Two Swiss cities join UNESCO ‘creative’ list

© Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

Fribourg and Montreux have joined UNESCO's Creative Cities Network (CCN).

Fribourg was admitted in the “Gastronomy” category and Montreux in the “Music” category, their respective administrations announced on Thursday. This is the first time that Swiss cities have joined the CCN.

Both cities had to submit a four-year action plan to be accepted into the network. The action plan for Fribourg, which is famous for its tradition of the bénichon feast, “focuses on innovation in gastronomy”, explained the city administration in a press release.

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The main thrusts of the plan are to strengthen Fribourg as a place of innovation and research in the agri-food sector; to promote education and professional integration and reintegration through gastronomy; and to ensure that gastronomy continues to be a key marketing tool for the city, the document stated.

‘Musical experiences for all’

For its part, Montreux plans to “make musical creativity a vector for urban development and integration”, said the municipality in a press release. One of the aims of its four-year plan is to “promote free and inclusive experiences around music”, with, for example, a route through the town centre offering “artistic frescoes and musical experiences” for all.

The city, home of the Montreux Jazz Festival, also intends to encourage the emergence of young talent with a special programme called “Les Emergences musicales“. These, along with the “Montreux Jazz Festival Residency”, position the city “as a Mecca for musical creation and education”, according to the municipality.

The Creative Cities Network was set up in 2004 to promote international cooperation between cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor in sustainable urban development. To date, 350 cities are members. The network has seven distinct creative fields: crafts and popular arts, digital arts, cinema, design, gastronomy, literature and music. Only two cities per country can join the network, every two years.

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