BudapestZIN

The long awaited new cultural institution of Budapest and Hungary, the Palace of Arts, was opened in 2005. This was one of the most prestigious celebrations of the past hundred years in Hungary's cultural history, since this conglomeration of cultural buildings has no precedent in 20th century Hungarian architecture. The investment took place in the form of a "Public Private Partnership", in a co-operation between the Ministry of National Heritage and Trigránit Development Corporation.

The creators of this institute, which is unparalleled in Central Europe, were inspired by the concept of creating a new European cultural citadel as part of the new Millennium City Centre of Budapest, close the Danube bank which features on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is an ambitious goal, but everything is present at the Palace of Arts to achieve it: grand spaces, the most modern technology, and above all, a unique concentration of efforts which brings all the branches of art together in a single venue. (source)

Events


Contacts:


Palace of Arts

1095 Budapest, Komor Marcell u. 1.


Information about the programs, services and the availability of halls at the Palace of Arts:

Phone: +36-1/555-3001, 555-3002, 555-3005, 555-3006

E-mail: info@mupa.hu


Box office:

Phone: +36-1/555-3300, 555-3301

E-mail: peto.zsuzsa@mupa.hu

The most visited program of the Wine Festival is the Wine Exhibition and Fair will be held eight years running at Buda Castle, designated a world heritage site by UNESCO, perhaps the most hallowed location of Budapest. At the Wine Festival, the cream of Hungary’s vintners are offering their fi nest wines; in addition to domestic vintages, thanks to respected wine merchants, a number of foreign wines shall be introduced as well.



Gastronomy is an integral part of the Wine Festival: a corner grill, potluck farm, open air kitchen, scones baked on-site, ’töki pompos lángos’ (a fancy fl at scone), sheep, goat and cow cheeses, appetisers and other delicacies await visitors. The quality programming of the Festival
stages provide the entertainment, dance and music. Among others, the Ghymes
Együttes (band), Benkó Dixieland Band, Hot Jazz Band, the Molnár Dixieland Band, Ágnes Herczku - Nikola Parov, Makám, Orosz Zoltán Quartett, Bolyki Brothers, Vivat Bacchus Énekegyüttes (singing band), Bartók Béla Férfi kar (male chorus), and the top Hungarian folk dancing bands will be performing.

Interested visitors will once again be allowed to visit the VinAgora Tér (square) tent, where with the assistance of experts they can become wine tasting judges for a
few minutes. The judgment of the participants determines which wine wins the „Wine of the Festival” title among all the wines that will have been tasted.

Photo Exhibition
August 30 - September 30.
Hungarian National Gallery

Once again the Wine Festival will be the celebration of wine, culture, of viniculture. The photo exhibition has been the opening event of the festival. Photos withstand the test of time and with fascinating power they depict people living in harmony with nature, as well as country living and trades that are close to dying out.

Harvest Parade
September 8. 1300 hours
Buda Castle

The Harvest Procession held to honour our grape and wine producer ancestors is a colorful, scenic, musical cavalcade, an event that for years had mobilised and entertained thousands of people and encouraged them to become a part of the celebration. The procession is composed of folk dance and other traditional bands, the dignitaries of Hungary’s wine regions, its Wine Orders, wine affi cionado organisations, as well as the representatives of the Szarvasgomba
Lovagrend (Truffl e Order of Knights).


Guest Country: South Africa

South Africa has a winemaking tradition that dates back three hundred and fifty years. However its wines were not freely available on the global market until the advent of democracy in 1994. Since then, South African wines, which typically combine the fruit of the new world and the elegance of the old, have won international acclaim. The wine growing regions, encircled by two oceans, are in the Western Cape, situated in one of the most beautiful natural paradises of the world. The wines of South Africa proudly proclaim ”variety is in our nature”, and the South African Embassy is honoured to showcase them at the Wine Festival.

For more information visit
www.wosa.co.za

(source)