The Impart 2016 Festival Office was established in 2012 as a result of a merger of two institutions: Wrocław 2016 – an organisation responsible for Wrocław’s successful application for the title of European Capital of Culture and the “Impart” Art Centre – an organisation which has been creating the city’s cultural landscape for several decades. The new organisation became the organisational centre of the ECoC year; it has implemented hundreds of projects, and in the case of many others it collaborated with over 350 partners and thousands of Wrocław residents. Wrocław, as one of the few European Capitals of Culture, decided to support the operations of the unit responsible for organising the celebrations after the title was passed on. “From the very beginning, we knew that the institution responsible for the organisation of the ECoC would remain open to Wrocław residents after 2016, and with it, the most important projects initiated in the year of the celebrations would be continued,” said Rafał Dutkiewicz, Mayor of Wrocław. “The European Commission’s report evaluating the ECoC initiative in Wrocław assessed spoke very highly of this decision.” The multitude of ECoC achievements, the need to preserve the long-term legacy of the “Impart” Art Centre and the new challenges, which the organisation has to yet face all decided that it would start 2018 as Wrocław Culture Zone.

The new programme of the organisation is divided into three areas, comprising projects created as part of ECoC Wrocław 2016, as well as projects previously implemented by the “Impart” Art Centre and Impart 2016 Festival Office and those established as a result of the evaluation conducted in 2017. “The shape of our institution is the sum of several dozen years of experience in building Wrocław culture,” Krzysztof Maj, General Director of the Wrocław Culture Zone, explained. “The European Capital of Culture has added another wonderful chapter to this history. Continuing our activities will provide further opportunities for residents to benefit from the heritage of the ECoC.” The activities of the Wrocław Culture Zone are based on three main pillars: places, festivals and programmes.