The Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture (VEB 2023 ECoC) project is a complex and multi-faceted initiative aimed at celebrating local and regional identity, creativity, cultural heritage and promoting socio-cultural development.
This initiative, which is also the most significant cultural and creative venture of Veszprém and Bakony-Balaton, has proven to be an outstandingly successful project not only in Hungarian cultural life, but also in the history of the European Capitals of Culture.
The large-scale project aims to promote cultural and social innovation, environmental responsibility and sustainable development in the region. The concept was based on reinterpreting local values and traditions, exploring creative potential and showcasing the cultural diversity of the region, with a particular focus on the integration of different art forms, community participation and international cooperation.
A wide range of programmes and initiatives - including arts events, exhibitions, educational programmes and community projects - aim to stimulate creativity, support the preservation of cultural heritage and make it accessible to a wider audience.
The venture is not just a series of events, but a long-term cultural and social development project that will help unleash the cultural diversity and creative energies of the region. The regional partnership and the years of preparation and planning, as well as the prestigious title awarded as a result of the application, provide an outstanding opportunity to continue to achieve the strategic objectives set. The work done by the city, the municipalities, the communities and the numerous participants under the auspices of the European Capital of Culture 2023 has placed the region and Veszprém on the cultural map of Europe as a region of European level and demand. It is our common task to maintain and strengthen this position in the future, building on this experience.
It was this latter idea that led us to the idea of "two thousand and twenty-three Shine on!" and the " two thousand and twenty three best of " exhibitions to recall and present the unforgettable year of Veszprém and the region in 2023, in order to give a sense of the future opportunities that the city and the region have opened up for us and that lead to the future.
The artistic vision of VEB 2023 treats the memory of the place as a living heritage and its innovative aspirations as an identity-shaping force. We looked with a contemporary eye into the mirror in which we rediscovered the role of our region in European art and culture.
Through a multitude of reflections and art projects, we tried to take stock of who we are and what are the components of our identity. This artistic vision challenges us to transcend the boundaries we are used to at local, regional and European level. Interaction, collaboration, breaking down habits: creating new forms of quality, diversity and awareness of participation, creativity, culture, art and community building; and encouraging the exploration of creative potential and opening up to shared European perspectives have been the hallmarks of our ambitions and goals.
Our "best of" exhibition is a reminder of these efforts. The objects on display here are not just items on display, but works of art filled with memories and experiences, which are witnesses and achievements of our great year 2023, and also carry encouragement for the future: Veszprém is capable and ready to be a committed and credible representative of traditional and contemporary artistic values and aspirations, not only in the national but also in the European cultural space.
