Rijeka 2020: Resemantization of the City Identity by Culture

Rijeka held the title of European Capital of Culture in 2020. The authors define the year-long preparation and events planned for 2020 as a framework for questioning the city's identity through culture driven regeneration. The temporal dimension, the fact that ECOC is an opportunity to think about the future of the city, is important in the process. The article includes, along with the theoretical and methodological introduction, a comprehensive presentation of the vision of Rijeka as defined in the bidbook and ECOC program, as well as in other strategic city documents. The authors also interpret experiences of the citizens of Rijeka and their opinions about the role of the ECOC for redefining the city's identity.