Wilhelmshaven: With cultural strategy to the “cultural city narrative”

Wilhelmshaven is known for its location on the North Sea coast. But what about the wider culture as a central building block for a liveable and future-oriented city?

Wilhelmshaven has recognized the potential of culture for itself – and has commissioned us to develop a cultural strategy, or more precisely, a concept for cultural measures.

With exciting projects and a stronger link between science, tourism and culture, the measures developed are intended to strengthen Wilhelmshaven not only culturally but also economically. As a result Wilhelmshaven the chance to present itself as a cultural pearl on the North Sea – and as an innovative location worth living in.

Wilhelmshaven is a city with a unique cultural identity – characterized by its maritime ambience, its historical heritage (naval foundation, “Wilhelms Haven”) and an impressive variety of cultural offerings. However, like every dynamic city, Wilhelmshaven also needs a clear vision in order to not only preserve its cultural treasures, but to actively develop them further.

In recent years, several attempts have been made to prepare culture in Wilhelmshaven for the future in terms of structure and content. For various reasons, none of the processes have yet been completed.

Although there is no explicit city brand or positioning for Wilhelmshaven , there are a few aspects that the city has focused on in recent years:

• The cross-divisional focus on sustainability.
• The awareness of being an urban center on the North Sea coast (in the middle of rural “idyllic” Friesland).
• The desire to specifically address a younger sinus milieu in the target group.

These aspects, as well as the trends in place branding relevant to Wilhelmshaven, form the basis for the cultural measures concept: it shows specifically how the city can use its cultural appeal to increase quality of life, identification and attractiveness in the long term.

Ideally, a cultural strategy leads to a cultural brand. For this to succeed, the strategy must fit in with the city’s identity or think it through coherently. In addition, a cultural strategy is always a highly political process with great steering power.

This means that a city like Wilhelmshaven must be aware of its management options and involve the relevant stakeholders and players. After all, there is no such thing as “culture”: Culture is always a conglomerate of the many and the diversity between high culture and subculture. (Find out more about our understanding of culture here).

Our cultural measures concept for Wilhelmshaven therefore sees culture not just as an offer, but as a central building block for a liveable and future-oriented city. It builds on Wilhelmshaven’s strengths – from its impressive museums and rich history to the lively scene of committed volunteers. It combines tradition with innovation, nature experience with urban dynamism and local history with global exchange. At the same time, it addresses challenges such as the scarcity of resources and the lack of networking between some of the stakeholders.

The special location, the tourist character and the history of the city of Wilhelmshaven are reflected in its culture and cannot be separated from it. Thanks to the cultural measures concept, this will become much more visible and tangible in future, as it weaves the city’s areas of strength into a “cultural citynarrative“.

The cultural measures concept is therefore a response to the existing challenges and offers real added value for Wilhelmshaven .It involves everyone: committed volunteers, cultural professionals, the administration and politicians, but also the citizens, who are invited to play an active role.

In concrete terms, this means

• The focus is on cultural engagement with nature – via the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea Visitor Center, the Wadden Sea National Park, the Wilhelmshaven Coastal Museum, scientific institutes or special “green” event venues.
• The sustainability aspect in culture fits in with Wilhelmshaven’s innovative, sustainable economic orientation and the trend towards nature tourism and cultural experiences.
• Cultural promotion becomes a management tool. The basis for this is an overview of resources and finances as well as awareness of the city’s control options (e.g. through funding such as grants or prizes).
• The “young city” of Wilhelmshaven is strengthened by supporting cultural diversity, interculturality, socio-cultural commitment (using vacant buildings) and promoting subculture and socioculture (structurally and financially).

By pursuing a stringent cultural strategy, Wilhelmshaven will position itself clearly: As a place where maritime heritage and modern creativity go hand in hand. As a place where culture is accessible to all and the future is possible.