Two emerging European cities will be European Capitals of Culture in 2023: Veszprém in Hungary and Timișoara in Romania. The duo’s first to launch their cultural program will be Veszprém later this month.
Almost two decades ago, I wrote to a consultant to Hungary, and one of the many fabulous cities I visited and wrote about Veszprém, just over an hour of exercise from Budapest and near the northern shore of Lake Balaton.
I dug up this specific consultant last year when I learned that the city was about to become European Capital of Culture by 2023 (along with Timișoara in Romania and Elefsina in Greece).
In 2005, I wrote:
It was a clever description of Veszprém then, and remains a clever description today, as the city prepares to host a year of cultural events as part of the European Union’s Capitals of Culture programme.
The initiative dates back to 1985, when Melina Mercouri, then Greece’s Minister of Culture, and her French counterpart, Jack Lang, had the idea of designating an annual Capital of Culture – starting with Athens – to bring Europeans closer together in combination by highlighting the richness and diversity of European cultures and awareness of their history and not unusual values.
It should be noted that there is no EU investment for Capitals of Culture, at least not directly. Budgets come from local government, central government and sponsorship. Of course, some of this government cash can be redirected to the EU’s structural budget (or something similar). ), however, the EU does not distribute money directly to the Capitals of Culture.
In fact, the fully budgeted position is one of the criteria used by the EU variety committee for Capitals of Culture. Cities want to show that they will be able to increase the budget to place a smart screen. This, of course, begs the question: Is it worth it?
In general, the answer is yes, it depends on what a people needs to get ahead. Those who see it as an immodest task may be disappointed. It can also be argued that the Covid hangover that has led to 3 villages becoming cultural capitals every year (until 2024) has somewhat reduced the impact.
But there is no shortage of successes, especially in the emerging region of Europe. Sibiu in Romania Capital of Culture in 2007. The budget for the occasion 56 million euros, of which more than two-thirds, or about 40 million euros, was spent on infrastructure. modernization.
The historic center of the city has been completely renovated, adding its giant central square. Museums, theaters, cinemas and all culturally applicable places have been renovated, public transportation has been modernized and, as one resident puts it, “it’s as if the city had gained momentum. “
The occasion made a national figure of the hitherto unknown mayor of Sibiu, Klaus Iohannis, who seven years later would become president of Romania. While there are many, many other points, it’s unlikely that his national profile would have been high enough to run for president. if it had not been for him a year as successful as Capital of Culture.
Veszprém’s mayor, Gyula Porga, happens to perceive that the Capital of Culture’s good fortune comes from thinking, as Sibiu did, in the long term.
“It is vital to keep in mind that the identity of the Capital of Culture is not limited to the many systems that are positioned throughout the year, but it is about putting in place and strengthening long-term sustainable processes that will grow well beyond 2023,” he says. .
“With this opportunity, the region will consolidate its position as a European cultural and artistic region, with Veszprém at the center. “
This regional technique is a key detail of Veszprém’s program. More than 120 small towns and villages in the wider Balaton-Bakony region will host events, with a special on what has been dubbed ‘Fragile Balaton’.
A special Balatorium ecology festival will draw attention to the demanding environmental situations facing the lake and its surroundings: the fitness of the region’s economy depends on the fitness of the lake’s ecosystem. Opportunities and experiences will be presented that can help others stop being users of the landscape. to the guilty landscape managers.
“Our goal for the European Capital of Culture program is to draw national and foreign attention to the exciting environment of the Veszprém-Bakony-Balaton region, in opportunities, reports and innovations,” says Aliz Markovits, CEO of Veszprém-Balaton 2023.
“The culinary offerings, exclusive vineyards of Balaton Highlands and the authentic hospitality of the local people all contribute to the density of smart things the region has to offer. We are convinced that the future of the region deserves at least as much foreign attention as world-renowned tourist and cultural destinations such as Tuscany or Provence.
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