On 20 March 2026, the KHS jury delegation visited the city of Aarau, which is bidding together with Aarau, Bellinzona an Lugano for the title of “Swiss Capital of Culture 2030”.

A day full of surprising insights, diverse discoveries, enjoyable moments and valuable conversations.

A sincere thank you to everyone involved especially vice mayor Katharina Ali-Oesch and Marianne Flubacher, director departement of culture, and Silvan Gertsch, director marketing and communication, for the warm welcome and inspiring exchange. Our thanks also go to the cultural practitioners who enriched this visit.

The delegation’s impressions will be compiled into a report which, together with the application dossier, will form the basis for the CCS jury’s final deliberations in early June.