Guimaraes is a unique and special city. It stands as a European important location because of its stunning heritage, its inspiring landscape and feeling of belonging, entrepreneurial dynamism and community effervescence. It is also a city that is rapidly evolving, reacting to a global competitive market in a world that encourages the development ot diversity and innovation patterns, as major challenges facing Europe's cities: "...to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustaining economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion." {in Lisbon Agenda). The history of Guimaraes goes back to the 10th century - it was here that, in 1128, Portugal was founded as a nation and King Afonso Hennques was crowned the its first Sovereign.

The memories kept in the heart of this community, reflected in the richness of its cultural and architectural heritage, as well as in the imaginary and symbolic world of its people, make Guimaraes a territory par excellence of strong national identity, with high potential to project new creative ideas and new memories. With a population of 160,000, Guimaraes is one of the youngest cities in Europe (nearly 50% of its inhabitants are under 30), and is the second largest Portuguese municipality outside the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto. As it benefits from a strategic location and is integrated in a historical process of active industrialization, both Guimaraes and the region have become important national export centres. However, the income per capita in the region is one of the lowest in continental Europe - a result of the dilemmas faced by the difficulties that the economic and industrial fabric are still facing, in its necessary transformations due to the crisis caused by traditional production relocation to new industrialized countries. In recent years, these difficulties have generated rising unemployment, particularly regarding less qualified human resources. Guimaraes and its region face today the enormous challenge of regeneration.

Progressively, traditional industrial activity has become less important, emerging new sectors with greater technological inputs. These dynamics have a growing socio-economic significance, at the same time confirming the strategic importance of the Universidade do Minho (Minho University) as a knowledge and innovation generator for the city and region. Within this scope, there are three projects of national importance that can be highlighted:

• AVE PARK - Recently inaugurated Technology Platform, where 12 million euros were invested aimed at modernizing the entrepreneurial fabric in the region through innovation based on technology and knowledge transfer;

• PIEP - Polo de Inovacao em Engenharia de Polimeros (Innovation in Polymer Engineering) - with an investment of 7 million euros, this facility develops new matenals and innovative products, processing technologies and productive tools; CCG - Centra Computagao Grafica (Computer Graphics Centre) created five years ago with an investment of 2.6 million euros. This institution works as an interface between the University and the business area. Integrated in the INI-GraphicsNet network, it is considered one of the most advanced Portuguese institutions in Computer Graphics investing in Applied Research. As experienced in other countries, the regeneration process is only efficient and only produces long term effects if it includes the cultural dimension, which is, in turn, founded on strong dynamics of urban vitality and urban quality of life.

In the last 15 years we have seen a progressive investment in the cultural function of the city. As an example, in the last four years, approximately 9.5 million euros have been invested in the cultural programme. This investment in culture has cast Guimaraes as a cultural centre that is recognized nationwide for its quality and innovation. It must also be highlighted the systemic regeneration process of the historical centre, providing the city with public spaces and a built environment of excellence, a process acknowledged by the UNESCO as a Cultural World Heritage site in 2001.

Guimaraes' network of heritage resources is supported by a number of relevant cultural facilities aid infrastructures, namely the Martins Sarmento Foundation – an archaeological research centre; the Alberto Sampaio Museum - a national museum housing an important collection of ancient art, stressing a legacy of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries; the Citania de Briteiros (archaeological site) - one of the most interesting examples of 'hillforts culture' from the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula and which developed during the second century B.C.; and the Alfredo Pimenta Municipal Archive -with an investment of approximately 6.5 million euros, where an important historical building was adapted to hold the city public archive, an area aimed at preserving and allowing access to the collective memory of :he city and its region.

The Pavilhao Multiusos, inaugurated in 1999, a sport and cultural facility, with an investment of approximately 10 million euros, promotes important cultural, spots and social events.

A cultural facility of unique importance within the national panorama was inaugurated in Guimaraes in 2005, the Centra Cultural Vila Flor, with an investment of about 20 million euros. The Centre is equipped with two auditoriums, meeting rooms, exhibition areas, and magnificent gardens open for the enjoyment of the public. The Centro Cultural Vila Flor offers excellent regular cultural programmes, thus helping Guimaraes to become one of the national places of reference in terms of contemporary offerings in the performing and visual arts. Also worthy of mention are the Jazz, Pop Rock and Theatre Festivals, as well as the Contemporary Dance sessions, the artist residencies and the exhibitions accomplished in co-production with the most important modern art museums.

Within this context, a cultural project on an international scale, such as the Guimaraes European Capital of Culture 2012, represents an extraordinary opportunity to encourage and sustain the large investment made in recent years in culture, knowledge and technology, so that it becomes a turning point to consolidate Guimaraes' regeneration, definitively transforming it η into a creative city of European importance.

Based on the relationship between the urban, economic and cultural dimensions, this project will allow the development of consolidated new and interactive urban ways ot living, working, studying and experiencing the city, repositioning Guimaraes in the contemporary territorial structures of the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula.

Source: Identity and Innovation – Construction over Time, Appendix to ECOC Application, Guimaraes 2012