Vivat Slovenia! – exhibition opening

2023/04/19

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Hungarian-Slovenian diplomatic relations, the National Széchényi Library, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia and the Department of Slavonic Studies of the ELTE Faculty of Humanities opened the exhibition Vivat Slovenia! in the National Library.

The opening of this exhibition, which was immediately preceded by the signing of a cooperation agreement between Viljem Leban, Director General of the National and University Library of Ljubljana, and Dávid Rózsa, Director General of the NSZL, in the Sándor Palace, marks the further consolidation of the excellent diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The opening of the exhibition was honoured by Katalin Novák, President of Hungary, Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia and ambassadors from forty-six countries.

Dávid Rózsa, Director General, in his welcoming speech, emphasised that the opening of the chamber exhibition brings together people who understand each other's history and share their time and thoughts.

President Katalin Novák stressed that our common cultural treasures together enrich Europe's cultural heritage and recalled that both Hungary and the Republic of Slovenia pay special attention to the Slovenian and Hungarian communities living on their territory.

President Nataša Pirc Musar, in addition to drawing parallels between Sándor Petőfi and France Prešeren, also stressed the importance of reading. She underlined that books are an important tool for the survival of generations and that reading is not only a skill and a discipline, but also an indispensable means of deepening our knowledge and broadening our horizons.

The backbone of the exhibition is the history of the reception of Slovenian literature in Hungary, with a special focus on the literary translations (poetry books, novels, storybooks, anthologies) of the last thirty years, which comprise almost eighty volumes.

The exhibition Vivat Slovenia! is open until 31 May.