On December 11, 2024, an international jury announced that six cities and municipalities across the Baltic Sea Region have been awarded the title of “Baltic Sea Region Cultural Pearl 2025”. For the second consecutive year, the honour in Latvia goes to Smiltene. Other recipients include Helsingborg (Sweden), Peipsiääre (Estonia), Alytus District (Lithuania), Płock (Poland), and Kaskinen (Finland), chosen from among 14 candidates.
“We are extremely proud of Smiltene’s success in receiving the title ‘Baltic Sea Region Cultural Pearl 2025.’ This designation will provide Smiltene with an excellent opportunity to create a more favourable environment for community activities, strengthen social resilience and expand its network of collaboration partners in the Baltic Sea Region,” said Lelde Ābele, Project Manager for BSR Cultural Pearls at Vidzeme Planning Region.
Applicants submitted detailed cultural and social resilience action plans aimed at uniting their communities through culture and creativity. The most compelling plans were chosen by an international jury—comprising experts in social resilience, urban planning, and culture, with representatives from Baltic and European organisations and city networks.
“Community resilience has become a crucial aspect across our region. This year’s high number of entries and increasingly bold action plans testify to that. They benefit communities, cities’ futures, and the overall resilience of the Baltic Sea Region,” commented Felix Schartner Giertta, project leader from the Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat.
Winning the “Cultural Pearls” title and implementing a strong cultural and resilience action plan delivers numerous advantages:
- Strengthening community bonds, belonging, and trust.
- Empowering residents to participate in decision‑making and cultural activities.
- Helping communities face unexpected challenges with confidence.
- Encouraging collaboration between residents, local organisations, and decision‑makers.
All six winning municipalities will pursue their resilience plans over the next year, supported by mentoring, expert-led capacity building, network connections, international knowledge exchange, and seed funding for cultural and creative initiatives.
This marks the second year the “Baltic Sea Region Cultural Pearls” title has been awarded. In 2024, alongside Rūjiena (Latvia), the honour went to Svendborg (Denmark), Kiel (Germany), and Jakobstad (Pietarsaari, Finland). Together, past and current Cultural Pearls and applicants are forming a valuable collaboration network.
The next call for applications is scheduled for February 2025 and will be announced on the Cultural Pearls website.
Prepared by Egija Saļņikova, ARS BALTICA (BSR Cultural Pearls Assistant), and Zane Kaķe, Public Relations Specialist, Vidzeme Planning Region. Photo: Smiltene by Jānis Ūdris.
