Local services
István Puskás, deputy mayor of Debrecen, held a press conference on the 2024 budgets of certain cultural institutions and non-profit organisations in the Méliusz Juhász Péter Library on the 15th of February 2024.
István Puskás highlighted that within the framework of cultural development, the first phase of the renovation of the Bartók Hall, the renewal of MODEM, the development of the energy building of the Kölcsey Centre, the modernisation of the B24 Gallery and the first phase of the renovation of the villas on Medgyessy promenade will be launched or completed.
Speaking about the figures, the Deputy Mayor stressed that the cultural institutions in Debrecen will have 6.28 billion forints to spend in 2024, 930 million forints will be available for cultural developments, and employees in the cultural sector will receive a 17 percent wage increase.
“After the complete renovation, in 2023 we handed over the Csokonai Theatre, which resulted in a significant increase in the number of employees at the Csokonai National Theatre in Debrecen, with an additional 51 people employed,” he pointed out. He added that Debrecen’s network of cultural institutions employs a total of 993 people.
He drew attention to the launch of a programme for the renovation of the built heritage, for which the municipality will provide HUF 200 million. He reminded that the Municipality of Debrecen launched the House of the Year of the Civic Building Award in May 2023 with the intention of creating a tradition, aiming to reward those who are at the forefront of the preservation of the architectural civic building heritage.
At the moment there are 305 buildings under local protection, but we would like to expand this further, in addition to the 131 listed buildings. The city is clearly committed to the preservation of its architectural heritage. One proof of this is the completely renovated Csokonai National Theatre and the Old Town Hall.
Among the significant anniversaries of 2024, István Puskás highlighted the 175th anniversary of the 1848/49 Revolution and the 80th anniversary of the saturation bombing of Debrecen in 1944, but this year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of architect Tibor Mikolás and the 80th anniversary of Debrecen becoming the capital of Hungary in December 1944.
Among the outstanding cultural events of this year, in addition to the well-established and much-anticipated major events such as the Debrecen Wine and Jazz Days, the Debrecen Flower Carnival and the Debrecen Advent, among others, he mentioned the Made in Debrecen Festival, the Debrecen Street Music Days, the DESZKA Festival, the Night of Museums, the Festive Book Week, the Artweek, the Sajó travelling exhibition and the Béla Bartók International Choir Competition.
“We are trying to build a happier city through culture. Every year the list of cultural events in Debrecen grows longer and more substantial. These are all the consequences and results of a kind of strategic construction,” the city leader said. He added that one of the most important tasks for this year is to strengthen cooperative and creative creative communities, as they are the ones who can best strengthen the cultural identity and cohesion of the city. He stressed that they are trying to pay attention to young people, as it is very important to strengthen the city’s retention capacity, so that young people imagine their adulthood in the city, but the cornerstone of the year will also be to build the city’s external relations.
Source: debrecen.hu
