Hungary/ 3.4 International cultural co-operation  

3.4.4 Direct professional co-operation

Hungarian cultural operators are well integrated into their respective international communities. In several areas of heritage and music, Hungarians are active in European networks. At the same time, criticism about provincialism is often voiced: e.g. few Hungarians are active in European cultural policy forums and projects, lacking an adequate academic and educational background in cultural matters.

Most of the mainstream institutions (museums, galleries, theatres, symphonic orchestras, and especially large festivals) have rich programmes of international exchange. Outstanding venues attracting international artists and works of art are the Opera House, Művészetek Palotája (Müpa in short: the Palace of Arts, a concert hall which also houses the Ludwig Museum), Szépművészeti Múzeum (Museum of Fine Arts), the Modem in Debrecen, and the latest, the Kodály Centre with concert and conference facilities at Pécs, opened in 2010, when that city was European Capital of Culture. Cultural and artistic activities of many operations are international by definition. Trafó, the A38 ship, the MU theatre, are popular and well-functioning spaces especially for innovative and experimental productions, both form Hungary and abroad. The first two regularly participate in EU projects and are financed by a number of sources. Among festivals, the Budapest Spring Festival has the largest number of international cultural links, not to speak of Sziget (see chapter 4.2.3).

Additional resources:

Mobility trends and case studies

Examples of mobility schemes for artists and cultural professionals in Hungary

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