Last year in Toruń: Our UNESCO World Heritage Site status, which has brought in a huge amount of money and is helping us campaign to be a European Capital of Culture in 2016. It's a miracle that the Old Town wasn't harmed during the Second World War, but the designation has funded so much restoration and improvement and brought in so many visiting locals, domestic tourists, and people from all over the world that it's hard to get a café table outside in the summer!

This year in Bydgoszcz: I've only been living here for a few days, but I'm pretty proud of our opera. We're the biggest city in the province but only have about 350,000 people and are a bit isolated from larger urban areas, so it's a vital part of the cultural life of the area. (Beware: opera music!)

Also: the guy who cracked Enigma? From Bydgoszcz!

That is a great project, Theophile.

The Salt Lake City Public Library won the Library of the Year Award not long ago. It deserved it.

This year, my town opened up a beautiful and spacious animal shelter, and put out the call for more volunteers and pet adoptions. I am proud to live in a town that places so much value on animals. Plus, we have some super kick-ass parks.

But does your city have it's own iPhone app?

The clock and bell tower of the Champaign County, Illinois courthouse has been returned to its original state. The entire building (constructed 1901) is being restored instead tearing the whole thing down, which was the plan favored by many.