Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Budapest

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Budapest was opened in 1992 as an official representative body of the Slovene Government in Hungary. As independent states the two countries officially established diplomatic relations in 1992. The embassy provides consular assistance and promotes bilateral political, economic, and cultural relations.

Cultural cooperation

The two neighbouring countries have extensive cultural cooperation also due to the needs of Slovene and Hungarian minorities living in each respective country.

The legal basis for bilateral cooperation has been the Program of cooperation in education, science and culture between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of Hungary for the years 2016-2018, extended until the implementation of the program for the years 2020-2022.

In 2019, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Budapest has organized, co-organised or participated in 34 projects in the field of public diplomacy and culture, some events have already become traditional. Regular cooperation has been established between Hungarian archives, museums, academies and universities or festivals, and Slovene institutions and municipalities, for instance the Lendava-Lendva Gallery and Museum. The embassy often cooperates with Hungarian partners, too.

Since November 2019, the Embassy has been a full member of the EUNIC Cluster Hungary, participating in the events organised by the network (cf. EUNIC Slovenia).

Film

Since 2016, the Slovenian Film Days took place in the Toldi Cinema in Budapest in October, curated and coorganised by Slovenian Film Center in cooperation with the Embassy. Some films were screened also in smaller cities as Szombathely.

CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival and the BuSho Short Film Festival in Budapest have regularly collaborated with Slovenian filmmakers for many years, too.

PRIMANIMA World Festival of First Animations has presented the authors around Stripburger or Zvviks Audio Visual Association. Leon Vidmar's Farewell got the PrimaSound Award 2016 for Julij Zornik's sound. The PRIMANIMA festival organised in Budaörs near Budpest is a parter festival with Ljubljana Animateka International Animated Film Festival and Stoptrik International Film Festival in Maribor.

Primanima 2016 festival moments by PRIMANIMA HUNGARY on YouTube

Farewell / orig. Slovo (2016) - OFFICIAL TRAILER by ZVVIKS on Vimeo

Literature

The European Festival of the First Novel within the framework of the International Book Fair in Budapest hosted several Slovenian authors, eg. Feri Lainšček, Vesna Lemaić, Stanka Hrastelj, Jasmin B. Frelih and Davorin Lenko.

Music

Hungarian public was acquainted to bands and musicians from Slovenia: Noctiferia, Siddharta, Laibach, Vlado Kreslin, N'toko) as well as opera singers (Barbara Kozelj or Theresa Plut). In the past decade Budapest venues (eg Opus Club) hosted a line of jazz concerts by Slovenian musicians (Ecliptic, There Be Monsters (SI/IT), Igor Lumpert and Innertextures; the Igor Lumpert Trio and the pianist Kaja Draksler had a gig at the Palace of Arts' Jazz Showcase in Budapest while the Perpetuum Jazzile performed at the festival Café Budapest.

There is a regular cooperation between the Academy of Music in Ljubljana and the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest.

A Budapest Showcase Hub (BUSH), the ultimate showcase event for the best regional bands and professionals of the Eastern European region hosted Slovenian bands Jardier, Koala Voice, Lynch as well as a musician Kykla. A panel discussion with Slovenian experts in the field of music creation and promotion of young musicians was coorganised by SIGIC. In 2020 the Wickd Nation band from Ljubljana were presented via video produced by the BUSH.

Wckd Nation 🔥BUSH ONLINE: A VIDEO EXTRAVAGANZA🔥 by Budapest Showcase Hub on YouTube

In January 2020 the Transparent Sound New Music Festival presented the Studio Dan concert presenting also Vinko Globokar’s and Maja Osojnik’s works.

As a part of the Creative Europe co-operation between Austria, Slovenia, Germany and Hungary, a compillation was commissioned by MusicaFemina Hungary, including also the performance by a percussionist Petra Vidmar and Izidor Erafem Grafenauer, recorded in December 2019 at the Fatemplom Fesztivál (Wooden Church Festival) Magyarföld.

MusicaFemina Hungary Showreels / Petra Vidmar by MusicaFemina Hungary on YouTube

An international symposium MusicaFemina where Teja Reba (City of Women Association for Promotion of Women in Culture) moderated a panel discussion on the topic Increasing the Visibility of Female Artists was supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Budapest.

Visual arts

Slovenian artists quite often participate in the exhibitions in significant Budapest galleries such as Műcsarnok Gallery, Ludwig Museum, National Gallery, Vasarely Museum, Várneged Galéria or Ana Molnar Gallery or the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center (cf. the list of events).

The Lendava-Lendva Gallery and Museum has collaborated on a regular basis with the Hegyvidék Gallery in Budapest as well as with the Pécsi Galéria in Pécs. A group exhibition of Lendava artists was set in the Hegyvidék Gallery in December 2019.

In 2015, the Anarchy. Utopia. Revolution, an exhibition also featuring works by Marko Brecelj, was set at the Ludwig Múzeum in Budapest. At the Hungarian National Gallery an exhibition Turning Points with Laibach video screening was organised by the EUNIC in cooperation with the Embassy.

Spielraum – The Nation Loves It by Jasmina Cibic was exhibited at the Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art in Budapest.

Spielraum - The Nation Loves it, trailer by jasmina cibic on Vimeo

At the OFF-Biennale Budapest 2015 the Fokus Grupa: As It Once Was – the Art of Nation Building was curated by Alenka Gregorič (City Art Gallery Ljubljana, Tobačna 001 Cultural Centre) at the A.P.A. Gallery in Budapest.

In the last decade, the Photon Gallery, the P74 Centre and Gallery, GalerijaGalerija and Stolp Photogallery, have presented Slovenian artists at the Art Market Budapest.

Design and architecture

At the Budapest Design Week Gigodesign was presented, while the Design Without Borders Festival, a part of the Budapest Summer Festival and the Night of the Museums event series, featured the OLoOP Design in 2018.

Beyond Everydayness – Theatre Architecture in Central Europe, a touring exhibition co-organised by the Slovenian Theatre Institute took place also in Budapest in 2010.

In 2015, The Karst Man, Jože Plečnik exhibition took place at the Műcsarnok Gallery in Budapest, with the accompanying lectures by Andrej Hrausky, Damjan Prelovšek and Maruša Zorec, supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Budapest.

Joze Plečnik (1872–1957) A karszti ember by mucsarnok on YouTube

In the same year the FUGA Budapest Center of Architecture hosted ab exhibition of contemporary Slovene architecture curated by Kristina and Miha Dešman.

In 2013 the festival Budapest Architecture Film Days at the Toldi Cinema in Budapest presented Small and Smart: Contemporary Slovenian Architecture on Film, produced by the Museum of Architecture and Design in Ljubljana and ARK - Institute for Architecture and Culture.

Biotechnical Faculty, Ljubljana University by MAO Slovenia on YouTube

Theatre and dance

In 2013 and 2014 the embassy co-organised a guest appearance of Gregor Luštek's and Rosana Hribar's dance performance at MU Szinház in Budapest.

Mini Theatre from Ljubljana presented its production at the Budapest Puppet Theatre and at the Maladype Theater in Budapest. Ljubljana Puppet Theatre with Konj Puppet Theatre was presented at the Pécs International Puppet Festival for Adults. A grand production of Iliad by Jernej Lorenci was put on stage at the Madách International Theatre Meeting (MITEM), and the Via Negativa performances a the Thealter International Meeting of Free Theatres in Szeged.

Archeology

A joint research of 23 institutions has resulted in the Virtual archaeological landscapes of the Danube region project funded by the Interreg V-B Danube Transnational Programme. It is led by the Universalmuseum Joanneum (AT), among partners are also the National Museum of Slovenia and the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia.

Slovenian language

The Slovene minority, consisting of about 3,000 individuals mostly living in the Raba region in Hungary, enjoys a limited level of bilingual acknowledgement. In addition, Slovenian language is being taught at Loránd Eötvös University (ELTE) in Budapest and at University of Szombathely. There are also several Slovene cultural organisations based in Budapest and in the Raba region.

The Embassy regularly cooperates with the lectureships, supporting lectures by academicians or authors from Slovenia. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the University of Ljubljana in December 2019, Professor Dr. Peter Vodopivec, a Slovene historian was hosted at the ELTE University in Budapest.

External links