One cannot invent tradition, however, the acknowledgement of the Hungarian City of Culture prize has become a tradition since it was established five years again, Minister of Education and Culture István Hiller said at the ceremony.
2010 and 2011 present great opportunities for Hungarian culture, Hiller said, noting that the Hungarian City of Pécs is a 2010 European Capital of Culture and Hungary will take the rotating European Union presidency in the first half of 2011.
Eger mayor László Habis said his city had been an important centre for culture and the church for a millennium. The local council has made the preservation of monuments in the historical baroque centre of the city a priority, he added.
Eger is home to many well known cultural institutions, such as the Dobó Castle Museum and the Gárdonyi Theatre. It is also the centre of one of Hungary's most important wine-growing regions. Just this year, the local vintner György Lőrincz was named Hungary's Winemaker of the Year, Habis said.
Győr deputy-mayor Rudolf Ottófi said the city has made cultural events part of its profile, hosting everything from book fairs to dance festivals on a regular basis. The city is home to the biggest theatre in Hungary outside of the capital, and its orchestra, the Győr Philharmonic, recently completed a world tour with the Italian conductor and composer Ennio Morricone.
János Bóth
, mayor of Vác, which won the prize in the category for cities with more than 10,000 residents, said the city boasted 85 listed monuments. Archaeological excavations on the city's baroque main square are underway, and a renovation of the former castle was recently completed, he added.
Ferenc Dávid
, mayor of Ráckeve, which won the prize in the category for cities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, brought a short film to the ceremony highlighting the city's annual convention for minorities in Hungary, its folklore festival and its John the Valliant Days. The city is home to the Savoyai Palace as well as to the country's only Serbian orthodox church built in the gothic style.
The Ministry of Education and Culture presents the Hungarian City of Culture title each year in cooperation with the Ministry of Local Governments, the Foreign Ministry, state tourism agency Magyar Turizmus, the Association of County Seats and the National Alliance of Small City Local Councils.
Cities may apply for the prize in three categories: county seat, population over 10,000 and population under 10,000. The evaluation committee did not make a recommendation for the last category this year.
The evaluation committee assesses the applicants' level of culture, including cultural activity, cultural elements in city development plans, cultural investments, contemporary arts and the role of creative industry, networks within the city and without, cultural tourism, the state of tourism infrastructure and balance and sustainable developments.
Past winners of the Hungarian City of Culture title include Kecskemét, Keszthely and Vasvár, in 2005; Székesfehérvár and Sárospatak, in 2006; and Miskolc, Gyula and Tokaj, in 2008; and Szombathely and Balatonfüred in 2009.
Source: Hungarian News Agency / Photo: Eszter Gordon
