September 20-25 The Alpine region is a guest in the City of Queens: as part of the series of Swiss Days events in Veszprém-Balaton, we can not only learn about commonalities, but also watch a Swiss cinema and theater show, as well as taste gastronomic specialties.
The series of programs opened on Wednesday with a press conference and environmental presentation, with city mayor Gyula Borja saying in his welcoming speech that he was confident that many people from Veszprém would have the opportunity to get closer to this wonderful Alpine country in the coming days. By the way, this is not the first time that Swiss Days have been held in Hungary. A similar event was held in Debrecen last year, where the Swiss ambassador asked the city mayor if Fischprem would be the host city for the second time. “Of course, I was happy to say yes, because in my opinion, being named European Capital of Culture is about European culture, not the European Union. When we started putting the program proposals side by side, it quickly became clear that there were a lot of common links between the two countries.” “.
According to Jean-François Baroz, Ambassador of Switzerland, it is a great honor to be part of this successful EKF programme, and one of the main objectives of their current series of programs is to demonstrate Switzerland’s commitment to Europe and the EU. : Although it is not a member of the latter, all the rights that EU countries have, Switzerland also enjoys, such as free trade or even free travel. In addition, the Alpine country is the fourth largest trading partner in the world after the United States, China and the United Kingdom. In addition, there has been a very successful cultural and economic cooperation between Switzerland and Hungary for more than 100 years, so there are a lot of points of connection.
In the coming days, among other things, I would like to present these things, for example, on the third floor of the Hangvilla, in the Swiss Pavilion, the Embassy awaits visitors, among other things, with an exhibition on sustainability and an interactive wall. About Switzerland, the country’s political system and its contribution to the European Union, as well as Switzerland and provides information on bilateral relations in Hungary. The signing of the Framework Agreement on the new Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Program on 8 November 2022 was an important milestone towards the implementation of the second Swiss contribution to selected EU countries, which is a fundamental part of Switzerland’s European policy and aims to achieve greater cohesion. and prosperity in Europe.
On Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, in Hangvilla, Dr. Barbara Botos, Ambassador-at-Large responsible for Climate Affairs and Climate Diplomacy, and Swiss expert Leonard Delevo will give a presentation on the challenges and opportunities related to environmental and sustainability issues affecting both countries. In addition, Ambassador Barrows visits secondary schools as part of the “Switzerland at Your School” program to meet students and answer their questions after his presentation in German and French.
This time in the City of Music, the band Alphornvereinigung Nordwestschweiz Swiss Alphorn brings a taste of traditional Swiss Alpine trumpet music to the city, while on Saturday evening a DJ party awaits the audience at the FOTON Audiovisual Centre.
Cinema lovers have also been thought of: the highly successful Swiss films “Wolkenbruch”, “A nőkért” and “A kontinsek sodra” can be watched at the FOTON Audiovisual Centre. On September 20, at the Latinowice-Boytor Theater, the Budapest troupe will present the play “Strindberg” by Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt in German.
Naturally, gastronomic specialties cannot be left out of the program either: on the “Swiss Picnic” on Saturday afternoon at FOTON, guests can taste the famous Swiss cheese specialties, Raclette and Tate Des Moines, as well as products from selected Swiss companies, including wines. And chocolate.
All programs are free.
