ECOC offers space for minorities

(21.01.2013; The Slovak Spectator; č. 2, s. 7; ‑)

THE EUROPEAN Capital of Culture (ECOC) project also involves local ethnic minorities and neighbouring regions, including Košice’s partner city in Hungary, Miskolc. Éva Csimbalosné, consul‑general of Hungary in Slovakia, and Ákos Kriza, mayor of Miskolc, see ECOC Košice 2013 as an opportunity for even closer cooperation between the two cities. Miskolc and Košice have been partner cities for 15 years, the TASR newswire wrote.

The Hungarian consulate‑general to Slovakia has prepared a series of programmes, taking into consideration the role of Košice in Hungarian history (the city, known as Kassa in Hungarian, used to be part of its territory), the Hungarian minority living there, and also its political importance. Altogether, 14 events will be organised throughout 2013 by the Hungarian consulate‑general, most of which are part of the ECOC 2013 official programme.

The first large event will be an exhibition of Hungarian modem art, opening on January 31, which will later be followed by concerts by Rackajam, Takarmánybázis and the Budapest Klezmer Band, a debate with film director Tibor Szemzo, and a performance by the Szeged modem ballet.

Košice Representatives stressed that many of the iconic personalities connected with their city have Hungarian roots, among them writer Sándor Márai and architect Ľudovít Oelschläger.

Košice mayor Richard Raši hopes that ECOC events will intensify tourist traffic between Košice and Miskolc.

“We do not regard [ourselves] as rivals, but as cities which can help each other, especially in tourism,” said Raši according to the SITA newswire.

Compiled by Spectator staff