01/19/2023 05:00 (act. 01/19/2023 05:00)
Veszprém invites you to the opening ceremony on the 21st of January ©APA/Veszprém-Balaton 2023 Zrt
The opening of the Capital of Culture of Veszprém year 2023 must be “spectacular”. The western Hungarian city, located a few kilometers north of Lake Balaton, which once competed for the title with the region around the waters known as “Balaton” in German, officially begins its year as European Capital of Culture on Friday, 21 of January. Veszprém is thus part of the Capital of Culture trio, which also includes the Romanian Timișoara and the Greek Eleusis.
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the “birth of the Hungarian national anthem” and the day of Hungarian culture, the European Capital of Culture year program will open on January 21st and 22nd, according to the announcement – with a “spectacular celebration” and accompanying of cultural events. The opening ceremony will take place on Friday, from 8 pm to 9 pm, in Praça de Óváros, Rua Kossuth and in the Castle, including light painting, music and dance elements. DJs entertain the public at Praça de Óváros with electronic music until 1 am, including the Viennese duo Kruder & Dorfmeister.
Music should be the focus of the Capital of Culture year, as Veszprém is a UNESCO City of Music since 2019. From April 13th to 16th the city invites you to the Blues Festival, from July 19th to 22nd for Street Music Festival, from November 16th to 19th for the Jazz Festival. Literature and cinema are not neglected either – the Holtszezon (English: “off-season”) contemporary literature festival takes place from February 23rd to 26th, and the Hungarian Film Festival from June 7th to 10th. Art fans, for example, want to satisfy the Vaszary Gallery in the town of Balatonfüred with exhibitions by Hungarian artists Imre Bak (January 22 to April 30) and Dóra Maurer (September 9 to December 31). A specially provided application provides information about the numerous events.
The city, which has about 60,000 inhabitants, owes its interesting appearance to the five hills on which it rises. It has historical importance, for example, because the queens of Hungary were crowned here for centuries. Within its own country, Veszprém managed to assert itself against Debrecen and Győr as the cultural capital.
If Mayor Gyula Porga has his way, the Capital of Culture year should boost tourism. “Capital of Culture means finding cultural answers to the challenges of the time”, said the politician, quoting the dpa. The city is currently struggling with both the exodus of young people and the fluctuating added value of the Lake Balaton tourist magnet, which is limited to a few summer months. The Capital of Culture also addresses its sensitive ecosystem, the public must be helped to shift from landscape users to landscape conservationists. From the 25th to the 27th of August, you can learn more about butterfly effects and Lake Balaton.