As part of the programmes, 1,250 Hungarian artists travelled abroad on trips organised by the cultural institutes. More events were organised outside of the cultural institutes and more events took place outside of the big cities where the cultural institutes are located.
To mark the anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the Hungarian cultural institute in Vienna organised an exhibition entitled "Revolution, Escape, Integration". Also, during the course of the year, the institute showed 30 historical films focusing on the revolution.
Berlin's Hungarian House, or Collegium Hungaricum, also organised many events to commemorate the '56 Revolution as part of the Ungarischer Akzent Hungarian cultural season in Germany. Ungarischer Akzent finished on December 9 with a special concert in Berlin's Church of the Epiphany.
Among the events organised by the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Brussels was the premier of Gyula Fekete's piece "Te Deum 1956" and a performance of Mozart's Requiem in the gothic cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Güdüle on December 1.
In Bucharest, the commemoration of the '56 Revolution was marked by screenings of historic film footage, an exhibition of photographs, concerts and an international conference. In November, the Hungarian Cultural Centre in Bucharest opened a branch in Sfântu Gheorghe, in an area of Romania with a large ethnic Hungarian population.
In New Delhi, the Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the '56 Revolution with a series of programmes. The highlight was a conference of Hungarian and Indian historians.
The Hungarian Cultural Centre in London helped organise a production of the Hungarian writer Sándor Márai's "Embers" starring Jeremy Irons in the West End. The centre also started a series of talks in January to mark the anniversary of the '56 Revolution. Entitled "The Voice of Freedom", the talks were recorded by the BBC and later made into a book.
In Russia, Moscow's Hungarian Cultural, Scientific and Information Centre helped organise 30 events in ten cities to commemorate the anniversary of the '56 Revolution. Also to mark the anniversary, two books were published and a stage production made. An exhibition of official documents pertaining to the revolution from archives in both Russia and Hungary opened simultaneously, on October 19, in both countries.
In New York's Times Square, two giant billboards of archive photos from the '56 Revolution were seen by millions of people. The posters were the most visible effort of the Hungarian Cultural Centre in New York in 2006.
The Hungarian Institute in Paris started showing a series of historical films on the '56 Revolution in October. The institute also organised a special commemoration in the church of Saint-Sulpice attended by more than 2,000 people. An outdoor exhibition of the works of Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini, who died photographing the revolution, was another highlight.
Many events to mark the revolution took place as well at Hungarian cultural centres in Bratislava, Sofia, Helsinki and Tallinn.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
