In 2012, the city of Bolesławiec joined the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities, an organization founded in 2004 in Ajaccio, the birthplace of the Little Corporal, on the initiative of Charles Napoleon, the eldest representative of the last living line of the Bonaparte family, then mayor of Ajaccio.

The Federation’s statutory tasks include the exchange of information on history (particularly, the Napoleonic era) by organizing meetings and seminars, producing publications prepared in cooperation with universities, cultural institutions and historical associations, promoting and supporting actions to preserve and restore the Napoleonic heritage, as well as activating and promotional activities (including the organization of exhibitions and other cultural events, creating discovery routes, etc.) targeted at a wide audience, especially tourists or school and academic youth.

The European Federation of Napoleonic Cities currently brings together 60 cities from 13 countries (from Portugal to Russia) which are subject to one of 13 local steering committees (Germany-Czech Republic, Wallonia, Spain-Portugal, Italy, Poland, Russia-Belarus, Croatia, Greece and 5 committees in France). The Federation’s activity is managed – with substantive support from the international scientific committee – by the Board of Directors headed by President Charles Napoleon, and the general secretariat. As part of the Federation’s structure, an official vice presidency is assigned to each country, e.g. in Germany, works are coordinated by Jena, in Belgium – by Waterloo, and in Spain – by Vittoria.

The Federation brings together representatives of local governments and local communities who mobilise tourist offices, museums, and various associations in their area to joint action. The organisation implements projects in the field of urban planning and local development as well as oversees and coordinates the use of the “Destination Napoleon” brand by local public and private entities. Its activities focus on developing opportunities to benefit from European programmes not only in regard to the Napoleonic heritage, but also in fields such as tourism, sustainable development, and encouraging civil society. In 2015, an official certification of the Destination Napoleon Cultural Route took place in Brussels at the headquarters of the European Economic and Social Committee, attended by Penelope Denu, director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes, and Henri Malosse, chairman of the European Economic and Social Committee.

During the General Assembly, which took place on October 22-23, 2016 in Orebic (Croatia), Bolesławiec was appointed the seat of the Local Steering Committee of the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities, and Piotr Roman, president of the city, was elected vice president of the Federation of Napoleonic Cities. This has created opportunities for new projects in the field of historical tourism to be implemented in cooperation with partners from Poland and other European countries, possibly with the support from EU funds.