This year’s meeting of the Czech cultural network Nová síť took place on 10-13 November. This time, more than forty network members travelled to Trenčín to share experiences, map the transformations of regional culture, discuss sustainability, deepen Czech–Slovak relations, and initiate new collaborations.
Curious in Trenčín
The opening block was introduced by Nová síť director Adriana Světlíková together with network coordinators Eliška Burdová and Lucie Cimburková. The city’s representative, Ing. Janka Sedláčková, presented the structure and broad ecosystem of Trenčín’s public and independent cultural scene, from large institutions and festivals to a rich network of community and independent initiatives.
This was followed by a presentation from Stanislav Krajči, director of the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026, who introduced the main vision of the entire project: Awakening curiosity. He emphasized the importance of local participation, work with public space, revitalising Trenčín Castle, and building bridges, both symbolic and real.
News Roulette
The traditional block for sharing updates from regions and organisations was full of surprises this year. Representatives responded to randomly drawn questions, allowing us to learn about new projects and collaborations in development, what the rest of the network should know about each region, and what their biggest “Eureka effect” of the year was.
For instance, kontrapunkt shared joy from the celebrations of the 800th anniversary of the first written record of Hradec Králové, which generated numerous events; Sdružení Roztoč is writing a book about preparing and organising the Masopust festivities; Sladovna Písek has a new 10-year strategy; CO.LABS and SE.S.TA are finalising construction on newly renovated cultural centres; and Kulturák is celebrating a newly refurbished outdoor cinema venue.
What’s New
The second day began with more updates from Nová síť. Ondřej Wald and Adriana Světlíková shared the network’s plans for the coming year. To keep us alert, Markéta Málková from REZI.dance Komařice led a thorough stretching session that helped us activate our qi (“life energy” in Chinese philosophy, flowing through the body to influence vitality, health, and inner balance). During this exercise, we even invented a new “network greeting”.
After lunch, Nová síť director Adriana Světlíková presented key developments in culture and cultural policy, as well as the challenges brought by the post-election climate. She outlined the creation of a new national cultural strategy, changes at the Ministry of Culture following the elections, and challenges arising from shifting political administrations. She particularly stressed the need for cultural advocacy and expert involvement in committees, where regional knowledge proves crucial.
Thematic Table Talks
The afternoon programme was dedicated to a World Café session, offering space for focused work in smaller groups. Discussions centred on three areas with long-standing resonance within the network, or with potential to bring new insights:
-ecological and economic sustainability of residencies,
-opportunities for international mobility for cultural workers,
-and the challenges and barriers of touring to regions from the perspective of creation, presentation, and production communication.
The discussions were intensive and resulted in concrete proposals that will inform the network’s planning for 2026.
A Look at the Situation in Slovakia
On the third day, representatives of the Slovak cultural network Anténa – sieť pre nezávislú kultúru and the initiative Otvorená kultúra joined us.. Their presentation outlined a difficult picture of the current situation in which a large portion of independent cultural centres in Slovakia is at risk. Anténa is preparing a major fundraising effort, strengthening advocacy pressure, and seeking joint responses to the biggest challenges.
The subsequent Czech–Slovak discussion demonstrated the strong value of cooperation between the two cultural networks. The conversation addressed opportunities for joint projects, support for the young generation of Slovak artists, educational and mobility programmes, and advocacy efforts towards local governments. Proposals also emerged for supporting the travels of Czech artists to Slovakia, reciprocal festival invitations, programme sharing, and cooperation through residencies and touring projects.
What to Look Forward to Next Year in Trenčín?
The final afternoon was dedicated to a deeper introduction to the ECoC Trenčín 2026 project by its project manager Annamária Martonyiková, this time from the perspective of developing cultural and creative industries. The programme was enriched by a curated urban walk guided by city curator Omar Mirza, giving us the opportunity to visit locations where current and future ECoC projects are taking shape.
A Meeting Full of Sharing
Three days of an intensive programme at the all-regional meeting of the Czech cultural network Nová síť confirmed that the strength of the network lies above all in the living relationships among organisations, the willingness to share know-how, and the capacity to respond to the changing conditions of the cultural environment.
The meeting also deepened Czech–Slovak ties – especially thanks to the participation of Anténa and Otvorená kultúra, whose insights highlighted the need for strengthened advocacy, strategic cooperation, and mutual support across regions. New avenues of cooperation opened as well – from joint projects and residency exchanges to regular dialogue between both networks.
We extend our sincere thanks to all participants for their openness, sharing, and inspiring discussions, and to ECoC Trenčín 2026 for co-organising and hosting the entire meeting.
Participants of the meeting:
Zdeněk Závodný – Centrum pro otevřenou kulturu – Pardubice / Honza Petružela, Markéta Benková – Fujaré – Rožnov pod Radhoštěm / Barbora Hodonická – kontrapunkt, z.ú. – Hradec Králové / Kateřina Nikodýmová, Žaneta Drahošová – DIOD – Jihlava / Markéta Hrdlička Málková – REZI.DANCE Komařice / Kateřina Bohadlová – Theatrum Kuks z.s. / Tereza Lacmanová, Jana Saifrtová – Valdštejnské imaginárium z.ú. – Jičín/Sedličky / Klaudia Klembarová, Barbora Feníková – CO.LABS – Brno / Hedvika Drenčeni, Robert Brtník – Výměník1 & Kredance z.s. – České Budějovice / Adam Langer, Klára Mathieu – Sladovna Písek o.p.s. / Petr Čeček – Johan, z.ú. & Moving Station – Plzeň / Jana Ryšlavá – MOVE Ostrava / Pavel Matela, Barbora Josefina Meijer – Farmstudio – středisko umění a kultury, z.s. – Vysoká / Magdalena Hruška – Zlínský spolek Zvěřinec / Pavel Kubaník – Kulturák – Chvalčov / Kateřina Linhartová – Velvareum – Velvary / Martina Erbsová – Centrum uměleckých aktivit – Hradec Králové / Pavla Semeráková – Vzdělávací a kulturní centrum Broumov / Michala Piskačová – Městské kulturní středisko Vodňany / David Kulhánek – Švestkový Dvůr – Malovice / Kristina Frascaová – Galerie G18 – Zlín / Tereza Rybová, Aleš Němec – Třeboň 105 / Adam Krátký, Markéta Pucová – Sdružení Roztoc / Kateřina Grzyb – Spolkový dům Slavonice / Pavel Stratil – INDUSTRA – Brno / Marie Blažková, Petr Mazánek, Zdeňka Selingerová – Kulturní služby města Moravská Třebová / Marie Kinsky – Centrum choreografického rozvoje SE.S.TA – Žďár nad Sázavou
The meeting of the Czech cultural network Nová síť is organised by Nová síť z. s. with the financial participation of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the Creative Institute Trenčín, n.o.
Photos: Magdalena Košárková
