Sociokulturní přínos titulu Evropské hlavní město kultury 2028 pro město České Budějovice a místní komunitu

This thesis examines how young people aged 15–24 perceive the fulfilment of the objectives of the European Capital of Culture 2028 project in the current cultural and public life of České Budějovice. The theoretical part outlines key concepts of cultural management, the EU framework for cultural support, and the ECoC programme. The practical part includes a comparison of the ECoC Plzeň 2015 and ECoC České Budějovice 2028 projects using the OECD evaluation methodology, as well as qualitative research based on eight semi-structured interviews. The findings show that young people view the city’s cultural environment mostly positively, while highlighting room for improvement in communication, event diversity and opportunities for participation. The thesis concludes with recommendations for how the ECoC 2028 team can better use cultural potential for the development of the city and its communities.