All eyes across Europe will be on Veszprém and the Bakony-Balaton region on January 21, as the city and the region jointly bear the title of European Capital of Culture from this day on. This weekend, fifty cultural events await visitors at 13 locations, including the grandiose opening show. With the ceremonial opening, the cultural season officially begins, for which Veszprém and the 116 settlements in the region have been preparing for several years. The details of the event were reported at a press conference, where it was presented what extraordinary events Veszprém is preparing for the opening day and weekend.
Minister of Regional Development Tibor Navracsics, Member of Parliament, Gyula Porga, Mayor of Veszprém, Alíz Markovits, CEO of Veszprém–Balaton 2023 Zrt., and János Can Togay, chief artistic and creative consultant of the program, took part in the press conference. Tibor Navracsics reminded at the press conference that the purpose of the European Capital of Culture program is to draw attention to the common points of the European cultural heritage and the cultural community, proving the thesis that the nations of Europe are united by more than what separates them. He emphasized that the program gives Veszprém and the Bakony-Balaton region the opportunity to appear among well-known and deservedly popular tourist destinations, because the region competes with them in terms of the beauty of the landscape and the quality of the programs.
The programs related to the official opening start days before the grand opening event, so it is worth arriving in the region earlier.
The season begins with a spectacular holiday in Veszprém on January 21, fifty free programs await visitors to the city at 13 locations over the weekend.
With the start of the Cultural Capital of Europe program year, a period begins that opens new doors for everyone living and visiting here, Ramóna Lékai-Kiss, moderator of the press conference, said in her introduction.
Doors that open to our rich cultural treasures and values. To the rich heritage that spans centuries and even millennia and that can be a source of pride for all Hungarians. We will hold the handle of the first door together on January 21st, when we will officially start the 365-day and, we hope, even beyond, cultural season at the ceremonial opening, he listed.
Press conference in Veszprém/Source: MN/Teknős Miklós
As it turned out, Veszprém and the Bakony-Balaton region are joining the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Hungarian National Anthem and the Day of Hungarian Culture to start the program year with a spectacular celebration and accompanying cultural programs.
Grandiose productions await visitors on January 21, the official opening day of the program year. The locations of the opening are the intersecting squares and streets of Veszprém's downtown: Szentáromság tere of the Veszprém castle, Óváros tér, Szabadság tér, Brusznyai út, Kossuth utca and Szent Imre tér in the immediate vicinity.
From 10 a.m. until Sunday dawn, diverse productions appealing to all ages will entertain those interested in downtown Veszprém, but there will also be gastronomic experiences and local history lovers can also take part in castle walks thanks to the Archdiocese of Veszprém.
The closed official opening will begin at 5 p.m., which will be broadcast live by Duna TV. From 8 p.m., the grandiose opening ceremony, Shine! – The show, during which Veszprém turns into a fairytale world.
Light painting and mapping, music, dance, special choreographies, musical and visual elements weave through the streets of downtown Veszprém, while the history of the city, the diversity and values of the region and the vision of the European Capital of Culture program come to life. The evening offers an unforgettable visual experience for both young and old with the help of contributors such as Yvette Bozsik and her troupe, the Kiégő Izzók team, famous for their light works, or jr. Dance choreographer Zoltán Zsuráfszky. At the opening ceremony, you can choose any of the three locations in Veszprém, the experience will not be missed, and the screenings will bring the events of the other locations as well.
Source and image: Hungarian Nation
