De Wolden has been declared the official cultural municipality of Drenthe for 2023-2024. The municipality, which was awarded 90,000 euro for the title, will now set to work implementing a comprehensive program to reinvigorate and develop cultural activities in the countryside for the future.
De Wolden is set to take over from Gemeente Coevorden, the current holder of the title, sometime in early 2024.
According to the website of the Provincie Drenthe, the aim of the cultural municipality title is to provide an “impulse” to cultural activities throughout the province. As the cultural municipality of Drenthe for 2023-2024, De Wolden will see an influx of growth in its cultural infrastructure. This includes the development of events where residents and visitors can participate in “various forms of art and culture” throughout the municipality.
“De Wolden is a thriving community in many ways. A lot is already happening in the cultural field with more on the way, and we aim to show that,” says Albert Haar, member of political party D66 and councilor of De Wolden.
As a means to centralize the upcoming efforts, a temporary “village” will be constructed in the middle of the municipality. The village will function as a home base of sorts until 2024 for the various upcoming creative arts projects planned for De Wolden.
“Art and culture can inspire us to think about the future, at a time when many transitions have to take place,” says Nelleke Vedelaar, provincial deputy for Drenthe and member of Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA).
The Provincie Drenthe has elected a new cultural municipality every two years since 2002. De Wolden is expected to run as the cultural municipality of Drenthe for two years before a new one is elected in 2025.
