The city of Rijeka is about to partake in an adventurous cultural and creative experiment, when its new RiHub culture centre opens next week. The space is intended as a meeting place of ideas and a shared workspace, open to members of the public, but with ten city officials relocated to the building in order to provoke a direct dialogue with the community.
The aim is to create a visionary form of civil planning that relies as much on local groups and individuals as it does on the council. The project has looked at similar successful and innovative projects across Europe for its inspiration, but this is the first time such a project has been tried in Croatia.
RiHub is part of the Rijeka 2020 - European Capital of Culture project and will offer programs where citizens can participate, applying, selecting and realizing projects in collaboration with other citizens and city bodies. RiHub will be the first co-working space open to the public in Rijeka and the first of its exact kind and ambition in Croatia. RiHub will be house in a well known Rijeka building, at the corner of Kalvarija and Ulica Ivana Grohovca, which is over 100 years old and was formerly Rijeka's oldest kindergarten. Over half a million Euros has been invested in the project.
The most important part of RiHub's work will be its inclusion programs that will enable citizens to directly propose, decide and implement activities and projects for Rijeka 2020 European Capital of Culture.
RiHub's official opening will take place on Tuesday 25th September with a mini conference, presentations and an afterparty that will be held across two stages. Live music will come from Goran Tomić Trio and DJ sounds will come from local vinyl nut Dr. Smeđi Šećer.