Key to China - New Confucius Institute in Szeged

More than 70 cities have angled for establishing a new Confucius Institute, but only Szeged have succeeded.
The institute will open in September and there is no doubt about the various facilities and benefits it will provide for the students, local businesses and residents of Szeged. The themes of the recent conference in the town hall were the strenghtening relationships between Hungary and China, Szeged and Shanghai.

The parliamentary representative, István Újhelyi stated, that if we want to cut in the chase for Chinese business, economic and diplomatic relations we have to 'learn China' and understand the Chinese way of thinking. He also mentioned that he appeciates the efforts of the present-day government for establishing better relations with Chinese partners. Besides these he claims that due to our Asian ancestors we have a better chance for creating strong contacts with Chinese partners.

It is a huge accomplishment that out of 70 applicants, Szeged can have the opportunity to host a new Confucius Institute. The mayor expects economic and cultural development in Szeged.

Confucius Institutes are non-profit public institutions aligned with the Government of the People's Republic of China that aim to promote Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally, and facilitate cultural exchanges.

Confucius Institute (CI) headquarters are located in Beijing, and the program is overseen by the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), a non-profit organization affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and the United Front Work Department. The institutes operate in co-operation with local affiliate colleges and universities around the world, and financing is shared between Hanban and the host institutions.

The related Confucius Classroom program partners with local secondary schools or school districts to provide teachers and instructional materials. It provides opportunities to study Chinese culture and language for those who are interested.

VIRSKY dance crew in Szeged again

The Open-Air Theatre of Szeged has opened and invites all of you to its fantastic shows. One of them is the world-wide famous show of the Virsky dance crew, a team which has played an important part in shaping the history of dancing. The biggest rival of the Mojszejev dance crew has arrived to Szeged after 10 years of impatient waiting. While the Mojszejev crew is more famous in Europe, the Virsky is better known in the USA. This can be pressed for the fact that the Virsky crew has only spent 2 months in Europe before.

The ensemble was created in 1937 by Pavlo Virsky and Mykola Bolotov, and guided by Pavlo Virsky until his death in 1975. During World War II, Virsky performed for the soldiers at the front. In 1980, the company's artistic direction was overtaken by Myroslav Vantukh, who had been a disciple of Pavlo Virsky. Virsky's aim is to create dances that embrace historical Ukrainian dance traditions as well as dances that are innovative and forward-moving.

Pavlo Pavlovych Virsky was an innovative dancer, balletmaster, choreographer, and founder of the P. Virsky Ukrainian National Folk Dance Ensemble, whose work in Ukrainian dance was groundbreaking and influenced generations of dancers.

Pavlo Virsky was born on February 25, 1905 in Odesa, Ukraine. After graduating from the Odesa Music and Drama School in 1927, he continued his studies in Moscow, at the Theater Technicum, from 1927-28. Virsky joined the Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre as a dancer and choreographer. It was at this theater that he collaborated with Mykola Bolotov in their first joint production: Gliere's The Red Poppy. Virsky left the Odesa in 1931, and worked as a balletmaster at various theatres, including those in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kiev, working on productions of ballets such as Raymonda, La Esmeralda, Le Corsaire, Swan Lake, and Don Quixote.

With the outbreak World War II, and in the build-up to the Great Patriotic War, many ensembles suspended activity, as performers were enlisted to entertain the troops. Virsky continued his work with folk-themed choreography as the director of the Red Flag Song and Dance Ensemble of the Kiev Military District beginning in 1939.
 

 In 1955, Virsky returned to Kiev to helm the State Folk Dance Ensemble of the Ukrainian SSR, just after World War II. For the next 20 years (until his death in 1975) Pavlo Virsky developed the concepts of Ukrainian folk-stage dance further than had previously been imagined. He founded a school to train dancers in the technique he developed. He toured the world with his dancers, influencing Ukrainian dancers the world over.


Virsky died on July 5, 1975 in Kiev. The State Folk Dance Ensemble of the Ukrainian SSR was named after him in 1977.

Today this widely known crew celebrates its 75th anniversary on the stages of the Open-Air Theatre of Szeged with its 84 members in a hundred minutes long performance. It can be seen on the 7th of August, 9pm, in New-Szeged.

Tickets for the show can be bought online here: TICKETS ONLINE

Food scandal in Szeged

An unbelievably large number of people (98) became infected with Salmonella enteritidis, a serious infecting agent in Szeged and Domaszék last week. Most of the infected are kids, however, there are four adults involved, too. Not only schoolchildren, but also kids attending nursery school and play-school got infected. The poisonous food arrived from a restaurant in Domaszék, the so-called "Nagyi Kifőzde", which was shut down by the authorities last week.


Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhoea, fever, vomiting and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. In most cases, the illness lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. However, in some cases the diarrhoea may be so severe that the patient becomes dangerously dehydrated and must be taken to a hospital. This happened to a few of the infected children.




The seriousness of this infection is demonstrated by the fact that there are few children who are still under treatment at the Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Szeged at the moment. According to the food-delivering company, the cause of the infection was the swelter and the inadequate storing. The schools, nurseries and play-schools have been desinfected last week. The company appears to have made several serious mistakes which lead to the break-out of the infection so it was shut down a few days ago. The parents and teachers are indignant.

Munkácsy exhibition in the Móra Ferenc Museum, Szeged

World-wide famous Munkácsy paintings can be seen in Szeged's Móra Ferenc Museum this month. You can admire 41 renowned paintings, many of them haven't been exhibited in Hungary yet. Actors of the Szeged Theatre revive Munkácsy's life, you can visit the shows in July. In the great hall of the Museum you can see the 36 m2 big painting of Munkácsy, the Golgotha.

Munkácsy Mihály can be proclaimed Hungary's greatest and most well-known painter. He lived in Paris and earned international reputation with his amazing genre and biblical paintings. He was born to German parents in the Kingdom of Hungary, in Munkács, the town of which he later named himself. He was quite influenced by the modern French art seen at the Universal Exposition in 1867.

In the early years of his career Munkácsy painted mainly scenes from the daily lives of peasants and poor people. In 1869, Munkácsy painted his much acclaimed work The Last Day of a Condemned Man. This is considered his first masterpiece. The picture was rewarded with the Gold Medal of the Paris Salon in 1870. Towards the end of his career he painted two monumental works: "Hungarian Conquest" for the House of Parliament and a fresco entitled "Apotheosis of Renaissance", for the ceiling of Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna. By the 1890s, his depression grew into a severe mental illness which was probably intensified by the syphilis he caught in his youth. His last pictures are troubled and sometimes even bizarre. Nineteenth century visual art or the historical developments of Hungarian art cannot be discussed without considering Munkácsy's lifework.

Szeged is extremely hot these days

During this week the visitors of Szeged won't need any warm spring clothes. Tourists can enjoy the various pleasure resorts of our beautiful city, which is the most impressive in the summer. It is fantastic to chill out in the city centre, try the better and better ice-cream bars and relax by the riverside.

The temperature can rise up to 40 °C, which also requires higher protection of our skin. The best is to use suncream and drink minimum 2 litres of water every day. Most skin cancer can be prevented, so don't be afraid of sun rays, but be aware. The best way to prevent a sunburn is to avoid sun exposure. Stay out of the midday sun (from 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon), which is the strongest sunlight.

 Wear sunglasses with UV ray protection, to prevent eye damage that may lead to cataracts. Wear loose-fitting, tightly woven clothing that covers your arms and legs. It’s safest to keep babies younger than 6 months out of the sun. If you can’t keep your baby out of the sun, cover your child’s skin with hats and clothing. Protect any bare skin with a small amount of sunscreen that is sun protection factor (SPF) 15 or higher.

LEGO exhibition in Árkád Szeged

Hungary's largest and most intriguing exhibition is taking place in Szeged's Árkád shopping mall. Between 12th and 26th of May you can pay a visit at the fascinating LEGO show of the mall's ground floor. Just as you enter the building through the main entrance the most enchanting sight appeares in front of you. You can relive the sweetest memories of your childhood when you used to spend hours and hours putting together these tiny bricks. This exhibition not only satisfies your eyes but you can also challenge yourself in erecting the towers of your dreams.



Come and spend a joyful afternoon or even a whole day in the huge mall of Szeged. The Árkád Szeged will provide you with millions of LEGO elements, exciting creations and gripping programs for all age groups. As an addition if you spend at least 5000 HUF in any shop of Árkád during the time of the exhibition, by showing your receipt at the Information Service you will receive a LEGO present. So, come and beguile your time in Szeged for an unforgettable day of your life.

LEGO is a popular line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts. Lego bricks can be assembled and connected in many ways, to construct such objects as vehicles, buildings, and even working robots. Anything constructed can then be taken apart again, and the pieces used to make other objects.

 Lego began manufacturing interlocking toy bricks in 1949, since which a global Lego subculture has developed, supporting movies, games, competitions, and five themed amusement parks. Since it began producing plastic bricks, the Lego Group has released thousands of sets with a variety of themes, including town and city, space, robots, pirates, trains, Vikings, castle, dinosaurs, undersea exploration, and wild west.


The Lego group's Duplo product line, introduced in 1969, is a range of simple blocks which measure twice the width, height and depth of standard Lego blocks, and are aimed at younger children. Lego has branched out into the videogames market since 1997, beginning with games such as Lego Island and Lego Creator. Popular titles include the 1999 game Lego Racers and the 2001 game Lego Racers 2. More recent licensed games include Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Batman, and many more. Merlin Entertainments operates five Legoland amusement parks, the original in Billund, Denmark, the second in Windsor, England, the third in Günzburg, Germany, the fourth in Carlsbad, California, and the fifth in Winter Haven, Florida. Lego's popularity is demonstrated by its wide representation and usage in many forms of cultural works, including books, films and art work. It has even been used in the classroom as a teaching tool.

Pankration in Szeged

Adrenalin seekers attention!

HCW - Hungarian Championship Wrestling - presents his hair-raising Pankration SuperShow, Hungary's blast live show with Éva Horváth the renowned emcee of the Viasat 6 channel. Pankration lovers of Szeged who want to let the steam out and emit their agression while rooting for their favorite player can have the opportunity to chill out in May. Szeged's ice-rink will host a perfect place for the Championship and all those who freneticly enjoy this hardcore sport. So if you have a cold feet and feel jittered there is no better place to go than to Szeged's famous Pankration show. Have a rest in Szeged and visit this programme which will be an outlet for your stress and superfluous energy. Play a memorable part in a new era, the time of Hungarian entertaining sport life!

Pankration is a martial art which was introduced in the Greek Olymic Games in 648 BC and was founded as a blend of boxing and wrestling but with almost no rules (disallowing biting and gouging the opponent's eyes out). The roots of MMAs (Mixed Martial Arts) like kickbox, boxing, wrestling, cage fighting, taekwando or judo can be traced back to Pankration. Nowadays it is not recognized as an Olympic sport, however several attempts were made to involve it in the 2004 Olympic Games of Athens as a "demonstration sport". unfortunately these efforts were unsuccessful. :(

So remember: 11th May 2012 8pm - make sure you have nothing else to do that day! :D
Where to go? - Ice-Rink of Szeged - 6729 Szeged, Szabadkai út 80.
Ticket Prices: Adult: 1800 HUF
                     Student: 1400 HUF
You can buy tickets at:
- REÖK Palace - 6720 Szeged, Tisza Lajos krt. 56.
- Szeged, Gutenberg u. 5.
- Makó, Szegedi u. 9-13.
- Szentes, Kossuth u. 8.
- Hódmezővásárhely, Kinizsi u. 27.

András Petruska on the stages of Szeged

In Szeged again!

The so-called 'one-member band' of András Petruska will hold a concert in the Youth Hall of Szeged on 19th April, Thursday 7pm. Being only accompanied by his guitar and his wonderful heart-breaking voice, you experience a hair-raising performance as if a 4-membered band stood in front of you. András performs a show using his voice, guitar, drum, trumpet, bag pipe and doublebass.

The main aim of his performances is to entertain his listeners with the creations of his boundless childlike imagination.  He is also willing to demonstrate that you can never set boundaries to your creativity  -  even if your goal seems unattainable, if you make huge efforts your dream can come true ...

This was how he formed his only-member band !

How to get there? -- > MAP

Ticket prices: 
           tickets purchased pre-emptionally: 500 HUF
           tickets purchased on the day of the show: 800 HUF

Reptile exhibition in Szeged

 Are you fanatic about animals? Do you love to stroke them even if they are exotic? Visitors and dwellers of Szeged can have the opportunity to spend a joyful afternoon at the reptile exhibition, held from 3rd April to 15th April.

Those who blow in can have a look at the pythons, snakes, lizards, turtles, various fish types, arthropods, pats, a wide variety of minerals, limpets and a whale of seashells.

Don't miss this opportunity to see them and to show them to your children who can have a wonderful experience and day during the spring break. If you get interested in these animals you can even purchase some if you like. Those who spend their Easter holidays in Szeged can also join the show, because it is open on the days of Easter, too.

Ticket prices:
- adult: 700 HUF
- child/retired: 500 HUF
- team ticket: 300 HUF

OPENING HOURS: 9am - 6pm

 For more pictures visit: Hüllő zoo

Where to go? MAP

Penguins in Szeged

Both children and adults can pay an exciting visit to the Safari Park of Szeged, where by early Saturday new penguins have arrived.

The Safari Park of Szeged established a new glass-walled pool for the new-comers, which was inaugurated by Dr. László Botka, mayor of Szeged. He also stated that last year a sum of 700 million Hungarian Forints were appropriated for the renewal of the zoo.


Each and every year about 200 thousand visitors come to the Park to have a wonderful day or afternoon and to chill out here. According to the owners' hints, in the near future Black and Hook-lipped rhinoceros species will arrive to Szeged, too.

But now the main attraction of the Safari Park is the pool of the African Penguin, also known as the Black-footed penguin. It's confined to the Southern African waters, also widely known as the "Jackass" Penguin for its donkey-like bray, although several species of South American penguins produce the same sound.

Dr. László Botka - mayor of Szeged is feeding the new penguins

They grow to 68-70 cm (26.7 - 27.5 inches) tall and weigh between 2 and 5 kg (4.4 and 11 lb).

They have a black stripe and black spots on the chest, the pattern of spots being unique for every penguin, like human fingerprints. They have pink glands above their eyes, which are used for the regulation of temperature.

The hotter the penguin gets the more blood is sent to these glands so it may be cooled by the surrounding air, thus making the glands more pink.

This monogamous penguin is at a great threat nowadays. Of the 1.5 million African Penguin population estimated in 1910, only some 10% remained at the end of the 20th century.

Commercial fisheries have forced these penguins to search for prey farther off shore, as well as making them eat less nutritious prey. Penguin eggs were also considered delicacy and are still being collected for sale. Unfortunately, the practice was to smash eggs found a few days prior to gathering, to ensure that only fresh ones were sold.

Many steps have been taken to halt the decline of the African Penguin species, such as taking them to protected zoos and safari parks to conservate them. The penguins of Szeged have arrived from Germany (by the program of EEP) safe and sound and the visitors can pay an enjoyable visit to our venue.

Ticket prices:
 - adult: 1480 HUF
 - child: 970 HUF
 - child under the age of 3: FREE
 - Retired: 1070 HUF
 - Family (2+1): 3500 HUF
 - Family (2+2): 4070 HUF additional fee for more children: 570 HUF
 - Kid, school and retired group: 700 HUF/child, person
 - adult group: 1300 HUF/adult
 - Courier/guide (2-3 hours): 11000 HUF - in English: 14500 HUF
 - Courier/guide (30 minutes): 3100 HUF
 - Birthday in the zoo: 13500 - 15500 HUF

Open from 9am to 4pm.                                                                  Map - How to get there?

e-mail: info@zoo.szeged.hu                                                  Zoo homepage - for more information
Telephone: +36 62 542 530
                   +36 62 542 531
Fax: +36 62 445 299

Upcoming world-wide famous conference in Szeged

Dear Readers!

This week an extremely important event is going to take place in Szeged from 23rd to 25th of March. Nine Nobel prize winners will visit Szeged to take part in a conference organized for the 75th anniversary of Szent-Györgyi Albert's Nobel prize award. The University of Szeged announced a competition for students to win the opportunity to introduce these Nobel prize awardees. These students are not only talented biology-fans but they also speak superb English. Out of the more than 70 contestants the strict adjudicators chose 9 students with the best English and conversational skills, style and neatness.

I have done my best to find one of these students and I have successfully come across Eszter Nógrádi, a student of Deák Ferenc Bilingual High School in Szeged, who will have the pleasure to introduce Eric Wieschaus in the conference series. I seized the opportunity to ask her a few questions just to tell us more about this palatial event. 

Editor: Where or from whom did you hear about the upcoming conference series?

Eszter Nógrádi: Actually my biology teacher recommended taking part in a competition called by the University of Szeged. I immediately wanted to participate in such a vast event, where I can meet these highly acknowledged and renowned people and shake hands with them. 

Editor: Why did you choose Eric Wieschaus? 

Eszter Nógrádi: I read all the autobiographies of the Nobel prize-winners and he was the one who was the most interesting to me. I really like genetics, the topic in which he does research, and I am also a great fan of arts and music so when I read his biography it wasn't a question for me anymore whom to choose.

 

 

Editor: Could you say just a few words about Eric Wieschaus? 

Eszter Nógrádi: Of course. He was born in Indiana just after World War II. As I said before he is also a great fan of arts, as a child he spent hours and hours by painting and drawing and doing artworks. He studied at Yale University, where he could work in a laboratory and could examine Drosophila - a kind of small fruit fly. He made enormous efforts to find key genes that were responsible for the development of a fruit fly egg into a segmented embryo. He received the Nobel prize in 1995 along with two other scientists in Physiology or Medicine.

Editor: Will there be any opportunity to talk to these scientists?

Eszter Nógrádi: Yes, those who were chosen to presents the scientist can have a small chat with them. The other two people for each scientist who were also selected from the rest of the applicants can place a question in the Open Forum, where all the visitors of the conference will be present.

Editor: Thank you for answering my questions and I wish you good luck in presenting Eric Wieschaus well.

Eszter Nógrádi: Thank you very much. :D

 
   

Must-see films in Grand Café

This month you can enjoy a wide range of films in Grand Café, Szeged, where foreigners are most welcomed. Here you don't have to worry about language problems, mainly all films are in English.

Mourning (2011):  which presents the story of a family in which a violent quarrel breaks out in the middle of the night. Being at a relative's house in the North of Iran, they depart for Teheran, but they do not bring along their son. Something terrible happens on their way ...
This breath-taking film guarantees full-night excitement.
      Shows: March 16th - 19:00
                  March 17th - 19:00
                  March 20th - 19:00

Les Misérables (2000) 4 x 90 minutes: Starring Gérard Depardieu, Christian Clavier and John Malkovich in a scene set during the French Restoration at the beginning of the 19th century. Jean Valjean is released after 19 years of prison for stealing bread. At first he has to encounter mistrust and closed doors, only the kind Bishop Bienvenue treats him fairly and takes him in. The bishop's truly Christian compassion and humanity not only restores Jean Valjean's faith in God, but also smoothes his way back to an orderly life. The motto of the film is that there is only one thing in the world that is important and that is to love each other...
It's definitely worth watching such a well-made film adaptation.
      Shows: March 21st - 18:00 (4 x 90 minutes)

 Ticket prices:

     students: 350 HUF (by showing your student ID card)

     adults: 500 HUF

Les petits mouchoirs (2010): You can enjoy a nice French movie called Little White Lies starring Marion Cotillard famous for her role in the Taxi series. The film presents the exciting story of Max, a successful restaurant owner and his wife, who invite a merry group of friends to their beautiful beach house to celebrate Antoine's birthday and kick-start the vacation. But this year before they all leave Paris their buddy Ludo gets hurt in a serious accident, which sets off a dramatic chain of reactions and emotional responses ...
     Shows: March 29th - 19:00
                 March 31st - 18:30
                 April 1st - 19:00
                 April 2nd - 19:00
                 April 3rd - 21:00

                 April 4th - 18:30

How to get there?

     Grand Café Szeged

Szeged, Deák Ferenc u. 18. II. emelet

Telefon: 62/420-578, fax: 544-099

Mojszejev Dance Crew in Szeged

Szeged can have the honorific opportunity to have the extremely famous and unique Mojszejev Dance Crew on 20th March at 7:00 pm in the sports-court of Szeged. The internationally renowed crew will celebrate its 75th year this year.


The founder of the crew, Igor Mojszejev was born in Kijev in 1906. He developed a special dancing style which is based on the folk dances of different nations and original ballet. By 1924 he had already acquired world-wide fame. His crew was established in February 1937 named after Igor. He carefully chose his dancers, considering not only their talent and ability but in case of the girls their beauty, too. Igor had received numerous awards and on his 100th birthday Vlagyimir Putyin called to see him at his home to hand him a subsequent award. His style had a great effect on other acknowledged dancers such as Michael Flatley and Mustafa Erdogan.


The crew can write off more than 160 tours in more than 60 countries. Szeged can provide a full-night program for the admirers of dancing and virtuoso music, so if you consider youself such a person than this is a must-see event.

If you find yourself interested then you can easily purchase a ticket at this website:

http://www.utazzitthon.hu/mojszejev-tancegyuttes-75-eves-jubileumi-diszeloadasa-szeged.html?gclid=CKXcjaqW4q4CFQJj3wodWh3tYA

Just in case you needed a map:

Nagyobb térképre váltás

Szeged in the middle of the attention of scientists

Albert Szent-Györgyi

An extremely rare event is under organization in Szeged at the moment. By the end of March, 9 Nobel prize winners will arrive to Szeged, to pay their duty to the memory of Albert Szent-Györgyi, the Hungarian Nobel prize winner, acknowledged for the discovery of the role of vitamin C in organisms and for isolating vitamin C.

He received the Nobel prize in 1937. This event will be the 75th anniversary of Albert Szent-Györgyi’s Nobel Prize Award. The conference is estimated to be visited by over a thousand scientists. It goes without saying that the organizers intend to provide a friendly atmosphere by preparing a variety of cultural and recreational programmes to accompany the conference series itself. 

Apart from the scientific discourses, visitors will also get the opportunity of enjoying Hungary's traditional cuisine during the conference series.