Rewitalizacja po baskijsku. Kulturowy kod „efektu Guggenheima”
The Basque approach to urban regeneration. The cultural code of “the Guggenheim Effect”

Summary/Abstract: In this article I analyze the so-called: “Bilbao effect”. I am interested primarily in the relationship between the revitalization of Bilbao with its iconic building – the Guggenheim Museum and the Basque culture, i.e. the Basque way of life and the Basque values. The starting point of this analysis is the concept of “urban regeneration through culture”, which is usually understood in one of two ways. The first meaning refers to such activities that rely on the use of cultural institutions in the urban regeneration projects, whereas the second refers to the activities that engage and activate (local) artists. Both interpretations tend, however, to distort the meaning of culture. In both cases it is understood very narrowly and operates merely as the synonym of “the arts”. Basing on Znaniecki’s definition, who understood culture, not only in material terms but also as everything that falls within the category of so-called “intangible creations of human activity”, I analyze the “cultural dimension” of urban regeneration of Bilbao not through the typical presentation of Guggenheim Museum as a cultural institution, but rather through the choice of revitalization strategies and its socio-cultural basis. In doing so, I explore the connections between the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Basque political philosophy, Basque economic values, and the Basques image of themselves.

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