2010 will be the first year that a Hungarian city receives the title of European Capital of Culture. Pécs in Hungary, Essen in Germany and Istanbul in Turkey will have the chance to introduce themselves. Of these three cities, we would like Pécs to present the most amazing performance, Hiller said
Pécs?s preparations for the title will consist of five big projects: a concert hall, a library, a museum network, public parks and the establishment of a Zsolnay quarter. European Union funding will cover 85 percent of the project costs, Hiller said. He added that the programme?s government coordinator Ferenc Csák has been asked to present plans for the projects by September 1.
Csák said a contract worth HUF 1 billion to be spent on preparations would be signed by September 16. The money will be made available from the National Development Agency, he added.
In the next important phase, talks are scheduled to be completed by November about HUF 9.5 billion in operating expenses, Csák said. The Hungarian government has agreed to cover 40 percent of these costs, including around HUF 300 million in European Union funding. He noted that in the past, this sum was around EUR 500,000, but it would exceed EUR 1 million in the future. The EU expects this sum to be spent on one big event.
The third large sum will be represented by a HUF 35 billion fund for investment and financing, around 85 percent of which will be provided by the European Union and 15 percent by the Hungarian state. This sum will come from the National Development Plan.
The preparations are scheduled to start in January 2008 and the main projects are planned to be completed by the end of 2009, Csák said.
Hiller said the project is connected in many aspects to Ungarischer Akzent, the Hungarian cultural season in Germany, which started in March. The minister said he would like these two programmes to receive as much publicity as possible through their connection.
Hiller also introduced on Tuesday the main curator of the Hungarian season in Germany Márton Méhes, who will replace József Mélyi after he resigns for personal reasons at the end of August. The new curator has been selected with a view to ensure that the Hungarian season is even bigger, more colourful and more focused. The ministry plans to allocate HUF 300 million next year for the Hungarian season, he added.
Márton, who has also served as deputy director of the Collegium Hungaricum in Berlin, said emphasis will be placed on the commemoration of Hungary?s 1956 revolution in the upcoming period, with events to be held in five provinces.
Pécs will get a chance to introduce itself to the 2010 partner city Essen during an art festival in October, for which Hiller has been asked to act as co-patron.
