challenges. Her work focuses on building bridges between artists, public institutions, policymakers, researchers and other sectors to create new forms of collaboration, knowledge and impact. Alongside her executive work at the NDPC Secretariat in Riga, Latvia, Krista is a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Art and Design, University of Lapland. She is based in Helsinki, Finland.

14/10/2026

Exiting days in Brussels ✨

Yesterday our BSR Cultural Pearls project managers, Lena Backes and Felix Schartner Giertta pitched BSR Cultural Pearls to the jury and a live audience at the European Week of Regions and Cities ( ), as a finalist for the REGIOSTARS Awards 2026.

They showed what the Cultural Pearls achieve: smaller cities and regions around the Baltic Sea using their local culture and creativity to build stronger, more resilient communities.

Today the winners will be announced at the REGIOSTARS ceremony, so fingers crossed! 🤞

Follow the award ceremony live here: https://www.euregionsweek2026live.eu/live/

Thank you, Lena and Felix, and all the BSR Cultural Pearls and partners behind this work!

08/10/2026

🐈‍⬛ PEARL NEWS: Kristinestad-Kristiinankaupunki let the cats out for a Night of Culture!

On Friday 2 October, the historic town centre was taken over by Cats Night of Culture. The theme came from one of Kristinestad's most beloved symbols, the cat, which has long been part of the town's history and everyday life. That made it a playful and welcoming theme that anyone could join in on.

Throughout the evening, concerts, exhibitions, open stages, family activities and creative workshops popped up in streets, alleys, courtyards, museums, shops and association houses. Visitors followed the programme from venue to venue, and the walk between them became part of the fun.

The evening was one of the highlights of Kristinestad's Pearl year, and a large-scale result of its Culture and Resilience Action Plan.

Residents, associations, businesses, artists, musicians and the municipality created it together, many of them teaming up for the first time. New partnerships were formed across the town along the way.

The historic surroundings were not just a backdrop, but part of the experience. Old courtyards, alleys and heritage sites came alive, and visitors of every generation got to know the town's history and identity in a new way.

Cat's Night was more than a cultural event; it was an experiment in community-building. It showed that a sense of belonging can grow from simple ideas: a local story, public spaces, and residents as co-creators. An inspiring example for the whole Cultural Pearls network!

😻 Paws up for everyone who let the cats out and the culture in!

Photos: Sarah Bergkulla / Anna Strömberg / Annika Heikkilä

24/09/2026

🎭PEARL NEWS: Glücksburg gathered cheerfully for its first-ever Culture Day, turning grey skies into a colourful, welcoming event.

On Saturday 19 September, around 30 cultural groups, institutions and initiatives opened their doors across the town. The programme ran everywhere from the castle to churches, kindergartens, schools, the library, the forest museum and even the beach: music, art, dance, things to try yourself, and a lot of unplanned conversations along the way.

The autumn weather meant a few outdoor events had to be moved or dropped, but turnout stayed strong and the mood stayed open. People used the day to see familiar places differently and to meet neighbours they might not otherwise have met.

"Going from place to place and seeing how much care people put into their contributions and how well visitors responded — was a real joy," said Jonte Birkner of Glücksburg's cultural office, who initiated the event.

📆The Culture Day will now return every year on the third Saturday of September. Next date: 18 September 2027.

Glücksburg is one of our BSR Cultural Pearls, and days like this are what the title is really about: local culture carried by the people who live there.

🎊Congratulations to everyone in Glücksburg who made this wonderful event happen!

Photo: Natalie Jachmann

18/09/2026

How Can Your Community Be Engaged: Participatory Methods

How do you actually get residents involved in shaping their communities and why does it matter so much for both the people who live there and the people who make decisions?

Join us on 28 September, 1:00–2:30 PM (CET) for our next BSR Cultural Pearls webinar, organised and moderated by the Baltic Sea Cultural Centre in Gdańsk.

We'll keep it practical and low-threshold: the basic principles of participation, the everyday challenges (including the tricky question of mandates), and real examples of what works and what doesn't.

What to expect:

🔹 An introductory presentation by Damiano Cerrone, urbanist and educator (co-founder of SPIN Unit and CoPlanAI)
🔹 A case study from the Young Urban Planners in Gothenburg, on involving young people in spatial planning
🔹 An open discussion, with room for questions after each talk
🔹 Breakout sessions in national groups

Whether you're a cultural organiser, planner, decision-maker, or just curious about doing participation better, we'd love to have you there.

🔗 Participate Webinar here:
https://bit.ly/4heMVPU

15/09/2026

🧭The journey continues — first stop, Kristinestad

Being awarded the Cultural Pearl title is an invitation to keep going. Kristinestad-Kristiinankaupunki, one of our four BSR Cultural Pearls 2026, is showing what that looks like in practice. On 1 October 2026, the city hosts the very first workshop of Culture Connect — a two-year initiative, funded by the Council of the Baltic Sea States, that carries the methodology and lessons of the BSR Cultural Pearls project forward.
Its aim: stronger social resilience and community cohesion in smaller cities across the Baltic Sea Region, built through culture, participation and genuine community engagement.

🌱The choice of Kristinestad is no coincidence. As a 2026 Pearl, the city built its Culture and Resilience Action Plan around co-creation, storytelling and inclusive participation, with residents shaping the future of their own town. Culture Connect takes that work further, under the local focus “Where Neighbours Become a Community” putting local knowledge in the same room as experience from across the region.

✨This is what the Cultural Pearls Network was made for: action plans that grow into long-term practice, and a body of knowledge that deepens with every new Pearl.

Culture Connect is a cooperation between ARS BALTICA, the Baltic Sea Culture Centre, the Danish Cultural Institute and Kristinestad, supported by the CBSS. Hosted by Kristinestad.



CBSS Secretariat Kristinestad - Kristiinankaupunki Danish Cultural Institute in the Baltics Danish Cultural Institute in the Baltics ARS BALTICA Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury w Gdańsku

08/09/2026

Submit your vote for the Public Choice Award here!

How to cast your vote:
1. Click the link
2. Select Category 5: A Europe Closer to the Citizens
3. Select
4. Confirm your vote

Thank you for your support 💛

EuropeanCommission – Regional Policy - Inforegio

03/09/2026

🗳️The REGIOSTARS 2026 public vote is open!

This is the one award decided not by a jury, but by you. Through the Public Choice Award, anyone across Europe can support the project they believe delivers real, lasting impact. Your vote is your voice.

📍 BSR Cultural Pearls is a finalist in Category 5: A Europe Closer to the Citizens.

What your vote supports: a project that helps smaller cities across the Baltic Sea Region use culture to become stronger, more resilient, and more liveable. It’s community-led work, shaped by the people who live there.

If that’s the kind of work you’d like to see recognised, we’d be grateful for your vote.

Vote before 14 October — link in bio.



Dansk Kulturinstitut Loov Eesti MLLEV SH Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury w Gdańsku Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture Obotnia Varde Kommune Visit Smiltene Kaskisten Kaupunki Peipsiääre Oficjalny profil Miasta Płocka Alytaus rajonas EU in my Region Interreg ARS BALTICA
Interreg Baltic Sea Region

Jakobstad Pietarsaari
Landeshauptstadt Kiel
Valmiera. Valmieras novads
Svendborg Kommune

Helsingborgs stad
Visit Smiltene
Kaskisten Kaupunki
Peipsiääre
Oficjalny profil Miasta Płocka
Alytaus rajonas

Kristinestad - Kristiinankaupunki
Krosno Miasto Szkła
Offizieller Account der Stadtverwaltung Schleswig

01/09/2026

📍PEARL NEWS: An inland Pearl, a Carpathian gathering — Krosno’s Festival of Borderline Cultures “Carpathian Climate”.

⛰️Krosno is nestled in the Subcarpathian hills, surrounded by forests of beech and fir, and yet it is now part of the 2026. Even without a coastline, Krosno belongs to the , through the Interreg BSR programme.

🎶On 21–22 August, the town gathered local communities and international partners for the Festival of Borderline Cultures “Carpathian Climate” — two days split between cultural visits and a formal conference. The Old Square filled with folk singing and dancing, storytelling, stands of local and regional products, and the Polish Polonaise, while guests could also explore Krosno’s emblematic places, from the Museum of Tower Clocks to the Glassworks Museum. Krosno is also a town of remarkable industrial heritage: home to the world’s first oil mine, opened in 1854.

🌐 At the conference “Cultural Heritage in the Context of Urban Development”, twin-city delegations from across Europe: the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Slovakia and Ukraine shared how heritage shapes their cities. The presentation on the BSR Cultural Pearls project by the Baltic Sea Cultural Centre offered a fitting summing-up of the discussion. The takeaway was clear: culture is not merely an investment to be measured in returns, but an asset that builds community, provides roots, and forms the social connective tissue a city needs to grow more resilient.

✨ The festival put Krosno’s Culture and Resilience Action Plan into practice: making the city stronger through culture and participation. And that, after all, is what the Cultural Pearls stand for — to strengthen and connect communities through culture, across borders.

Reported from Krosno by Katarzyna Szewciow and Krystyna Wróblewska (Baltic Sea Cultural Centre in Gdańsk, BCP Project).

Photos: Szymon Muszański (RCKP Krosno) and UMK Archives

Krosno Miasto Szkła



Alytaus miesto savivaldybė
ARS BALTICA
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung SH | Landesstiftung der
CBSS Secretariat
Dansk Kulturinstitut
Danish Cultural Institute in the Baltics
Loov Eesti
MLLEV SH
Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury w Gdańsku
Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture

14/07/2026

Two inspiring days at the Macro-Regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days 2026 in Brussels!

Together with EUSBSR Policy Area Culture, the BSR Cultural Pearls project joined the Networking Village to showcase our work, exchange ideas, and connect with participants from other Macro-regional and Sea Basin Strategies.

From security and maritime cooperation to the green and digital transition, the event offered valuable insights into the priorities of other strategies and sparked discussions on how even closer cooperation could be achieved.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to learn more about BSR Cultural Pearls. We look forward to staying in touch and building new partnerships!

Photos by Lena Backes



ARS BALTICA
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Schleswig-Holstein
Loov Eesti
Österbottens förbund - Pohjanmaan liitto
Dansk Kulturinstitut / Danish Cultural Institute
Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury w Gdańsku
Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture - NDPC
Vidzemes plānošanas reģions
Alytaus miesto savivaldybė
Council of the Baltic Sea States
Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania