Understanding the Past & Practicing the Present
19 November / 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
City Walk | Workshops | Panel Talk | Performance | Excibition
How have historical events shaped the way our cities look, and include people today?
How are citizens’ rights reflected in our everyday urban environments?
How can citizens work together with municipalities to improve their communities?
How can we make our cities more inclusive and accessible so that everyone can feel that they belong?
What can Dresden, Prague, Ostrava, Oleśnica, and Khmelnytskyi learn from one another about inclusion, participation, and belonging?
These are some of the questions that will guide Understanding the Past & Practicing the Present, an international event bringing together citizens, municipalities, organisations, artists, educators, and local communities from Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, and Ukraine.
Aligned with the commemoration of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the event explores the connections between history, collective memory, citizens’ rights, and present-day urban realities. The Fall of the Berlin Wall invites us to reflect on freedom, participation, democratic values, inclusion, and the role citizens play in shaping their communities. At the same time, it provides an opportunity to ask how these values are reflected in our cities today.
Throughout the event, we will explore how historical events continue to influence urban spaces, how cities remember their past, and how issues such as accessibility, participation, inclusion, and belonging are experienced in everyday life, as well as, ublic spaces, culture, community initiatives, and opportunities for participation that play a role in creating cities where everyone feels represented and included.
Why Participate?
Cities of Belonging offers a unique opportunity to:
- Meet participants from Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, and Ukraine
- Exchange ideas and experiences across borders
- Reflect on rights, participation, and urban life
- Engage directly with municipalities and local stakeholders
- Present your work, research, initiatives, or artistic practice
- Build new collaborations and connections
- Contribute to discussions on more inclusive and accessible cities
Because cities become more inclusive, democratic, and welcoming when the people who live in them are part of shaping them.
Programme
Thursday, 19 of November 2026 | Dresden
14:00–16:30 | City Walk & Photography Workshop
Join a guided walk through selected sites in Dresden connected to the city’s history and collective memory. Along the way, an experienced photographer will guide participants in creatively capturing the places, public spaces and details they encounter. Dedicated moments during and at the end of the walk will offer time to pause, reflect and document impressions through photos and short clips.
Accessibility note: Dresden’s cobblestone streets may pose challenges for people with mobility difficulties. To make the City Walk more accessible and comfortable, rest stops will be included approximately every 15 minutes.
16:40–17:00 | Arrival at Stadtforum & Coffee Break
Take a short break, enjoy a snack and a coffee, and settle in at Stadtforum before we continue with the rest of the programme.
17:00–18:00 | Panel Talk & Discussion
Municipal representatives from the participating cities will join experts and local initiatives to exchange perspectives on belonging, inclusion, accessibility and urban participation.
Starting from the commemoration of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the discussion will connect past and present while sharing city-led practices, grassroots initiatives and citizen-driven projects, with space for open dialogue with participants.
18:15–19:00 | Zine Workshop
Explore what an inclusive city can look like through the creative world of zines.
Using collage, text, drawing, magazines and photographs, participants will reflect on inclusion and accessibility in public space, the barriers people experience, and how we can imagine more inclusive urban spaces together.
No previous experience required.
19:00–19:15 | Coffee Break
Take a short break, grab a refreshment and get ready for the final part of the evening.
19:00–20:00 | Exhibition
Discover participants’ creative contributions alongside historical photographs and documents from Oleśnica shared by the project partners.
The exhibition brings together different histories, perspectives and experiences explored throughout the event.
19:15–20:00 | Performances
Enjoy creative contributions from our partner cities, including a choir and band performance by an intergenerational group from Oleśnica.
A shared cultural moment to close the day through music, creativity and exchange.
Whether you are interested in urban life, inclusion, accessibility, citizens’ rights, culture, or simply want to exchange perspectives with people from different European cities, we invite you to join us in Dresden on 19 November.
Come with your experiences, ideas and perspective, and be part of the conversation on what belonging in our cities means today.
Understanding the Past & Practicing the Present is the first international event of the European project Cities of Belonging, funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme of the European Union.
Cities of Belonging brings together citizens and municipalities from Dresden (Germany), Prague and Ostrava (Czech Republic), Oleśnica (Poland), and Khmelnytskyi (Ukraine) to explore how cities can become more inclusive, accessible, participatory, and democratic for everyone.
Through two international events, creative activities, dialogue with municipalities, and cross-border exchange, the project creates opportunities for citizens to reflect on rights, inclusion, accessibility, collective memory, and the future of European cities.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Project Reference Number: 101292350