The Municipality of Debrecen and the Move, Debrecen! Movement handed over 5 “poetry benches” in the neighbourhoods of Vénkert and Libakert. This was announced at a press conference by  Deputy Mayor of Debrecen István Puskás, municipal representative Lajos Barcsa, and Director of the Debrecen Institute for Primary Care and Health Promotion (Daefi) Csaba Papp, on the 31st of  May 2024.

Deputy Mayor of Debrecen István Puskás emphasised that they were taking a big step towards mental and physical health by symbolically inaugurating with the first walk another element of the Move, Debrecen! programme, which links physical activity and culture. ”A walking route is now being created in the city, linking the joy of movement and walking with the joy of literature, reading and culture, along the route of the “poetry benches”,” he added.

“As of today, five benches are available in the Libakert and Vénkert districts, where you can relax while walking around, and also spend time on the benches to relax and enjoy culture, literature and poetry, “ the Deputy Mayor pointed out.

As for the details, István Puskás said “the walk will lead from Arany János Square, from the statue of  Arany János to  Borsos Villa, the former Literary Museum, and will include readings of poems by great classical poets from Debrecen or connected to Debrecen”.

The Deputy Mayor emphasised that the aim of the programme was to raise awareness of the cultural values of this part of the city and to strengthen the cultural identity of the city by commemorating in a dignified way the great literary classics who started in Debrecen or are linked to Debrecen. Afterwards, István Puskás thanked the sponsors and partners who helped to make this route a reality.

“The starting point of the programme was the concept of health, which means the inseparable unity of body and soul. Later on, these programmes were extended to include the soul, where psychologists and psychiatrists support and participate in the programmes, and in the Szent Anna Street Centre they offer the population the opportunity to receive all kinds of counselling and help, even anonymously, “ Director of the Debrecen Institute of Primary Care and Health Promotion (Daefi), Csaba Papp, one of the municipal representatives of the district said.

“This is one of the most important parts of the “Move, Debrecen!” project, which involves both, bringing together movement and culture, and thus the idea of “poetry benches” was born, of which there are not many in the world,“ Csaba Papp pointed out.

Csaba Papp said that when these spaces were renewed as part of the Green City Programme, they were able to help a sedentary world. As representatives of the two areas, together with municipal representative Lajos Barcsa  they thought about providing walking zones in this sedentary world. Thus, the Libakert programme has created more than three kilometres of walking zones; the walks can be done through parks away from busy roads, but up to Villa Borsos, this can even be extended to a length of five to eight kilometres.

 “In addition to the five “poetry benches” that are now being implemented, “story-telling benches” were recently inaugurated on Liget Square. As a continuation of this, QR codes will be placed on three more of these “story-telling benches” in the inner area between Darabos Street and Bethlen Street, and there are plans to create “music benches”, which will certainly be joined by both the Csokonai Theatre and the Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra,” regarding the three elements of culture, Csaba Papp noted.

“Libakert and Vénkert were among the first to be completed under the Green City Programme, and their success is unquestionable, as it is clear that many people are using these newly created green spaces. Under the Green Cities Programme, the municipality has renovated tens of thousands of square metres of green spaces, including sports fields, gyms, playgrounds and other recreational areas, “ the district’s municipal representative Lajos Barcsa said.

“Physical recreation has now been provided in recent years, as people prefer to use these infrastructures, but now also intellectual nourishment is available. So these areas are now available for exercise and community life, because exercise creates a community, but it is also important to provide space for culture, “ praising the initiative, he said.

Source: debrecen.hu

The Municipality of Debrecen and the Move, Debrecen! Movement handed over 5 “poetry benches” in the neighbourhoods of Vénkert and Libakert. This was announced at a press conference by  Deputy Mayor of Debrecen István Puskás, municipal representative Lajos Barcsa, and Director of the Debrecen Institute for Primary Care and Health Promotion (Daefi) Csaba Papp, on the 31st of  May 2024.

Deputy Mayor of Debrecen István Puskás emphasised that they were taking a big step towards mental and physical health by symbolically inaugurating with the first walk another element of the Move, Debrecen! programme, which links physical activity and culture. ”A walking route is now being created in the city, linking the joy of movement and walking with the joy of literature, reading and culture, along the route of the “poetry benches”,” he added.

“As of today, five benches are available in the Libakert and Vénkert districts, where you can relax while walking around, and also spend time on the benches to relax and enjoy culture, literature and poetry, “ the Deputy Mayor pointed out.

As for the details, István Puskás said “the walk will lead from Arany János Square, from the statue of  Arany János to  Borsos Villa, the former Literary Museum, and will include readings of poems by great classical poets from Debrecen or connected to Debrecen”.

The Deputy Mayor emphasised that the aim of the programme was to raise awareness of the cultural values of this part of the city and to strengthen the cultural identity of the city by commemorating in a dignified way the great literary classics who started in Debrecen or are linked to Debrecen. Afterwards, István Puskás thanked the sponsors and partners who helped to make this route a reality.

“The starting point of the programme was the concept of health, which means the inseparable unity of body and soul. Later on, these programmes were extended to include the soul, where psychologists and psychiatrists support and participate in the programmes, and in the Szent Anna Street Centre they offer the population the opportunity to receive all kinds of counselling and help, even anonymously, “ Director of the Debrecen Institute of Primary Care and Health Promotion (Daefi),Csaba Papp, one of the municipal representatives of the district said.

“This is one of the most important parts of the “Move, Debrecen!” project, which involves both, bringing together movement and culture, and thus the idea of “poetry benches” was born, of which there are not many in the world,“ Csaba Papp pointed out.

Csaba Papp said that when these spaces were renewed as part of the Green City Programme, they were able to help a sedentary world. As representatives of the two areas, together with municipal representative Lajos Barcsa  they thought about providing walking zones in this sedentary world. Thus, the Libakert programme has created more than three kilometres of walking zones; the walks can be done through parks away from busy roads, but up to Villa Borsos, this can even be extended to a length of five to eight kilometres.

 “In addition to the five “poetry benches” that are now being implemented, “story-telling benches” were recently inaugurated on Liget Square. As a continuation of this, QR codes will be placed on three more of these “story-telling benches” in the inner area between Darabos Street and Bethlen Street, and there are plans to create “music benches”, which will certainly be joined by both the Csokonai Theatre and the Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra,” regarding the three elements of culture, Csaba Papp noted.

“Libakert and Vénkert were among the first to be completed under the Green City Programme, and their success is unquestionable, as it is clear that many people are using these newly created green spaces. Under the Green Cities Programme, the municipality has renovated tens of thousands of square metres of green spaces, including sports fields, gyms, playgrounds and other recreational areas, “ the district’s municipal representative Lajos Barcsa said.

“Physical recreation has now been provided in recent years, as people prefer to use these infrastructures, but now also intellectual nourishment is available. So these areas are now available for exercise and community life, because exercise creates a community, but it is also important to provide space for culture, “ praising the initiative, he said.

Source: debrecen.hu