Neue Ufer / Нові береги

Neue Ufer / Нові береги — a cultural collaboration project between Dnipro and Cologne.

Kultura Medialna (Ukraine) and Freihandelszone (Germany) are working together to establish a network of cooperation between initiatives from Dnipro and Cologne, which became sister cities in 2022. For over a year, Dnipro has been receiving humanitarian aid as part of the short-term goals of this collaboration. Recognizing the importance of dialogue between organizations from different countries, Kultura Medialna and Freihandelszone aim to extend this cooperation to the spheres of culture, art, and education. The project’s geographical focus includes the Dnipropetrovsk region and North Rhine-Westphalia.

In the initial phase, a survey was conducted to identify the current needs and status of local cultural organizations. Participation was open to public associations, initiatives, and municipal enterprises based in Dnipro or the region that have continued to work actively in culture, art, urbanism, and community engagement during the full-scale war. These included museums, theaters, NGOs, art and cultural centers, galleries, festivals, concert venues, and educational institutions in culture and arts.

In October 2024, through the collaboration between Kultura Medialna and Freihandelszone, works by various representatives of Dnipro’s cultural community were presented at the IMMER WIEDER AUFBRUCH festival. The event featured a photography exhibition by local authors, film screenings by the fantastic little splash collective and directors Mykyta Lyskov and Stanislav Santimov, a musical performance by SHIP HER SON (in collaboration with Dnipropop), and a discussion on culture in frontline regions, featuring the organization’s director, Andrii Palash.

In November 2024, Kultura Medialna participated in a conference in Cologne dedicated to fostering cooperation between Ukraine and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Currently, the organizations’ teams are developing an online platform to facilitate partner searches in the cultural sector between Dnipro and Cologne.